Chicken fillets with hoisin sauce

November 19, 2009 • Hello. I am currently out of the country and unable to respond to comments and e-mails. Rest assured, however, that future posts have been scheduled so new recipes will go live almost everyday during my absence. I'll be back soon with lots of stories and photos. Ciao for now! ~ Connie

The original Chinese recipe is called Szechuan (Sichuan) Pork, so named probably because one of the primary ingredients of the dish is Sichuan peppercorns. I’ve used the same basic recipe on pork, fish and chicken and they were all good. I have to warn you though that I never used Sichuan peppercorns because I have not discovered where I can buy them.

To describe this dish, it is deep-fried slices of starch-dredged pork, fish or chicken tossed in hoisin sauce and toasted sesame seeds. If served immediately, the crust of the pork, fish or chicken pieces is crunchy while the overall texture is thick and sticky because of the hoisin sauce. Add to that the sudden bursts of flavor from the sesame seeds and the result is really delicious.

chicken fillets with hoisin sauce and sesame seeds

Serves two.

Ingredients :

4 chicken thigh fillets
about 2 tbsps. of tapioca or corn starch (all-purpose flour will do too)
3-4 tbsps. of light soy sauce
2 to 3 cups of cooking oil for deep-frying
2 tbsps. of hoisin sauce
1 to 2 tbsps. of sesame seeds
freshly cracked pepper

Cooking procedure :

Toast the sesame seeds in an oil free pan. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Start heating the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan.

Cut the chicken into thin slices by holding the knife at a 45o angle. Place in a bowl. Pour in the soy sauce and season with pepper. Mix well, working the soy sauce into the meat with your hands. Add the starch or flour and mix to coat each piece.

When the oil is hot (it should be smoking but not profusely), deep fry the chicken pieces in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan to make sure that the oil stays hot enough to allow a crust to form on the outside of the chicken pieces. Remove each piece as it cooks and drain on a stack of paper towels.

When the chicken is done, pour off all the oil from the frying pan or wok. Wipe the surface clean with a kitchen or paper towel. Return to the stove and set the heat to medium. Pour in the hoisin sauce, spreading it as thinly as you can. When the hoisin sauce is hot (watch it at this stage because hoisin sauce burns fast), add the chicken pieces and toss quickly to distribute the sauce as evenly as possible. Add the toasted sesame seeds and toss again. Transfer to a serving platter and serve at once.

February 8, 2008  Print This Post   
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Comments

12 Responses to “Chicken fillets with hoisin sauce”
  1. Telly says:
    February 8, 2008 at 4:28 am

    Superb photo of a rice-topping dish. Real artistic execution. Was just wondering how the cooking technique wiould change if you had Sichuan peppercorns?

    Reply
  2. Chunky says:
    February 8, 2008 at 7:24 am

    You can find Szechuan peppercorns at Spices & Flavors, at Market!Market! near Lord Stow’s Bakery. They sell for Php 110 per bottle (80 gms). I used them for my flavored salt give-aways last Christmas and they are awesome…toasted then grounded with sea salt. They are excellent as a flavoring or finishing condiment to roast chicken.

    Reply
  3. Chunky says:
    February 8, 2008 at 7:25 am

    by the way, what side dish did you serve this with?

    Reply
  4. nikka says:
    February 8, 2008 at 6:46 pm

    cool! i’ll try this!! i tried hoisin sauce with porkchops, and cooked it in a toaster oven.. it turned out good, i just didn’t like the mess it did to my toaster. hehe. :)

    Reply
  5. Connie says:
    February 9, 2008 at 5:10 am

    Thank you, Telly. :) In the original recipe, the Sichuan peppercorns were coarsely cracked (in a mortar). But that’s the only difference.

    Thank you, Chunky. It’s been too long since I was at Market! Market! No side dish. Actually what you see in the photo are the leftovers from the kids’ packed school lunch which I had for breakfast. :)

    Nikka, hoisin sauce caramelizes then burns fast. That’s why it’s added last. :)

    Reply
  6. darwin says:
    February 9, 2008 at 6:41 pm

    looks very yummy:)

    couple of questions. what is light soy sauce? and how does it differ from regular soy sauce light silver swan soy sauce or datu puti soy sauce?

    Reply
  7. Connie says:
    February 9, 2008 at 7:08 pm

    light soy sauce is lighter in color (more translucent), less salty and a bit sweet. Think Kikkoman. :)

    Reply
  8. kittyM says:
    February 12, 2008 at 9:42 am

    If i dont have light soy sauce on hand can i substitue with anything else? regular soy sauce with water and sugar maybe? what do you think?By he way i LOOOVE your site!I love cooking and anything else that has to do with it. It relaxes me and just plain makes me happy!So reading your site really puts me in a good mood.Thanks!

    Reply
  9. Connie says:
    February 12, 2008 at 1:21 pm

    kittyM, it’s my way of relaxing too — cooking + photography. Great outlet for creative juices. :) Re soy sauce: it won’t taste the same but you can try using only half as much.

    Reply
  10. kittyM says:
    February 13, 2008 at 12:43 pm

    Had this for dinner last night and my husband loved it.Went all the way chinese and served crab and corn soup and fried rice with it.Thanks connie!

    Reply
  11. A. says:
    September 8, 2008 at 12:50 am

    I know this post is old, but I can’t resist suggesting a place which you probably know by know: BEE TIN GROCERY (this is NOT the same as Eng Bee Tin) in Ongpin. They sell all tipes of sauces, even SICHUAN PEPPERCORN–for just P30 for 60 grams! And they also have great things like assorted chili bean pastes (doubanjiang) and even sesame paste (tahini). I assume you’re chinese? It’s a great place, and you can find better, cheaper alternative products to lee kum kee sauces (ex. buy sesame oil by the liter, or explore 7 or 8 types of Chinese wine, or even vegetarian seasonings)…

    I LOVE sichuan pepper. Sichuan pepper has this tingly spiciness that hits you at the back of your throat–it’s almost like having mint, actually. But it’s awfully strong–so be sure to just use a little (a teaspon of crushed sichuan pepper has a lot of kick in itself.)

    Thanks!

    Reply
  12. housekeeper says:
    October 30, 2008 at 12:27 am

    perfect photography! The food looks very appetizing. Can’t wait to try this recipe!

    Reply
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