Authentic Sichuan bang bang chicken

I borrowed this easy recipe from the blog thewoksoflife.com, Bang Bang Chicken: The Authentic Sichuan Version | The Woks of Life and I advise you to take a look at their informative photos of the different stages in preparing this Bang bang chicken. First you poach the chicken breasts/thighs/a whole chicken. Then you hammer the chicken, i.e. bang it with a rolling pin to flatten the meat and shred it. This method helps the chicken better absorb the sauce. The next step is to julienne the cucumber and prepare the spicy and tangy sauce. Finally you assemble everything just before you're ready to dig in! A healthy and wonderfully fresh and succulent chicken dish that I think everybody, who is into Asian food, would appreciate!

The recipe below is for 4 servings. I doubled the recipe, but don't make more than you're going to eat because the cucumber gets very soggy if it is covered in sauce overnight.

Ingredients for 4 servings:

1/2 pound/225 g chicken breast

3 slices ginger

1 scallion + 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallion

1/2 seedless cucumber, julienned

1/2 cup/1,2 dl chicken stock (i.e. the cooking water from the chicken)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

4 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon chili oil (or to taste)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Poach the chicken. In a small pot, add 2 cups/2,4 dl water, 3 slices ginger and 1 scallion. Bring it to a boil, then add in the chicken breast. Once the water boils again, put the lid on and turn the heat to the lowest setting. Cook for 10-12 minutes. The chicken breast is done if the juice comes out clear when you poke the middle with a chopstick. Transfer the chicken breasts to an ice bath to stop the cooking process and keep the chicken moist. Don't discard the cooking water, as it will be used later in the recipe.

2. Assemble the plate. Julienne the cucumber and spread it in an even layer on a shallow plate. Hammer/bang the chicken with a rolling pin to flatten the meat and break it up into shreds. Layer the chicken on top of the cucumber.

3. Prepare the sauce. Mix together the following: 1/2 cup/1,2 dl chicken stock (i.e. the cooking water from the chicken), 2 tablespoons (light) soy sauce, 4 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1 tablespoon chili oil (or to taste), 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions.

4. Pour the sauce over the chicken and cucumber and serve. Toss the chicken and cucumber to coat with the sauce just before you're ready to dig in.