Gong Bao Ji Ding — Sichuan Kung Pao Chicken

Diced chicken wok-fried with dried chillies, Sichuan pepper and roasted peanuts in a sweet-sour sauce.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 25 min
Cook: 10 min
Total: 35 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
✅
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 500g boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm dice
  • For the marinade: 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • For the sauce: 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp cornflour
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp water
  • To stir-fry: 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 10 dried Chinese red chillies, snipped in half, seeds shaken out
  • 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
  • 3 slices fresh ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 4 spring onions, white parts only, cut into 2cm lengths
  • 60g unsalted roasted peanuts

Method

  1. Mix the chicken with the marinade ingredients and leave for 15 minutes.

  2. Stir all the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl until the sugar and cornflour have dissolved.

  3. Heat the oil in a wok over a medium heat. Add the dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns and stir for 20 to 30 seconds until the chillies darken slightly and smell fragrant. Do not let them burn or the dish will be bitter.

  4. Turn the heat to high. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden and cooked through.

  5. Push the chicken to the side, add the ginger, garlic and spring onion whites and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.

  6. Stir the sauce and pour it in. Toss everything together for 30 to 60 seconds until the sauce is glossy and clings to the chicken.

  7. Fold in the peanuts and serve at once with steamed rice. The dried chillies are for flavour and are not usually eaten.