THE MINIMALIST; A Little Skin, A Lot of Fire

By Mark Bittman
Published: September 03, 2003

THIS recipe could unite those who would become ecstatic when they see a dish of chicken skin on a restaurant menu and those who would flee into the street.

I'm in the first group. My own fascination with chicken skin began with my grandmother's chopped liver, mixed with bits of crisp-fried skin -- the best part, as everyone knew.

My fascination was revived recently at the Grand Sichuan restaurant on Second Avenue near 56th Street, where I had a stir-fry of chicken skin and whole dried chilies. There's not much more to the dish than that, but it is a beauty. (They can also make it with chicken meat instead of skin.) This recipe, from my kitchen and not from the restaurant, combines skin and meat. You can eliminate the skin; just start with a couple of tablespoons of peanut or vegetable oil.

The keys to dishes that feature handfuls of dried chilies are one, don't eat the chilies. And two, don't let any of them break open while cooking; each broken one will intensify the heat exponentially. But they're sturdy devils, so this is not that difficult.

The browned chilies lend the dish a nearly fiery smokiness, rather than just plain fire. I'm fairly timid when it comes to hot food, but the heat of this dish does not overwhelm me.

Browning the skin renders its fat, which in turn is used to cook the other ingredients. It's best to stir-fry the ingredients in batches, to brown them nicely, then combine them and build the simple sauce.

Needless to say, this is for a select audience, but if you find the right group, ecstasy may result.

SICHUAN CHICKEN WITH CHILIES

Time: 40 minutes

4 chicken leg quarters (legs and thighs)

Salt

20 to 40 whole dried red chilies

1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoons dry sherry

1/2 cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons soy sauce.

1. Skin chicken, and cut skin into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside. Bone chicken, and cut meat into 1/2-inch pieces; set aside separately.

2. Turn heat under a wok or 10-inch skillet to medium-high and add chicken skin. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat so skin browns but does not burn, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, and remove to a bowl, using a slotted spoon.

3. Add chilies and cook, stirring occasionally, until they puff and darken, 3 or 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a separate bowl. Add bell pepper and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until it browns, about 5 minutes. Remove and combine with chilies. Add as much chicken meat as will fit in one layer, and cook until browned on one side; season with salt. Stir and cook until browned; remove and repeat with remaining chicken.

4. Add garlic, followed by chicken, peppers and skin. Stir to combine, then add sherry, stock and soy sauce. Cook until mixture is saucy, about 3 minutes, then serve with white rice. Chilies should not be eaten.

Yield: 4 servings.