2 pound boneless, skinless mix of chicken thighs and breasts, cut into ¾-inch cubes
For the sauce
3 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine
2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoon tapioca starch
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder
3 whole red chilies
1 cup grape seed oil
1" fresh ginger, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
5 scallions, cut into ¼" pieces
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients. Add chicken and toss thoroughly. Set aside for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, combine all the sauce ingredients in another bowl. Cut 2 whole chilies with kitchen shears into 1-inch-long pieces and remove all the seeds. But keep 1 seeded.
Heat pan over high heat and add oil, until the surface begins to shimmer. Working in bacthes, sear the chicken for about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, and drain excess oil by putting chicken in a strainer/skimmer over a bowl. Then pour the oil out of the pan, reserving about 3 tablespoons.
Return the reserved 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan. Add ginger and garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant. Put in dried chilies and stir-fry for another minute.
Add the chicken and stir-fry for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until cooked through. Pour sauce into the pan. Continue cooking until the sauce evenly coats the chicken. Add peanuts and scallions and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
Recipe by Flavor and Friends at http://flavorandfriends.com/kapow-kung-pao-chicken/