Cut every thing bite-sized.

Gōngbào Jīdīng (宫保鸡丁)
Cuisine: Sichuan | Shared by: Zhang Shifu in Suijiang, Yunnan

This favorite has traveled many years, far distances, and arrived at our palates 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 he was ousted as an official from Shandong province. Gōngbào Jīdīng fits within húlà wèixíng (糊辣味型), a cooking style that is spicy, numbing, sweet, and sour.

What you’ll need: A cast-iron wok.

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Ingredients
Bowl One

• 500 grams (1 pound) chicken breast, diced into cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Shaoxing cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1 tablespoon fermented chili bean paste (豆瓣酱, dòubàn jiàng)

Bowl Two

• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon sugar (1 teaspoon if you don't want it sweet)
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar or balsamic vinegar

• 1 stalk large green onion or leek, chopped, the quantity depends on your taste
• 2 sweet red peppers (红椒, hóng jiāo), diced same size as the chicken
• ½ cup roasted peanuts (炸过的花生, zhà guò de huāshēng), skinless. Use freshly wok-fried peanuts if available.

For the Wok

• 4 tablespoons rapeseed oil or canola 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

1. Combine all of bowl one's ingredients and toss to coat the chicken pieces well. Set aside.
2. Dissolve corn starch with cold water in a large mixing bowl then add the sugar, garlic, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar then stir until blended. Toss in the green onion, peanuts, and red peppers. If you like your food spicy, add a heaping tablespoon of the chili bean paste. 
3. Heat oil in a wok. Stir-fry the chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant (15 seconds). Add the chicken mixture from bowl one and stir-fry over high flame. Keep the chicken pieces separated. After one minute add the mixture from bowl two and stir-fry for one minute until cooked, but don't over cook the chicken. 

Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice.