Author Notes: A perfect gong bao ji ding has different components: the tenderness of the chicken, the right amount of peanuts, the savory thick sauce that spoons off with the meat, the flavor that holds the perfect balance of salty, slightly sour, with a kick of numbing spiciness and the aroma of garlic and ginger. 

Gong Bao Ji Ding (Gong Bao Chicken)

Serves: 3 to 4 
Prep time: 15 min 
Cook time: 10 min

Ingredients

To tenderize the meat:

• 2chicken thighs, deboned and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (if yours are tiny, you may want to throw in 1-2 more)
• 1/2teaspoon beaten egg
• 2teaspoons cornstarch
• 1pinch salt
• 1teaspoon Chinese cooking wine

To stir-fry:

• 2teaspoons dark soy sauce
• 2teaspoons brown sugar
• 1tablespoon Chinese dark vinegar
• 1tablespoon cornstarch
• 6tablespoons water or stock
• 1handful of peanuts (generous amount)
• 2green onions, chopped into 1-inch lengths
• 4garlic cloves, skin removed, smashed and chopped
• 6slices of ginger
• 8red dried chiles, chopped
• 4teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns
• 1/2cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. Mix together the marinade with the meat; set aside while preparing the rest. *You can store this in the fridge for the day.)
2. Mix the liquid ingredients, brown sugar and corn starch and set aside to use as the sauce for stir-frying. Heat up wok with vegetable oil until shimmering and hot, about 120° C.
3. Dip half of the meat into the oil and move around until half-cooked, around 2 minutes; remove with slotted spoon and drain from oil. Repeat for the other half.
4. Drain off all but 2 tbsp of oil in heated wok, throw in chiles, peppercorns, garlic, ginger and spring onion; stir-fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes; add peanuts and stir-fry for another 1-2 min.
5. Add chicken cubes, stir-fry for about 3 minutes, or until chicken is cooked.
6. Pour on reserved sauce and simmer until the dish thickens, about 3 minutes.
7. Garnish with ground Sichuan peppercorn; serve with rice

https://food52.com/recipes/9331-gong-bao-ji-ding-gong-bao-chicken