Ingredients
750 g (about 1.6 lbs) young chicken breast, 25 g dried shrimp, 15 g winter bamboo shoots, 10 g each cooked yellow sprout cabbage hearts and cattail shoots, 1 egg.
Seasonings
100 g peanut oil, 100 g rendered chicken fat, 1000 g (about 4 cups) peanut oil for frying, 25 g Sichuan peppercorn oil, 15 g sweet bean paste, 10 g Shaoxing wine, 10 g minced scallion, 10 g minced ginger, 10 g soy sauce, 4 g salt, 1 g MSG.
Instructions
1. Cut the young chicken breast into 0.2 cm (about 1/16 inch) cubes and place in a bowl. Add minced scallions, minced ginger, soy sauce, sweet bean paste, Shaoxing wine, MSG, and salt, then mix and marinate. Cut sea cucumber and winter bamboo shoots into 0.2 cm cubes. Squeeze excess water from cooked yellow cabbage hearts and cattail shoots, then dice them. Combine all these ingredients with the chicken in the bowl, add red hard egg batter, and mix well. Shape into spindle-shaped meatballs, place on a plate, and coat each evenly with egg yolk batter. Fry in oil heated to about 30% of its smoking point (around 170°F or 75°C), gently stirring with a small spatula. When golden brown like a jujube color, remove and drain the oil. This yields the chicken crisp.
2. Place the pan over medium heat, add peanut oil, minced scallions, and minced ginger to sauté until fragrant. Add soy sauce, chicken broth, and salt. Once boiling, add the chicken pieces. When it returns to a boil, reduce to low heat, cover, and braise until the liquid reduces by half, then remove from heat. Transfer the chicken to a bowl, steam for 15 minutes, then invert onto a large soup plate. Strain the cooking liquid back into the pan, thicken with a cornstarch slurry, and season with Shaoxing wine, MSG, soy sauce, and Sichuan pepper oil. Finish by drizzling with melted chicken fat and pour the sauce over the chicken. This dish is a rich reddish-brown color, savory and aromatic, with a tender and fluffy texture.