Dry-fried chicken (Ganbian ji) from Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking (page 243) by Fuchsia Dunlop

Ingredients

Szechuan pepper
Dried berries of Xanthoxylum species plants. Although there is a Xanthoxylum fagara, it is native to Florida and Caribbean, and not used in Chinese cuisine. Buy Now
- The Spice House - United States
scallions
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EYB Comments

Can substitute medium-dry sherry for Shaoxing rice wine.

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

Eat Your Books

Can substitute medium-dry sherry for Shaoxing rice wine.
christina267621 on May 17, 2026

Made with chicken breast and snow peas, instead of celery. Absolutely loved the recipe and would happily make it again .
chawkins on April 26, 2022

Excellent dish. Looking at the ingredients, I was worried that it would be greasy and too spicy, it was neither. I used drumsticks, each chopped into 3 pieces. The two of us polished it off together with another asparagus stir fry.
kari500 on August 29, 2020

My favorite stir fry.
Delys77 on May 27, 2020

We loved this one. I have often been a bit reluctant to try the dry fried approach because I worried it would be oily/greasy. In the end I followed the recipe precisely using bone in skinless thighs that I sniped into 3 chunks using poultry shears. The dish is nuanced from the three types of chilli, but not overly spicy as others have said. I used the facing heaven peppers and the result was a slightly fruity heat. Very nice dish indeed. While the result is a bit oily the portion is small and it didn't turn out much fattier than many other wok prepared dish I love so I would repeat this one. I found the bones a bit fiddly when eating, but they really do add a lovely flavour and the meat stays nice and moist. Big winner at our house!
clcorbi on December 30, 2016

Delicious! We used chicken breasts which stayed nice and moist, but I'd still try this with thighs next time. I didn't salt my chicken this time, but would next time. Very nice and flavorful.
stockholm28 on April 08, 2014

Great flavors. Used chicken thighs as suggested.
okcook on October 22, 2013

I agree with the chicken thighs being the cut to use. Love this dish. Surprisingly not too hot, unless of course you eat the whole chili. This dish will keep nicely in the oven while you prepare other stir fries.
Snadra on November 25, 2011

This works better with thighs than breasts, but is alright with breasts if the meat isn't cut too small. It really is fragrant and spicy and numbing -very nice. Watch the salt if your chile paste is as salty as mine!