Szechuan Peppercorn Chicken Stir-fry

Szechuan peppercorns are the outer pods of small, reddish brown aromatic prickly ash berries. It has a lemony scent and gives a slightly numb sensation in the mouth when too much is added to the food. It is one of the ingredients used in the Chinese five-spice powder and a great seasoning for pork, chicken, and beef dishes. You can read more about it here .

This is what ground Szechuan peppercorn look like

Ro-Ri’s Szechuan Pepper Chicken Stir-Fry
1 lb chicken breast meat cut into strips
½ cup carrots, julienned
½ cup green peppers, julienned
½ cup snow peas, cut into half diagonally
1 tsp minced garlic
½ tsp ground or crushed Szechuan peppercorns
salt to taste

Marinade chicken strips with ground Szechuan peppercorn and salt for 30 minutes.

In a hot pan, drizzle some oil and pan-fry chicken strips until golden brown. Remove and set aside.

Add a little more oil to pan and sauté the garlic. When fragrant, add carrots, green peppers, and snow peas. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes.

Return browned chicken strips to the pan and continue stirring. Add salt to taste and ¼ cup water to loosen brown bits in the pan. Continue to cook till dry. Remove and serve hot.