Ingredients for Bon Bon Chicken: Chicken legs 1-2, Ginger 2 slices, Cinnamon a small piece, Star anise two, Cumin seeds a small handful, Bay leaves two, Ice water a large bowl, Cooking wine 1 tablespoon, Light soy sauce 1 tablespoon, Lao Gan Ma 1 tablespoon, White sesame seeds 1 tablespoon, Roasted peanut pieces 1 tablespoon, Minced garlic and chopped green onions 1 tablespoon each, Vinegar 1 tablespoon, White sugar half tablespoon.
Method: Step 1: Prepare a bowl of water and place it in the refrigerator to chill for later use on the cooked chicken legs.
Step 2: Take out the chicken legs (you can also add chicken feet if available) and soak them in water for 20 minutes to remove blood. Clean them thoroughly, then place the chicken legs in cold water, add 1 tablespoon of cooking wine and 2 slices of ginger, and boil for 20 minutes before turning off the heat and letting them sit in the pot for 10 minutes (do not discard the chicken broth!).
Step 3: While the chicken legs are cooking, prepare the sauce: 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of cooking wine, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of white sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of chopped green onions, half a tablespoon of white sugar, and 1 tablespoon of Lao Gan Ma (if you have homemade chili oil, you can use that instead).
Step 4: Clean the star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and ginger slices. Heat oil in a pan, add the spices, and fry until fragrant. Remove the spices and pour the hot oil into the bowl from the previous step. After the chicken legs are cooked, add half a bowl of chicken broth and mix well.
Step 5: Place the cooked chicken legs in the ice water to cool them down.
Step 6: Tear the chicken meat off the bones (remember to wear gloves; I used a plastic bag since I didn’t have gloves, haha), and cut open the chicken feet. Also, cut the rod on the chicken feet to make it easier to marinate.
Step 7: Pour the sauce over the chicken legs! It’s incredibly delicious!
Cooking Tips for Bon Bon Chicken: 1. Remember to use potable water for the ice bath. 2. Keep raw and cooked foods separate by using two cutting boards, or if not possible, clean and scald the cutting board after cutting raw food. 3. The Lao Gan Ma sauce is not very spicy; adding homemade chili oil would taste great. Feel free to adjust the sourness and saltiness according to your preference. Enjoy!
Everyone has their own cooking techniques, and I have my own little tricks for each dish. You can search for ‘Sichuan Snacks’ to directly view my recipes!
