This is basically the recipe by the great Fuchsia Dunlop, but I found the seasoning in her version to be a tad too sweet for me.
I find chicken thigh to be much jucier than breast; the cooking time needed for thigh pieces are just a bit longer than breast pieces.
I also usually skip the peanuts in my Kung Pao Chicken.
Ingredients
For the marinade
300g chicken thigh
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Shaoxing wine
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp starch
2 tbsp cold water
For the sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp starch
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
2 tbsp water (or chicken stock)
1 tsp (Chinese style toasted) sesame oil
For the stir-fry
4 tbsp neutral-tasting cooking oil
5 scallions
3 cloves garlic
a knob of ginger, roughly the same amount as the garlic
12 large dried chilies, or a few handfuls of small ones
2 tsp Sichuan pepper
(optional) 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
Preparations
For the marinade
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
In a bowl, add chicken and the rest of the marinade ingredients. Mix well and let it rest on the side.
For the sauce
Combine everything for the sauce and mix well. (Remember to mix again before you use it to stir up the starch.)
For the stir-fry
Take the white and light-green parts of scallions, and cut into 1/2 inch chunks to match the chicken pieces.
Slice the garlic and ginger, and add to the same bowl for scallion whites.
Snip the dried chilies in half if you are using large ones. Remove the seeds if you like it not too spicy.
Add Sichuan peppers to the same bowl for dried chilies.
Chop the green parts of the scallions and reserve for garnish.
Cooking & Assembly
Check that you have all the ingredients ready:
Cooking oil
Dried chilies and Sichuan pepper
Marinated chicken
Scallion whites with garlic and ginger slices
Sauce
(Optional) peanuts
(Optional) scallion greens for garnish
In a wok, with heat set to high, add cooking oil and swirl.
Add dried chilies and Sichuan pepper. Stir-fry briefly until they start to darken in colour but not burnt.
Add chicken pieces. Stir to separate. Cook until the pink colour disappears from the surface.
Add scallions, garlic, and ginger. Stir-fry until they are fragrant and the chicken just cooked but still tender. (Poke with a chopstick, or cut in half and see if it’s still pink inside.)
Give the sauce a good stir and pour into the center of the wok. Stir till all the chicken pieces are coated.
(Optional) mix in peanuts and give it another good stir.