Friday, February 3, 2012

Gong Bao Chicken

Good afternoon bloggers! Welcome to another (delayed) entries to Everyday Meals. I'm your hostess, Mandie. Today, we will be preparing a dish that originally hails from the Sichuan Province of central-western China. The name of today's dish is Gong Bao Chicken. Gong Bao means "palatial guardian". Allegedly, this dish is named Ding Baozhen, a late Qing Dynasty official. Okay, now that I've schooled all of you, why don't we get in the kitchen and make some Gong Bao? Meet you there!





Gong Bao Chicken





You will need:






  • 1/3 cup unsalted peanuts
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 4 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons unroasted peanut oil or other neutral oil
  • 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
  • 2 dried red chiles, roughly chopped or crushed
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and very thinly sliced
  • 1 inch knob ginger root, peeled and very thinly sliced
  • 4 scallions, trimmed and roughly chopped
  • Cooked white rice, for serving






Ready?






  1. Combine the chicken, corn starch, and half of the soy sauce in a small bowl. 
  2. Toss the chicken until it's well coated in the mixture and set aside.
  3. Meanwhile, heat a large, dry skillet or wok over medium heat. 
  4. Add the peanuts and cook, gently tossing occasionally until they're golden brown and fragrant, about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
  5. Heat the oil in the skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. 
  6. Add the Sichuan peppercorns and dried chiles, then cook, stirring continuously until the chiles turn a light brown in color.
  7. Turn the heat to high and add the marinated chicken. 
  8. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, scallions, and peanuts. 
  9. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
  10. Remove from the heat, pour the remaining soy sauce over the chicken, and serve immediately with rice.
  11. Enjoy!






Thank you for joining me today. I know I've been slack in posting lately, but I was sick all last week. This week, I'm still trying to recover from a harsh cough and sneexing fits. Luckily, I was able to post today. Come back soon for another delicious recipe. I'll catch you on the flip side! Happy blogging to all! <3