🥡 Chinese · Main · Medium difficulty · Contains meat or poultry
Mapo Chicken
A hearty Chinese main built around chicken, seasoned with doubanjiang and sichuan peppercorns.
- Prep time
- 12 min
- Cook time
- 28 min
- Total time
- 40 min
- Servings
- 6
- Calories
- 436 kcal
- Protein
- 35 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Course
- Main
About this Chinese stew
Mapo Chicken is a Chinese main built around chicken. It takes about 40 min from start to finish, 12 minutes of prep and 28 minutes of cooking, and serves 6.
Cooking method: stew. Difficulty is rated medium. Contains meat or poultry, and marked gluten-free in our data.
Good for: high protein, meal prep, one-pot wonders, comfort food.
Ingredients
Quantities are for 6 servings. Change the servings in the app to rescale them automatically.
- 500 g chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tbsp doubanjiang
- 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 cup stock
- 3 spring onions
- 1 tbsp cornstarch slurry
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
Step 1. Pat the chicken dry, season and brown in batches in a heavy pot; set aside.
- Heat
- Off, no heat yet
- Look for
- Pieces are roughly the same size, so they all finish cooking together.
- Why it matters
- Even pieces cook at the same speed. Prepping everything first (mise en place) stops you scrambling once the pan is hot.
- Avoid
- Cutting pieces of mixed sizes: small ones burn while big ones stay raw.
Step 2. Soften the aromatics in the same pot, scraping up the browned bits.
- Heat
- Medium to high, stir or flip now and then
- Look for
- Golden-brown edges, a steady sizzle and a toasty smell.
- Why it matters
- Browning (the Maillard reaction) creates deep savoury flavour that boiling cannot.
- Avoid
- Overcrowding the pan: the temperature drops and food steams. Cook in batches.
Step 3. Add the doubanjiang, sichuan peppercorns, arlic cloves and stock and just enough water to cover.
- Heat
- Keep the heat steady
- Look for
- The new ingredient is coated and the mixture returns to a gentle bubble.
- Why it matters
- Adding things in order lets each ingredient cook for just the right time.
- Avoid
- Dumping everything in at once: delicate items turn mushy before tougher ones are done.
Step 4. Return the chicken, cover and simmer gently for 21 minutes.
- Heat
- Keep the heat steady
- Look for
- The new ingredient is coated and the mixture returns to a gentle bubble.
- Why it matters
- Adding things in order lets each ingredient cook for just the right time.
- Avoid
- Dumping everything in at once: delicate items turn mushy before tougher ones are done.
Step 5. Uncover and reduce the sauce for 10 minutes until rich and glossy.
- Heat
- Low, with small lazy bubbles
- Look for
- Small bubbles break the surface gently; the sauce thickens and the food turns tender.
- Why it matters
- Gentle, steady heat softens tough fibres and lets flavours blend without drying things out.
- Avoid
- Letting it boil hard, which toughens meat and reduces the liquid too fast. Lifting the lid too often loses heat.
Step 6. Season, rest for 10 minutes and serve with cornstarch slurry.
- Heat
- Off, no heat
- Look for
- Everything is evenly coated or just combined, with no dry pockets.
- Why it matters
- Mixing spreads salt, fat and flavour through the food so every bite tastes the same.
- Avoid
- Overmixing batters and doughs makes them tough; stop once just combined.
Chef's tip
Low and slow is the whole secret.
Equipment you will need
- Heavy pot with lid
- Wooden spoon
- Plate for browned meat
Nutrition per serving
Estimated per serving: 436 kcal, 35 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate and 22 g fat. Roughly 32% of the energy comes from protein, 22% from carbohydrate and 46% from fat, using standard energy values.
Nutrition values are estimates from typical ingredient profiles. They are not medical data, and brands and portions vary. Consult a doctor or registered dietitian about your diet.
When to cook Mapo Chicken
Substitutions and variations
- Brown the meat in batches for deeper flavour before adding liquid.
- Use lentils or chickpeas for a meat-free version and shorten the simmer time.
- Stews taste better the next day; cool, refrigerate and reheat until piping hot.
Frequently asked questions about Mapo Chicken
How long does Mapo Chicken take to make?
It takes about 40 min in total: 12 minutes of prep and 28 minutes of cooking. Times are estimates and depend on your stove, pan and how small you cut the ingredients.
How many calories are in one serving?
Each serving has about 436 kcal, with 35 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate and 22 g fat. These are estimates for the recipe's 6 servings.
Is Mapo Chicken gluten-free?
It is marked gluten-free in our data. Still check labels on stock, sauces and spice blends, which can contain gluten.
Is it suitable for vegetarians or vegans?
No, it contains meat or poultry. For a meat-free version, swap the main ingredient for tofu, chickpeas or mushrooms and adjust the cooking time.
How difficult is it to cook?
It is a medium-difficulty recipe: it needs some timing and several steps, so read through the method before you start.
Can I make Mapo Chicken ahead or freeze it?
Yes. Cool it quickly, refrigerate for up to 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat until steaming hot throughout.
How many servings does it make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. To change the amount, scale each ingredient in proportion. The interactive app's servings control does this automatically.