The Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast or thigh, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
• 8 to 10 dried red chilies
• 3 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp ginger, minced or freshly grated
• 1/4 cup unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
  

Marinade

• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry (do not use Mirin - Japanese rice wine)
• 1-1/2 tsp cornstarch
  

Sauce

• 1 tbsp Chinese black vinegar or good quality balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp ground Sichuan pepper
  

The Directions

1. Marinate the chicken: In a medium bowl, stir together the soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the chicken and stir gently to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
2. Prepare the sauce: In another bowl, combine the black vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch and Sichuan pepper. Stir until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved and set aside. NOTE: If you like a saucy sauce, you can scale up the ingredients. This is a dryer sauce at this ratio.
3. You may need to turn on your stove's exhaust fan. Stir frying chilies on high heat gets a bit smokey!
4. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add the peanut oil and swirl to coat the base. Add the chilies and stir-fry for about 30 seconds or until the chillies have begin to blacken and the oil is slightly fragrant. Add the chicken and stir-fry until no longer pink about 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add the scallion whites, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce and mix to coat the other ingredients. Stir in the peanuts and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a service plate, sprinkle the scallion greens on top, and serve.