Savory, aromatic, and spicy, with incredibly tender and crunchy chicken gizzards—this dish is a true champion for pairing with rice!
I really don't understand why foreigners don't like eating organ meats—aside from foie gras, it seems they won't eat anything else. Organ meats are politely called "offal" or more bluntly "innards," which may not sound appealing, but they're absolutely delicious! Whether it's the braised pork offal from Beijing, lamb offal soup from the northwest, or Cantonese stewed beef offal, just thinking about them makes my heart race. Even chicken, duck, or pigeon innards are incredible delicacies—perfect for quick-frying over high heat to go with a drink, truly priceless!
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
100 g chicken hearts
100 g chicken gizzards
100 g chicken liver
Use fresh chicken gizzards and livers if possible; frozen ones are a second choice.
Seasonings
Pickled chilies 25 g
25 g pickled ginger
Soy sauce 10 g
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) yellow rice wine
1 g salt
5 g (about 1 teaspoon) white sugar
6 dried red chili peppers
a small pinch of Sichuan peppercorns
2 cloves garlic
to taste
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Soak the chicken gizzards, hearts, and livers in clean water for half an hour to remove any blood. Slice the chicken livers into 0.4 cm thick pieces, cut the chicken hearts in half, and score the chicken gizzards with a crisscross pattern (see Figure 2).
*If you don't know how to score chicken gizzards with a crisscross pattern, you can simply slice them into slightly thicker pieces instead.
*The ratio of chicken gizzards and other innards can be adjusted to your personal preference—there's no need for them to be equal; add more of what you love and reduce the others accordingly, but keep the total amount the same, as too much food at once won't cook well over home stove heat, resulting in a less tasty stir-fry.
Cut the pickled chilies diagonally into small sections, and slice the pickled ginger and garlic, then set aside (Image 3).
*If you have other pickled vegetables, such as pickled radish, you can also add them in for even better flavor.
Stir-fry the Sichuan peppercorns in a wok with a little oil over low heat until they are almost brown, then add the dried chilies and continue stir-frying (Image 4) until they turn a deep reddish-brown. Remove from the wok, let cool, then finely chop with a knife and set aside (Image 5).
*Sichuan peppercorns take longer to release their flavor, so add them before the dried chili peppers; stir-fry until they turn reddish-brown or deep purple, then quickly remove them from the pan, otherwise they will burn—or you can take them out even earlier if preferred.
This is my first time stir-frying chicken gizzards and other innards.
④ Pour a normal amount of cooking oil into the wok and heat over high heat until it reaches 70-80% hot. Toss the chicken gizzards with Shaoxing wine, a pinch of salt, and cornstarch until evenly coated, then add them to the wok. Stir-fry over high heat until about 70-80% cooked, about 1 minute, then remove and set aside (Image 6).
*Chicken gizzards and livers contain a lot of moisture, so they should be stir-fried first to release excess water and any off-flavors; if you wait to cook them after stir-frying the pickled chilies, the oil temperature will be too low and the heat won't be high enough, resulting in a poor texture in the finished dish.
*Similarly, because chicken gizzards have high water content, marinate them right before cooking; if marinated too early, they will release a lot of water, diluting the seasoning and defeating the purpose of marinating.
Second time stir-frying the chicken gizzards
⑤ Clean the wok, heat it over high heat, add oil to about 50% hot, then add pickled chilies, pickled ginger, and sliced garlic, and stir-fry over medium heat for 1 minute until fragrant (Image 7).
*When stir-frying pickled chilies and pickled ginger, keep the oil temperature moderate and let their aromas release slowly over low heat. Also, both pickled ingredients are quite salty, so add salt with caution.
⑥ Next, add the chicken gizzards and stir-fry over high heat (Image 8). Add soy sauce, sugar, and a pinch of salt, and cook until the gizzards are fully done. Finally, toss in Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili flakes, stir well, and serve (Image 9).
*Because the chicken gizzards and innards may not be fully cooked through the first time, some blood water and oil will seep out; before stir-frying them a second time, pour off this liquid to prevent it from affecting the dish's quality.
A clever shortcut for busy cooks
If you want to save some effort or don't like spicy food, you can skip the pickled chilies, which makes it simpler: just stir-fry everything directly. Even with just one round of stir-frying, it will still be delicious.
Cooking Notes
In this dish, the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies are not stir-fried together with the main ingredients but are instead cooked in hot oil beforehand. The purpose of this method is to fully release their aroma. Once the fried chilies are chopped, they are known in Sichuan as "knife-edge chilies." The same technique is used for the Sichuan peppercorns and chilies in Shuizhu Niurou (Sichuan boiled beef).