Sichuan Bon Bon Chicken Recipe (Bang Bang Ji/Bang Bang Chicken)

This salad, simple to fix, eye candy and delicious, is a well known Sichuan dish throughout the China and is very popular entry on restaurant menus. Bang Bang chicken also known as Bon Bon chicken, Sichuan hacked chicken, Pong Pong chicken or even as strange flavor chicken.

This is a dish consist of shredded cooked chicken and cucumber salad dressed in hot spicy peanut sauce. Traditionally, it is made with crushed fah sung (peanut). However, this recipe use peanut butter instead of ground peanuts. It's very convenient. Traditional Bon Bon chicken in Sichuan is heavily using Sichuan peppercorn oil but this recipe just use moderate amount of it.

• 1 lbs chicken breast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1/2 tsp chili flakes
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Cucumber salad:

• 1 cucumber, thinly julienned
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar

Sauce:

• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds paste
• 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp Sichuan peppercorn oil
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Rub the chicken breast with salt. Rest about 20 minutes.
2. Prepare a steamer. Then steam the chicken over boiling water for about 20 minutes or until its tender and cooked through.
3. When the chicken is cool enough to handle. Cut the chicken into small strips.
4. Meanwhile prepare the cucumber salad. Mix 1 teaspoon of salt with cucumber. Let it rest for 30 minutes.
5. Squeeze out the salt water from cucumber. Then add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Mix well.
6. Spread the cucumber salad on a serving dish. Then top with cooked chicken.
7. In a small bowl, mix ginger, soy sauce, sesame seeds paste, black vinegar, sugar, salt, Sichuan peppercon oil. Mix well.
8. Heat a tablespoon oil in a wok over high heat. Then add the chili flakes. Stir-fry for 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and transfer to the sesame seeds paste mixture. Stir to mix.
9. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with chopped cilantro.