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Spicy Chicken with Peanuts
Serves 4 Prep 15 min Cook 2 min Total 17 min Type Meal Origin Chinese

Spicy Chicken with Peanuts

A Sichuan spicy chicken: diced chicken stir-fried hot with roasted peanuts, dried chillies, garlic and a sticky soy-vinegar sauce.

Serves 4 Prep 15 minutes Cook 2 minutes Units Rate

Overview

This is a classic western Chinese dish better known in China as Gongbao chicken (or Kung Pao chicken). Named after Chinese official Ding Baozhen, Governor of Sichuan province in the nineteenth century, it represents the region's bold approach to flavour: spicy, slightly sour, sweet, and savoury all at once. The combination of roasted peanuts and dried chilli creates an unforgettable sauce.

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 2 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken & Aromatics

  • 225 grams boneless chicken breasts (cut into 2 cm cubes)
  • 1 dried red chilli (split lengthwise)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons oil
  • 75 grams peanuts (roasted, unsalted)

Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon Chinese chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon dry sherry
  • 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon garlic (finely chopped)
  • 2 teaspoons spring onions (finely chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ginger (finely chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon white rice vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon sesame oil (added at end)

Method

Stage 1 - Prepare

  1. Cut the chicken into 2 cm cubes.
  2. Split the dried chilli in half lengthwise.

Stage 2 - Char Chilli & Brown Chicken

  1. Heat the wok until very hot and add the oil.
  2. Wait until it is nearly smoking.
  3. Add the chilli and cook until it turns black.
  4. Add the chicken cubes and peanuts and stir-fry for 1 minute.
  5. Remove the chicken, peanuts and chilli from the pan.

Stage 3 - Build Sauce

  1. Put all the sauce ingredients (except sesame oil) into the pan.
  2. Bring the sauce to the boil, then immediately reduce heat to low.

Stage 4 - Combine & Serve

  1. Return the chicken and peanuts to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes in the sauce.
  2. Add the sesame oil.
  3. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Roasted peanuts: Essential for the correct texture and flavour. Raw peanuts will not provide the same roasted character.
  • Dried chilli charring: Darkening the chilli adds bitter, complex notes essential to authentic Gongbao sauce.
  • Many-flavoured sauce: The sauce should taste simultaneously spicy, sour, sweet, and savoury, no single note dominates.

Serving

Serve with: Steamed white rice

Storage

  • Keeps 2-3 days refrigerated
  • Freezes well up to 2-3 months
  • Flavour develops after 24 hours

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