Gunpowder Chicken With Dried Red Chillies & Peanuts

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 2½ cm 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

Preparation

Serves 6-8 as part of a buffet

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.
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.