Name: Gunpowder chicken with dried red chillies & peanuts
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: Serves 6-8 as part of a buffet
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 900g), cut into pieces; 1 tbsp dark soy sauce; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 15 whole dried bird's-eye chillies; 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn ground; bunch spring onions cut into 2.5cm pieces; 50g whole roasted peanut; 5 tbsp dark soy sauce; 2 tbsp Shaohsing rice wine; 4 tbsp Chinese black vinegar; 4 tbsp chicken stock; 1 tbsp caster sugar; 1 tbsp cornflour mixed into 1 tbsp water

Gunpowder chicken with dried red chillies & peanuts

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
(about 900g), cut into pieces
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
15 whole dried bird's-eye chillies
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn
ground
bunch spring onions
cut into 2.5cm pieces
50g whole roasted peanut

For the sauce

5 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp Shaohsing rice wine
4 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
4 tbsp chicken stock
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
mixed into 1 tbsp water

Method

step 1
Marinate the chicken with the soy and leave to sit for 1 hr. If you don’t have time to marinate, don’t worry – but it does add extra flavour. Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
step 2
Using a wok and a small amount of the oil, sear the chicken in batches. When it’s all browned, remove from the pan and set aside. Snip the stems from the chillies and shake out the seeds. Add the remaining oil and cook the chillies for 1 min, shaking the pan constantly to prevent them burning. Add the chicken back in with the peppercorns, spring onions and peanuts, then stir-fry for 1 min more. Add the sauce and stir for a few mins more until thickened.