Sichuan Cuisine · FFET10205
La Zi Ji (chili chicken)
Chicken cut small and fried, then tossed with plenty of dried chilies and Sichuan pepper, a dish of the Gele Mountain area in Chongqing.
A round white porcelain plate holds golden-brown fried boneless chicken thigh pieces with Sichuan peppercorns, dried red chilies, ginger, garlic and toasted white sesame seeds, with wooden chopsticks resting beside the plate.
The regional cooking of Sichuan and Chongqing, known for its wide range of flavour types.
La zi ji is chicken cut into small pieces, marinated, fried or seared, and tossed with plenty of dried chilies and Sichuan pepper. Crisp outside and tender inside, it belongs to the lower-river (xiahebang) Sichuan dishes and is also called Chongqing la zi ji or Gele Mountain la zi ji. It originated on Gele Mountain in Shapingba, Chongqing, where villagers grew chilies, raised chickens and ducks, and made this relatively modern dish. Its origins remain undated: an official Shapingba district account of July 15, 2025 places its creation in the early 20th century but cites no record; another account gives no date, and no dated text was found.
What
La zi ji is chicken cut into small pieces, marinated in soy sauce, wine and the like, fried or seared, then tossed with plenty of dried chilies, Sichuan pepper, ginger and garlic, sometimes finished with sesame seeds. It is crisp outside and tender inside.1,2,4,5,6
When
La zi ji is a relatively modern dish that rose in the late 20th century. Its origins remain undated: a July 15, 2025 official Shapingba district account credits Gele Mountain villagers in the early 20th century but cites no record; no dated text or specific year of its rise was found.2,3
Where
La zi ji originated around Gele Mountain in Chongqing's Shapingba District and is especially popular there. It is also called Chongqing la zi ji or Gele Mountain la zi ji.1,2,3,4,5,6
How
Methods vary: one marinates boneless chicken thighs, sears them in a pan and tosses them with Sichuan pepper, ginger, garlic and 1 cup of whole dried chilies; another cuts wings into small pieces, marinates them for 20 minutes, fries them 2 times in oil at 200 degrees Celsius, tosses them with chilies and Sichuan pepper, and finishes with sesame seeds.4,5,6
Why
Villagers on Gele Mountain grew chilies, raised chickens and ducks, and made the dish. It was originally made with small free-range chickens chopped into small pieces and was popular with truck drivers.2,3
Impact and influence
La zi ji is among 9 specialty foods of Shapingba, served at several locations, including a flagship on Gele Mountain. No intangible heritage listing was verified for the dish.3
No tale about this food has been found.
Grandma Li
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
This is the simpler way I make it at home: boneless thigh meat seared in a pan instead of deep-fried, so it differs from the twice-fried restaurant style. The two named recipes I looked at are a Chongqing chicken and a Sichuan chicken with chilies. I follow the Chongqing chicken recipe; its amounts of Sichuan pepper and dried chilies are halved, and the 30-minute marinade also comes from it. I measure the dried chilies as 25 g, and the marinade, sugar, wine and sesame amounts are my own choices at home. The searing time is my own, and the chicken must always be cut open to check that no pink is left inside.
Ingredients
- Boneless chicken thighs 300 g, cut into pieces of about 2 cm
- Cornstarch, for the marinade 1 tablespoon
- Salt, for the marinade half a teaspoon
- Cooking wine, for the marinade 1 tablespoon
- Dark soy sauce, for the marinade 1 teaspoon
- Cooking oil 2 tablespoons
- Sichuan peppercorns 1 tablespoon
- Dried chilies 25 g, whole
- Ginger 3 slices
- Garlic 3 cloves, crushed
- Cooking wine, for finishing 1 tablespoon
- Sugar 1 teaspoon
- Toasted white sesame seeds 1 teaspoon
Steps
- Mix the chicken with the cornstarch, salt, 1 tablespoon of wine and the dark soy sauce, and leave it for 30 minutes.
- Heat the wok, add the oil, spread the chicken pieces out and sear them over medium heat until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes. Take them out.
- Leave a little oil in the wok, turn the heat to low, and fry the Sichuan pepper, dried chilies, ginger and garlic until fragrant, about half a minute, without letting them turn black.
- Return the chicken to the wok, add 1 tablespoon of wine and the sugar, turn the heat to medium and toss for 1 to 2 minutes so the chilies and pepper cling to the chicken. Cut open one of the larger pieces: it is done when no pink is left inside.
- Sprinkle on the sesame seeds and serve. At the table, pick the chicken pieces out from among the chilies.
Tips
- I cut the chicken small so that it cooks through easily and is simple to pick out of the chilies; this is my own experience.
- I fry the pepper and chilies over low heat and stop as soon as they smell fragrant, because once they turn black they taste bitter; I always watch this step.
Allergens: soy, wheat, sesame