33 Spicy Dishes You Should Try In China : Ultimate Bucket List (2025)

Food and Drink

7 Oct

Written By YenKid

Introduction

This list has been curated by me, a person who has worked part-time for 8 years in Chinese restaurants and takeouts in a European country. Yes, I’m from a restaurant family. 👨🏻‍🍳
I am back in China permanently and frequently explore new dishes, with an aim to recommend them to family and friends. I have hand-picked these dishes to suit the tastes of those who love spicy dishes and relatively familiar ingredients, with a few exceptions for the adventurous. Many dishes contain a lot of vegetables, as is common in Chinese cuisine.
This list mainly covers Sichuan, Chongqing, Hunan, and Jiangxi food, which are 4 of the spiciest cuisines in China. Guizhou is also up there, but I haven’t visited Guizhou yet - this list will be updated!
If you’re visiting one of the cities or provinces below, I recommend you prioritise the local dishes first as you will get the most authentic version in the home provinces. But you should be able to find excellent versions of most dishes in any major city. So, don’t fret. You won’t run out of spicy food to try! 🍜
The lists only contain some highlighted dishes for each province. You may have heard of some of them. There are many more spicy dishes not been covered here, so don’t be afraid to try other dishes.
⚠️ Some of these dishes can be extremely spicy. If you aren’t used to super spicy dishes, I suggest you take it slowly for the first meal and increase the spice level if you don’t have any digestive issues. You can ask for wēi là (微辣). Make sure you know where the bathroom is.

Wishing you an amazing food journey throughout China! Do your best to “collect” all of these dishes during your trip! 🥢

Chengdu and Sichuan cuisine

1. 宫保鸡丁 | gōng bǎo jī dīng | kung pao chicken

2. 回锅肉 | huí guō ròu | twice cooked pork

3. 麻婆豆腐 | má pó dòu fu | tofu in spicy sauce

4. 四川火锅 | sì chuān huǒ guō | Sichuan hotpot

5. 担担面 | dàn dàn miàn | minced pork noodles with chili oil and Sichuan pepper

6. 水煮肉片 | shuǐ zhǔ ròu piàn | spicy boiled pork

7. 口水鸡 | kǒu shuǐ jī | mouthwatering chicken (a cold dish)

8. 魚香肉絲 | yú xiāng ròu sī | fish fragrant shredded pork

9. 麻辣烫 | má là tàng | numbing and spicy soup

10. 麻辣香锅 | má là xiāng guō | numbing and spicy fragrant pot (many varieties)

11. 蚂蚁上树 | mǎ yǐ shàng shù | “ants climbing a tree” (ground meat noodles)

Chongqing cuisine

12. 重庆火锅 | chóng qìng huǒ guō | Chongqing hotpot

13. 重庆小面 | chóng qìng xiǎo miàn | Chongqing noodles

14. 辣子鸡 | là zǐ jī | dry chili chicken

15. 酸菜魚 | suān cài yú | fish with pickled mustard greens

Chongqing used to be part of Sichuan province. You’ll find a lot of Sichuan dishes in Chongqing and many dishes overlap. So, just use these two lists together.

Nanchang and Jiangxi cuisine

16. 余干辣椒炒肉 | yú gàn là jiāo chǎo ròu | stir-fried pork with Yugan chilies

17. 南昌炒米粉 | nán chāng chǎo mǐ fěn | Nanchang rice noodles

18. 宁都三杯鸡 | níng dōu sān bēi jī | Ningdu three cup chicken (this is the spicy version)

19. 井岗烟笋 | jǐng gǎng yān sǔn | Jinggang smoked bamboo shoots

20. 藜蒿炒腊肉 | lí hāo chǎo là ròu | fried bacon with Artemisia selengensis (a type of herb)

Changsha and Hunan cuisine

21. 辣椒炒肉 | là jiāo chǎo ròu | stir fried beef with chilies

22. 农家小炒肉 | nóng jiā xiǎo chǎo ròu | stir fried pork with chili peppers

23. 香辣牛肉 | xiāng là niú ròu | fragrant spicy beef

24. 麻辣小龙虾 | má là xiǎo lóng xiā | numbing and spicy crayfish

25. 剁椒鱼头 | duò jiāo yú tóu | steamed fish head with chopped peppers