Kung Pao Chicken

I went to a cooking class a few years ago in Beijing called Sesame Kitchen that was located in a tiny kitchen deep in one of the authentic hutongs in the city. The original hutongs are neighborhoods in narrow streets or alleys, densely packed with modest courtyard homes called siheyuan.  These days you’ll often see a “renovated” hutong where they’ve cleared out the old houses, paved and widened the streets, and generally Disneyfied the neighborhood with tourist shops. Not quite the same charm as the originals.

Finding the cooking school was an adventure in itself. The directions were vague (turn right at the tea shop, look for a red door, etc.). I’m glad we came early because it was a process of elimination and wandering through some garden backyards before we found it.

And it was definitely worth it.

For the Chicken: 

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, cut into small bite-sized pieces

¼ tsp salt

¼ cup chicken stock 

1 tbsp cornstarch 

1 tbsp vegetable oil (canola, sunflower, grapeseed) 

For the Stir-Frying:

2 tbsp vegetable oil (canola, sunflower, grapeseed) 

1 ½ tbsp Sichuan peppercorns 

¼ cup dried Sichuan chilies, roughly chopped

2 tsp chili flakes or ground chili pepper

1 tbsp each minced ginger and garlic

¼ cup scallions, cut into bite-sized pieces

½ red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces

½ green bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces

¼ cup roasted unsalted peanuts or cashews

For the Sauce:

1 tsp Shaoxing cooking wine or sherry (optional)

1 ½ tbsp Shanxi vinegar or rice vinegar

2 tbsp regular soy sauce 

¼ tsp salt 

¼ tsp white pepper

2 tbsp sugar

1. Velvet and tenderize the chicken:

Place chicken in a medium bowl, add salt, and chicken stock a little at a time. It’s best to use your hands for this. Add cornstarch and thoroughly coat the chicken. Add the oil and coat. 

2. Make the sauce: Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. 

3. Stir-Fry:

Add 1 tbsp oil to the wok and place over high heat. Add the chicken and stir for 3-4 minutes until partially cooked. Remove from the wok. 

Return the wok over high heat and add 1 tbsp oil. Add Sichuan peppercorns and stir occasionally for 1 minute. Remove the peppercorns. Add the dried chilies, ground chilies (or chili flakes), scallions (or leeks), ginger, and garlic. Stir for 1 minute. Add the red and green peppers and stir for another minute. Add the chicken and stir for 3-4 minutes.  

Add the sauce and stir for another 2-3 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked. 

Add the peanuts (or cashews), toss, and remove from heat.