Gongbao Chicken

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 1 handful of peanuts, air-dried
• 3 chicken thighs
• 1 stalk leek, white part only
• 3 g ginger, chopped
• 2 clove(s) garlic, chopped
• 3 g Szechuan pepper
• 5 chili peppers, dried
• 8 tbsp cooking wine, Chinese
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch or flour
• ½ tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp soy sauce, light
• ½ tbsp Soy sauce, dark
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

Chinese, authentic, delicious and simple

Roast the peanuts in a pan until golden brown, then let cool. Cut the chicken thigh meat into 1-2 cm cubes. Marinate the meat cubes in a mixture of cooking wine, egg white, and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Let stand for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the leek (only the white part) into 2 cm pieces. Prepare the Kongbao sauce. Mix together 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Cut the dried chili peppers into 2 cm pieces. Heat the oil in a wok to about 100°C. Add the Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers and stir until they are completely dark (this only takes about 10 seconds). Add the chicken cubes and stir until they are lightly pink (this only takes about 1 minute). Add the leek pieces, ginger, and garlic, then the Kongbao sauce. Cook until the sauce thickens and coats the meat. Finally, add the peanuts and stir everything together once more. Serve with rice. Notes: Use only leeks as a vegetable. Use only chicken thighs as meat. Chicken breast dries out too quickly and doesn’t contain enough fat to carry the flavor. Kongbao chicken is a well-known dish in Szichuan cuisine, a subdivision of Chinese cuisine.