Sichuan · main
Kung Pao Chicken
宫保鸡丁 · Gōngbǎo Jīdīng
Diced chicken stir-fried with peanuts, dried red chillies and Sichuan peppercorn in a sweet-savoury sauce.
Kung Pao Chicken takes its name from Ding Baozhen, the late-Qing official who held the title Gongbao ('Palace Guardian'). The Sichuan version sits in the 'lychee flavour' category — a balance of sweet, sour and chilli, with the numbing tingle of Sichuan peppercorn. Western-Chinese restaurant versions (heavy on sugar, no peppercorn) are a separate dish.
Where to try
Any Sichuan restaurant. Better at the older, smaller houses than chains.
Dietary notes
Peanuts. Soy. Halal-incompatible (typically uses Shaoxing wine).
Cities to try Kung Pao Chicken
Other southwest dishes
- Baba Flatbread粑粑
Yunnan's daily flatbread — a thick wheat or rice-flour round cooked on a griddle and eaten plain or stuffed.
- Bang Bang Chicken棒棒鸡
Cold poached chicken shredded by hand, dressed in chilli oil, sesame paste and Sichuan peppercorn.
- Boiled Fish in Chilli Oil水煮鱼
Fish slices submerged in a deep pool of chilli oil and Sichuan peppercorns. Served bubbling.
- Chongqing Hotpot重庆火锅
The original mala hotpot — a simmering cauldron of beef tallow, Pixian doubanjiang and Sichuan peppercorn for communal dipping.