Gong Bao Ji Ding (Also known as Sichuan Chicken, Szechwan Chicken, Kung Pao, or Kung Po)
As Lily Perilla, from Guilin, China, (Guang Xi Province) and her friend, Peng Qiao, from Chong Qiang, China, (Sichuan Province) taught Lindsay Sterling in Freeport, Maine.
Note: The layers of different kinds of spice make this dish really fun to eat. You have an overall warming feeling from the Sichuan peppercorns, zippy slices of ginger, and the fried dried chili peppers, all working their magic. People love the texture of the dish, studded with crunchy fried peanuts. Find the Chinese cooking wine, rice vinegar, Sichuan peppercorns, dried peppers, red-skinned peanuts, and Chinese chili-bean paste at an Asian market or online. Pictures of the ingredients she used are above.
Cooking time: 1 hour active plus marinating time (2-12 hours)
Makes: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 3 cups short or medium grain white rice
For marinating:
- 2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 Tbsp Chinese white rice wine, called Mishiu
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1 egg white
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if desired)
- 1/2 tsp salt
For stir frying:
- 1 cup + 1/2 cup peanut oil
- 1 cup red-skinned peanuts
- 2 Tbsp whole Sichuan peppercorns
- 1/4 cup 2-inch long dried red chili peppers, broken and deseeded
- 1/2 inch ginger, peeled and sliced into thin cross sections
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and rough chopped
- 1 Tbsp Chinese or Taiwanese chili-bean paste
- marinated chicken (see above)
- 1/2 green pepper, cut into 1/2-inch squares
- 3 scallions, cut into 1-inch segments
For finishing sauce:
- 2 tsp sugar
- 3 tsp Chinese white rice wine, called Mishiu
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 3 tsp corn starch
- 5 tsp Chinese black vinegar (for gluten free, substitute cider or balsamic vinegar)
- 5 tsp soy sauce (use gluten-free soy sauce if desired)
Equipment
- rice cooker or medium pot with lid
- small pot
- large wok or skillet at least 12 inches in diameter
- cutting board
- chef knife
- small strainer basket (for submerging Sichuan pepper corns in oil in wok then removing them)
- slotted metal spoon
- paper towels
- strainer or plate
- medium bowl
- small bowl
Instructions
1. Prep the chicken. Slice chicken into 1/2-inch cubes and mix in 2 Tbps Chinese cooking wine (Mishiu). Then mix in the rest of the marinating ingredients: 1/4 cup corn starch, 1 egg white, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp salt. Wash the counter and utensils that touched the raw chicken. Let the chicken marinate 2-12 hours if you can.
2. Prep the rice. Rinse the rice in a strainer so that the water runs clear. Cook rice in a rice cooker or medium pot with 4 cups water. Bring water and rice to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cook with the lid on for twenty minutes.
3. Prep the stir-fry ingredients. Peel and roughly chop the garlic; wash and slice the scallions into 1 inch segments; halve the dried chilis (shake out and discard the seeds or leave 1 tsp of the seeds in if you like really spicy food); peel and slice the ginger into thin cross sections.
4. Prep the finishing sauce. In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the finishing sauce.
5. Fry the peanuts. Fill a small pot with 1 cup oil and turn heat on high to get it shimmering. While oil is heating, line a strainer or plate with paper towels and keep it near the stove. When the oil is shimmering, add the red skinned peanuts and turn the heat to medium. Stir the peanuts so they fry evenly in the oil. Do not take your eyes off them - they can quite quickly transition from golden to burned. When the peanuts are golden, turn off the heat. Remove the peanuts from the oil with a slotted spoon, placing them on the paper-towel-lined strainer or plate to dry. Pour some of the oil into a jar for some other use, keeping about 1/2 cup in the pot.
6. Prepare to stir fry. Put the Sichuan peppercorns in a small strainer basket near the stove. Bring the garlic, ginger, chili peppers, ginger-garlic paste, marinated chicken, green pepper, scallions, and finishing sauce next to the stove.
7. Flavor the stir-fry oil with Sichuan peppercorns. Heat the oil in the pot until shimmers and then turn the heat to medium low. Dip the strainer filled with pepper corns under the oil. Let the peppercorns sizzle and flavor the oil for as long as you can without letting them burn, about a couple minutes. Remove and discard the peppercorns.
8. Perform the stir fry in the correct sequence. Transfer the Sichuan pepper-flavored oil into a wok or skillet. Turn the heat to high. Once the pan and oil are hot, add the dried chili peppers, tossing in the oil until they turn a shade darker in color, about 20 seconds. Once they do, with about ten seconds between each item, stirring constantly, add the following: ginger slices, garlic, chili-black-bean paste, and then the marinated chicken. Keep stirring and cooking the chicken until all the pieces are cooked through (opaque through the middle of each piece). Once chicken is cooked, add the chopped green peppers, scallions, and fried peanuts, stirring for two minutes.
9. Add the finishing sauce. Add the finishing sauce and continue heating and stirring until it thickens. Serve with white rice.