EXPLOSIVE CHICKEN

“This is the chicken of all f*cking chickens,” Action Bronson says in the lead-in to this dish in his new cookbook, Consider yourself warned. “I made this on The Rachael Ray Show. Some places call it chicken with pepper, some Chongqing Chicken. I call it Explosive Chicken, just like Z & Y. Don’t marinate this chicken longer than 15 minutes — if you leave it too long, it’s going to be overpowering and it’s going to taste like that Japanese Sakura teriyaki chicken from the mall. Which I love, don’t get me wrong, but for this you want a totally different taste.”

■1/2 cup (120 ml) soy sauce

■1/2 cup (120 ml) rice vinegar

■1/4 cup (50 g) sugar

■1. pounds (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs

■1 cup (60 g) Szechuan peppercorns, divided use

■1/3 cup (60 g) sugar

■1 tablespoon salt

■11/2 cups (220 g) rice flour 11/2 cups (190 g) cornstarch

■2 to 3 quarts (2 to 3 L) canola oil 3 cups (720 ml) cold seltzer water

■2 green onions, white and green parts, cut into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces

■1 cup (30 g) dried Szechuan chilies

■1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, tough stems removed, roughly chopped

■White rice, as a side

1. Make the marinade: Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl and whisk to dissolve the sugar.

2. Cut the chicken thighs into large chunks — nice chopsticksize pieces, about six per thigh — place them in the marinade, and leave for 15 minutes but no longer. A short dunk softens the chicken just enough and the flavour won’t be overpowering.

3. Make the spice mixture: Use a spice grinder or mortar and pestle to grind all but 2 tablespoons of the peppercorns. Stir together the ground peppercorns, the sugar, and salt and set it aside.

4. Fill a Dutch oven about halfway up the sides with oil and heat it over medium-high heat to 325°F (165°C).

5. In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour and cornstarch for the dredge, then whisk in the seltzer. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

6. Drain the chicken from the marinade. Working with a few pieces at a time, dunk the chicken into the dredge, shake off the excess, and fry until lightly browned, crispy, and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes. As the pieces are done, remove them with a slotted spoon and set them on the prepared baking sheet, then sprinkle them on all sides with a little spice mixture. We could stop here and it would still taste good, but we’re not going to stop here.

7. Add 1 tbsp. of oil to a large skillet or wok and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil and pan are very hot, add the green onions, the reserved whole peppercorns, the chilies, and a sprinkle of spice mixture. Toss for a second or two until the chilies smell fragrant, then add the chicken pieces. Cook, tossing often, until the chicken is heated through, 1 to 2 minutes.

8. Serve topped with the cilantro and a side of hot white rice.

Serves 4