Kung Pao Chicken

Instructions

1. Toss the chicken with the marinade ingredients; let sit 10 minutes while you prep everything else (stir-fries wait for no one).
2. Stir the sauce ingredients in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves.
3. Heat the oil in a wok over the highest heat you can manage until shimmering. Add the dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns; stir 15 seconds until fragrant but not blackened.
4. Add the chicken in a single layer; sear undisturbed 1 minute, then stir-fry until just cooked through, 2-3 minutes more.
5. Add the garlic, ginger, and bell pepper; stir-fry 1 minute.
6. Give the sauce a stir, pour it in, and toss until it glazes everything, about 1 minute. Off the heat, fold in the scallions and peanuts. Serve with steamed rice.

Notes & Substitutions

• Málà — numbing-hot — comes from the peppercorns; toast them first in a dry pan for 30 seconds and grind coarsely for a stronger buzz.
• Velvet-lite: for extra-tender chicken, blanch the marinated cubes in barely simmering water for 40 seconds before stir-frying (traditional velveting uses oil; water works nearly as well and lighter).
• Vegetarian: swap in cubed firm tofu (pat very dry) or rehydrated mushrooms; use tamari to keep it gluten-free.
• No black vinegar? Balsamic + a drop of rice vinegar approximates its smoky-sweet tang.

Storage & Make-Ahead

• Best straight from the wok; keeps 2 days, reheat hot and fast.
• The sauce can be mixed days ahead; prep components keep 2 days.
• Peanuts go in fresh at reheating to stay crunchy.