Turbo-Charged Xinjiang Big Plate Chicken

Name: Turbo-Charged Xinjiang Big Plate Chicken
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 400 gram all-purpose flour; 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt; 200 gram water; Tapioca or potato starch, for coating (we’re using tapioca starch instead of oil because it adds more chew and a nice sheen to the noodles); 1,500 gram whole, free-range chicken (do not use boneless skinless chicken breast); 1 tablespoon extra-dark soy sauce; 1 handful dried whole chiles (arbol or Thai); 5 dried bay leaves; 2 small red bell peppers, diced; 2 1/2 tablespoon (45 grams) doubanjiang (Sichuan broad bean chili paste); 1/4 cup gochugaru (Korean chili flakes); 3 tablespoon (60 grams) strawberry jam; 2 teaspoon ground coriander; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon ground fennel; 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns; 1 teaspoon five spice powder; 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon ground sand ginger (if unavailable, try ground galangal); 12 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled; 1 small nub ginger, sliced; 1 red onion, peeled and diced; 5 tablespoon canola oil; 3 tablespoon toasted sesame oil; 1/4 cup (60 grams) shaoxing wine; 3 cup (720 grams) chicken stock; 4 tablespoon (60 grams) fish sauce; 1 tablespoon chicken powder/bouillon powder; 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1 large potato, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks

Instructions

Big Plate Chicken is dish-naming at its best: simple, straightforward, and strangely appealing. It's an iconic dish from Xinjiang that is—literally, you guessed it—a very, very (and I mean *very*) large plate of chicken over flat chewy noodles. Unfortunately, more often than not in the few times that I have been served it, it didn’t taste as big as it sounds. The noodles were often more homey than robust, and not throwing any punches because, in its defense, it was always meant as a humble, working-class meal designed to fill the tummy, not the senses. Well, I object. I have an empty hole in my heart that requires a spicier version. I decided to up the flavor, spice, and heat levels of the dish without deviating from its core principles. It’s still a very big plate of chicken. It still has flat chewy noodles to soak up all its glory. It even keeps those humble potato chunks to remind us where it came from. It’s still the same guy. It just doesn’t go to church anymore.

Updated at: Mon, 11 Aug 2025 21:05:05 GMT