Chengdu Chicken

This is a spicy, saucy, tangy and sweet chicken dish that I came across on the net after looking for Chengdu spicy chicken. This one has a healthy dose of Sichuan peppercorns and a little crunch from the celery. You'll probably want to open a couple of windows to let the pungent smoke clear when the chilies hit the pan.

From grouprecipes.com with variations.

Chengdu Gai Yuk

1.5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken, cut into thin bite-size slices (I prefer thighs)
1 Tbsp cornstarch 
1 T shaoxing cooking wine (or dry Sherry and a dash of salt) 

1 Tbsp minced ginger
4 dried chili peppers, minced (more if you want more heat)
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 scallions, white parts finely sliced, greens in small pieces (save greens for garnish) 

4 stalks of celery, minced
1 large tomato or 1/2 can diced tomatoes, drained

Sauce:
2 T chili bean paste (toban djan)
2 T soy sauce
1/2 T black vinegar (I used balsamic)
1/2 tsp sugar
1 T sesame oil
1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground toasted Sichuan peppercorn plus more for serving

Marinate the chicken in the coenstarch and wine for 1/2 hour. Prep the rest of the ingredients in the meantime.

Stir fry the chicken in a hot wok with 2 T of vegetable oil until it turns white. Scoop out the chicken and set it aside. Heat the wok over very high heat and add another 1 T of oil, swirling it around to coat the pan. Add the ginger, chilies, garlic, and scallion whites. Stir fry for half a minute or so, then add the tomato and celery and toss it for a couple of minutes over continued very high heat. Add the chicken, mix well, then add the sauce. Cook for another minute, then sprinkle with the Sichuan peppercorn and scallion greens and serve with steamed white rice.