Shandong Chicken (Chinese Chicken and Cucumber Cold Dish)

Step 1

Coat both sides of the chicken with soy sauce before placing it skin side down and marinating for 30 minutes. This step is mainly for getting color on the chicken to mimic the result of braising chicken. You can do this a few hours ahead or overnight.

Step 2

Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat until the oil is hot, pat dry the chicken before placing the chicken in the skillet with the skin side down. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the skin becomes golden brown. Flip the chicken and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Step 3

Transfer chicken into a dish or tray with skin side down, top with Sichuan peppercorn, rice cooking wine, ginger, scallion and steam for 30-35 minutes over medium heat or until it's cooked through.

Step 4

Trim the two ends of the cucumbers before cutting into 2" (5 cm) sections. Gently smash each section with the flat side of your knife just to break them open. Cut each section in half lengthwise and place them on a serving plate.

Step 5

Drain the broth from steaming the chicken and set aside 4 tbsp of the broth. In a small bowl mix the broth with soy sauce, rice vinegar, black vinegar, sugar, minced garlic and sesame oil. Drizzle a bit over the cucumber.

Step 6

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, discard Sichuan peppercorn, ginger and scallion, break pieces of chicken off from the bone and place it on top of the cucumber. Top with scallion slices (and other optional toppings if using) and drizzle with the dressing.

Step 7

You can serve this dish right away or let it chill in the fridge for about half an hour before serving.