Fiery Sichuan Chicken Tenders

Ingredients 0/13

Step 1

Season the chicken tenders with a bit of salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the Sichuan peppercorn powder, a teaspoon of salt, cayenne, and paprika—this will give the chicken that fiery kick later on.

Step 2

Set up your dredging station: put the flour in one shallow bowl, whisk the eggs and water together in another, and in a third bowl, combine the bread crumbs with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.

Step 3

Coat each chicken tender first in the flour, shaking off any extra, then dip it into the egg mixture, and finally press it into the bread crumb mix until well coated. Lay the prepared tenders on a plate while you heat the oil.

Step 4

Pour about half an inch of vegetable oil into a large, heavy skillet and heat it over medium until it reaches roughly 375°F. Fry the chicken in batches so they have room to cook evenly, turning them occasionally, until they’re golden all over and cooked through—this usually takes around 3 to 4 minutes per batch.

Step 5

Make sure to check the oil temperature between batches to keep it hot enough. As soon as each batch comes out of the oil, sprinkle them generously with the Sichuan spice mix while they’re still hot—add as much or as little as you like depending on how spicy you want it. Enjoy!