GONG BAO CHICKEN WITH PEANUTS

Gong Bao Chicken With Peanuts image

This dish is an adaptation of one brought to The Times by Fuschia Dunlop, the British journalist who's also an accomplished cook of Chinese cuisine. It is a pop classic with hot chiles, crunchy peanuts and plenty of garlic and ginger. "Everyone loves it, and it's complex enough to be interesting without being too complicated to make," Ms. Dunlop said. Dig in with a side of white rice and enjoy.

Provided by Julia Moskin

Time 40m

Yield 2 to 3 servings

Number Of Ingredients 19

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts (11 to 12 ounces total), with or without skin
3 garlic cloves
An equivalent amount of ginger
5 spring onions, white parts only
A handful of dried chiles (about 10)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 teaspoon whole Sichuan pepper
3 ounces (75 grams) roasted peanuts (see note)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (or use dry sherry or dry vermouth)
1 1/2 teaspoons potato starch or cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon potato starch or cornstarch
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar (or use balsamic vinegar)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon chicken stock or water

Steps:

Cut chicken as evenly as possible into half-inch strips, then cut strips into small cubes. Place in a small bowl. Add marinade ingredients and 1 tablespoon water to bowl. Mix well and set aside.
Peel and thinly slice garlic and ginger. Chop spring onions into chunks as long as their diameter (to match the chicken cubes). Snip chiles in half or into sections, discarding their seeds.
In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients.
Heat a seasoned wok over a high flame. Add oil, chiles and Sichuan pepper and stir-fry briefly until chiles are darkening but not burned. (Remove wok from heat if necessary to prevent overheating.)
Quickly add chicken and stir-fry over a high flame, stirring constantly. As soon as chicken cubes have separated, add ginger, garlic and spring onions and continue to stir-fry until they are fragrant and meat is just cooked through (test one of the larger pieces to make sure).
Give sauce a stir and add to wok, continuing to stir and toss. As soon as the sauce has become thick and shiny, add the peanuts, stir them in and serve.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 522, UnsaturatedFat 28 grams, Carbohydrate 19 grams, Fat 36 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 33 grams, SaturatedFat 6 grams, Sodium 533 milligrams, Sugar 7 grams, TransFat 0 grams