Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients

• 600 g boneless chicken thighs, cubed
• 2 tbsp cornflour
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 4 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 8 dried red chillies, or 2 tsp chilli flakes
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 20 g ginger, finely chopped
• 80 g roasted peanuts
• 4 spring onions, cut into batons
• 3 tbsp oil

Method

1. Marinate

   Toss the chicken with the cornflour and a tablespoon of the soy sauce and leave for fifteen minutes.

   15 min

2. Mix the sauce

   Combine the remaining soy, Shaoxing wine, vinegar and sugar. It should taste sharply sweet-sour — it mellows in the wok.

3. Toast the spices

   Heat the oil and add the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chillies. Fry for twenty seconds until fragrant and just darkening. Burnt chillies turn the whole dish acrid, so take them out if they colour fast.

4. Fry the chicken

   Add the chicken in a single layer and leave to colour before tossing. Add the garlic and ginger once it is nearly cooked.

   6 min

5. Sauce and finish

   Pour in the sauce and toss until it thickens and glazes the chicken, then add the peanuts and spring onions. Serve immediately.

   2 min