宫保鸡丁 Kung Pao Chicken

 I never get tired of this dish, it is hard to choose a favorite but if I could this would be it. The flavors are an intoxicating combination of sweet, sour, nutty, spicy and pleasantly lip tingling. The chicken pieces are velveted making them so silkly and moist, I can't get enough.

I have seen sichuan peppercorn in my local Asian market here in Lethbridge, Alberta Canada although they can be hard to find outside Asia. If you can't find it you can leave it out. Sichuan peppercorns are not even remotely similar in flavor to black peppercorn, there really is no good substitute for them. This dish is beloved by both those who travel to China and the locals and was named Dish of the Bejing 2008 olympics. The vegetables found in this dish switch up depending on which restaurant, whose's cooking it and where in the country you are. I have seen it with carrots as well and I have also seen it with nothing but chicken, peanuts, scallions and chillies. There is so much variation in this dish so I just chose a recipe for the way I like it best but feel free to add or take away different vegetables, just not the scallions because they are part of the overall flavor of the dish. Enjoy.

 First I want to talk about two sauces that are used in this dish:

Chinese Black Vinegar

There are many brand this just happens to be the one I have at the time. Balsamic vinegar is similar in flavor and can be substituted.

Garlic and Chili Sauce in a Jar

Most restaurants in China use an already prepared Kung Pao Chicken Sauce. I once saw this garlic chili sauce being used in a cooking show that showed how to make it from scratch. Most Chinese, when they make this dish at home, use Pixian Douban a Chili bean paste. I find garlic chili sauce in comparison to the Pixian Douban is better for creating a restaurant like version, which is the way most of us foreigners experience this dish. I also prefer this sauce myself.

1 pound boneless chicken meat

10 dried chili peppers

1 tsp. sichuan peppercorns

3 Tbsp. red chili sauce (Lee Kum Kee's garlic chili sauce in the jar not the bottle is a good one)

3 Scallions aka spring onion (thicker than green onion), white part only

1/2 cucumber cut into 1 cm cubes

1/4 cup. roasted, unsalted peanuts

3 cloves garlic

fresh ginger root (equal amount to garlic)

1/2 cup oil or as needed

Marinade:

1 tsp. salt

2egg white

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Base Sauce:

2 Tbsp. Chinese black vinegar (balsamic or sherry vinegar are good substitutes)

1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce

4 Tbsp. brown or white sugar (brown give a slightly stronger flavor)

1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 1/2 cup water

Start by preparing all of the ingredients.This dish cooks up fast and you don't want anything overcooking while you search for an ingredient. Add marinade to chicken breast and marinate for 30 minutes.

Drain excess marinade off the chicken but do not rinse. This coats the chicken and makes it super silky and tender.

 Heat 1/4 cup oil and fry chilis and sichuan peppercorn until fragrant then remove.

Add chicken and cook until it turns white and is just barely cooked through. Do not drain the oil as it will form a chili oil which is part of the overall flavor and appearance of the dish. Add garlic, ginger and garlic chili sauce.

 Add the Base sauce and stir to coat chicken.

Add peanuts, leek and cucumber and toss.

 Remove to a serving dish, top over a bowl of rice and enjoy!

Tweet