Big Plate Chicken is a delightful Chinese street food classic, merging tender chicken and bold spices with chewy thick noodles. The rich and spicy dish is not only delicious but also incredibly simple to prepare, requiring just some simple cooking techniques and 30 minutes of your time!
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✅ Why Make This Recipe
Quick and easy to prepare – Big Plate Chicken doesn't require lengthy hours of simmering; it relies on essential cooking methods and fresh ingredients, allowing you to whip up this flavorful dish in under 30 minutes.
Authentic restaurant-style flavor at home – By employing the same cooking techniques used by Chinese cooks, you can recreate the exquisite taste of Big Plate Chicken right in your own kitchen, achieving restaurant-quality results.
Balanced and healthy – This Big Plate Chicken recipe has been modified to reduce calories through portion control and ingredient swaps, offering a healthy and nutritious take on this classic Chinese dish.
💭 What is Big Plate Chicken?
Big Plate Chicken is a fiery and flavorful Chinese dish originating from Xinjiang, and is known for its spicy and savory taste.
Spicy Village in NYC has gained fame for its authentic rendition of this dish, offering tender chicken, aromatic spices, and a generous portion served on a big plate, making it a popular choice for those seeking bold and spicy flavors.
🍎Calories and Nutrition – How to Make It Healthy
Big plate chicken is a very well-balanced and flavorful dish. A serving of this recipe is only 429 calories with 41 grams of protein, 16 grams of fat, and 46 grams of carbs.
Most of the calories in this dish come from the chicken and the noodles. The great thing about this soup is that the flavor comes from low-calorie seasonings and spices, which have a negligible amount of calories, and yet have an astounding medley of flavors.
Here’s what I did to make this healthy:
- Portion the chicken – I used 6 ounces of chicken thigh, which gives a sizeable amount of lean protein
- Portion the noodles – I used 52 grams of knife-cut noodles for a portioned amount of carbs
- Omitted usage of oil – Utilized cooking spray to sauté the vegetables and aromatics to minimize calories from fats
- Portioned the seasonings – I portioned the seasonings to only be only 33 calories, giving the braised chicken a great flavor
For a detailed breakdown of each ingredient, their portioning, and how they make up the nutrition profile of this big pan chicken recipe, you may refer to the table below:
📋 Ingredient Notes
To make the big plate chicken, you’ll need the following key ingredients:
- Boneless chicken thigh – I prefer to use boneless chicken thigh as it is juicy but still packed with protein, and easy to work with (no deboning necessary). You can also use breast if desired.
- Knife-Cut Noodles – Knife-cut noodles, aka dao xiao mian, are thick, hand-cut wheat noodles commonly used in Chinese cuisine. You can usually find them in the Asian food aisle or the fresh noodle section of well-stocked supermarkets.
- Doubanjiang – Doubanjiang is a spicy and salty fermented bean paste used in Sichuan cuisine. You can often find it in the Asian or international foods section of most larger supermarkets. There isn’t a good substitute for this so omit this if you can’t find it.
- Dark Soy Sauce – Dark soy sauce is a thicker, richer soy sauce with a sweeter and less salty flavor compared to light soy sauce. You can find it in the Asian food aisle of most supermarkets. If necessary, you can substitute with light soy sauce, but it will affect the color and flavor of your dish.
- Shaoxing Wine –Shaoxing wine is a Chinese rice wine used for cooking. You can usually find it in the Asian food section of larger supermarkets or in specialty Asian grocery stores. If unavailable, you can substitute with dry sherry or rice vinegar.
- Szechuan Peppercorn – Szechuan peppercorns are aromatic and slightly numbing spices often used in Sichuan cuisine. You can find them in the spice section of Asian grocery stores or well-stocked supermarkets. If you can't find them, you can omit them.
- Star Anise – Star anise is a fragrant spice with a licorice-like flavor. You can find it in the spice section of most supermarkets. If needed, you can substitute with Chinese five-spice powder.
- Cinnamon – Cinnamon is a common spice found in most supermarkets, typically in the spice aisle. It's widely available and doesn't usually require a special store visit.
Availability of these ingredients may vary depending on your location and the size of your local supermarkets. Specialty Asian grocery stores often have a wider selection of authentic Chinese ingredients if you have one nearby.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
📖 Substitutions and Variations
Make without noodles – If you prefer rice to noodles, feel free to pair this with a side of rice instead.
Add potatoes – I omitted potatoes in this recipe to manage carb intake but feel free to add it in if you prefer to have potatoes, which are traditionally included in this recipe.
Adjust spiciness– The dried Thai chilis give the dish its spice content. Adjust the amount of Thai chilies used to change the spice.
🔪 Step by Step Instructions
Prep the Ingredients – Cut the chicken thigh into small, bite-sized pieces. Mince the garlic and ginger. Peel and thinly slice the carrot. Chop the scallions, separating the white and green parts. Slice the pepper into thin slices.
Prepare the sauce mixture – In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon Doubanjiang, 1 teaspoon Dark soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon Soy sauce, and 2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine. Set this sauce mixture aside for later use.
Toast the spices – Heat the wok and place the cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaf, Szechuan peppercorns, and dried chili. Toast for about 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
Sauté the Aromatics – In a large pot, heat cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic, white scallions and ginger, and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry until they start to brown.
Braised Chicken and Veggies –Pour about 1.5 cups of chicken broth or water, and add in the sauce mixture, carrots, and peppers. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the wok and let it cook for 10-15 minutes to infuse the flavors. And until the carrots are fork-tender.
Prepare the Noodles – In a separate saucepan, bring water to a boil and cook the wide noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
Assemble Your Bowl – Add the noodles to a large plate and ladle the chicken and soup over the noodles. Garnish with the green parts of the scallions and enjoy your big plate chicken!
💭 Recipe FAQs
If the soup evaporates, you can deglaze the pan by adding about half a cup of water or as needed and mixing everything together.
If your Big Plate Chicken sauce is too watery, simmer it uncovered to reduce the liquid. Adjust the seasoning as needed and reintroduce the solid ingredients when the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
To prepare this dish in advance, braise a big portion of the chicken ahead of time. When you are ready to eat, cook the noodles and add a serving of the heated chicken.
💭 Expert Tips
Use a deep frying pan or wok – To avoid any splattering of ingredients, opt for a deep-set frying pan or a wok. Given that this is a braised dish, the cooking process is akin to preparing a soup.
Cook till carrots are fork tender – Cook the carrots until they reach a fork-tender consistency, ensuring they are easy to pierce with a fork without resistance.
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🍳 Recipe
Big Plate Chicken with Wide Noodles (Da Pan Ji)
Ingredients
Spice Mix
- 1 Stick Cinnamon
- 1 Pod Star Anise
- 1 Bay Leaf
- ¼ teaspoon Szechuan Peppercorn
- 1-2 Dried Thai Chilies (Adjust based on spice preference)
Seasoning Mixture
- 1 teaspoon Doubanjiang
- 1 teaspoon Soy Sauce
- 2 teaspoon Shaoxing Wine
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
Main Ingredients
- 6 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken thigh
- 1 clove Garlic
- 1 teaspoon Ginger
- 1 stalk Green Onion
- ½ Carrot
- 52 g Knife Cut Noodles
- 1 Jalapeno (Any bell pepper works)
Instructions
- Prep the Ingredients – Cut the chicken thigh into small, bite-sized pieces. Mince the garlic and ginger. Peel and thinly slice the carrot. Chop the scallions, separating the white and green parts. Slice the pepper into thin slices.
- Prepare the sauce mixture – In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon Doubanjiang, 1 teaspoon Dark soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon Soy sauce, and 2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine. Set this sauce mixture aside for later use.
- Toast the spices – Heat the wok and place the cinnamon stick, star anise, bay leaf, Szechuan peppercorns, and dried chili. Toast for about 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
- Sauté the Aromatics – In a large pot, heat cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic, white scallions and ginger, and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the chicken pieces and stir-fry until they start to brown.
- Braised Chicken and Veggies –Pour about 1.5 cups of chicken broth or water, and add in the sauce mixture, carrots, and peppers. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the wok and let it cook for 10-15 minutes to infuse the flavors. And until the carrots are fork-tender.
- Prepare the Noodles – In a separate saucepan, bring water to a boil and cook the wide noodles according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Assemble Your Bowl – Add the noodles to a large plate and ladle the chicken and soup over the noodles. Garnish with the green parts of the scallions and enjoy your big plate chicken!
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