I learned this easy recipe from Zhang Shifu in Suijiang, Yunnan, but the dish originates from Sichuan (Szechuan).
This favorite has traveled many years, far distances, and arrived at our palettes in many variations. Gōngbào Jīdīng (宫保鸡丁, Kung Pao Chicken or Spicy Diced Chicken) is named after a Gōngbào (palatial guardian) from the Qing Dynasty named Ding Baozhen who invented the dish in Sichuan. Using the numbing huājiāo (花椒, Sichuan peppercorn), sliced scallions, peanuts, dried Sichuan chili peppers, and a chicken, Ding managed to impress his house guests despite his limited resources after having been ousted as an official from Shandong province. Gōngbào Jīdīng fits within húlà wèixíng (糊辣味型), a style that is spicy, numbing, sweet, and sour.
Zhang Shifu's Gōngbào Jīdīng; easy and quick to make!
Ingredients:
Bowl 1
- 500 grams (1 pound) chicken breast (鸡肉, jīròu), diced
- 1 teaspoon salt (盐, yán)
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine / Shaoxing wine (料酒, Liàojiǔ)
- 1 tablespoon corn starch (淀粉, diànfěn)
- 2 teaspoonsfermented chili bean paste (豆瓣酱, dòubàn jiàng)
Bowl 2
- 1 stalk medium green onion (大葱, dà cōng), chopped, the quantity depend on people’s taste.
- ½ cup fried peanuts (炸过的花生, zhà guò de huāshēng), skinless — Add more, if you like peanuts
- 2 sweet red peppers (红椒, hóng jiāo), diced same size as the chicken
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- ½ teaspoon sugar (糖, táng)
- 3 cloves garlic (蒜, suàn), thinly sliced.
- 1 teaspoon chicken essence (鸡精, jījīng) or salt
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (酱油, jiàngyóu)
For the chǎo guō (炒锅, wok)
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil (油, yóu), rapeseed oil or sunflower oil are great as they are light in flavor. Sichuan region uses mostly rapeseed oil.
- 2 dried chili peppers
- ½ tablespoon whole Sichuan peppercorns (花椒, huājiāo)
Method:
- Mix all of bowl 1′s ingredients, coating the chicken pieces well. Combine green onion, peanuts, and red peppers into bowl 2.
- Dissolve corn starch with cold water and pour into bowl 2. Add to bowl 2 sugar, garlic, chicken essence or salt, and soy sauce.
- Heat oil in a wok. Fry dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant.
- Add bowl 1 and stir-fry, keeping the chicken pieces separated. After 1 minute add the ingredients from bowl 2 and stir-fry for one minute, until cooked but don’t over cook the chicken. Remove from heat and serve!
Read about the other dishes learned from Zhang Shifu
[...] fits within húlà wèixíng (糊辣味型), a style that is spicy, numbing, sweet, and sour. Get the recipe! Suāncài Huáng Là Yú (酸菜黄辣鱼, Pickled Chinese Cabbage Spicy Yellow [...]
absolutely love it !!
i eat it at least 4 times a week, but i think it also has to do with the fact that the waitress cannot understand me when i want something else…
Jorge, Wow! I’m impressed! If you love it that much, I highly recommend an attempt to cook it yourself. You can add more or less of chicken, chillies, peanuts, or add cashews as you prefer. Thanks for commenting!
I tried this the other day, and it was fantastic! The flavours are spot on compared to what I’ve had in China.
Yes! That’s what I like to learn as people try the recipes I’m learning straight from the source of home kitchens across China. Thanks for trying it and giving feedback. As I get this site moving, I hope to facilitate the exchange between kitchens I visit and the kitchens of readers. Thanks for motivating!