Gong bao chicken with peanuts (Gongbao jiding) from The Food of Sichuan: A New and Updated Edition of the Classic Land of Plenty (page 182) by Fuchsia Dunlop

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • Eat Your Books

    Can substitute cashew nuts for roasted unsalted peanuts.

  • HJWilding on February 17, 2025

    Quick, super spicy, great textures. Love it.

  • stockholm28 on February 17, 2020

    Version from ”The Food of Sichuan (FoS)” - There are some slight differences in this version versus the version in ”Land of Plenty (LoP)”. The FoS version has double the oil (4 Tbsp), double the sugar (2 Tbsp), and a few other small differences. I’d probably have to try them side by side to really taste the difference. I loved the original version so may go back to that to save a few calories.

  • kitchen_chick on January 21, 2020

    I think I like the version from her older Land of Plenty book slightly better than this one. (I don't know why the reviews from the older book are included with the newer book. The two recipes do use different proportions of the same ingredients.)

  • Rradishes on December 29, 2017

    This was good but be very careful with the chilis; a handful for which the recipe calls made mine very very hot. Maybe it was just the batch of peppers, but will make again with alot less chilis.

  • clcorbi on December 14, 2016

    We really enjoyed this! I loved how the ultra-quick cooking time kept the chicken breasts super tender. This is one dish where I actually didn't mind the white meat (as normally I prefer to cook with thighs). We both thought the sauce was super flavorful. Surprisingly, I didn't find this spicy enough! I may not have let the dried chiles stir-fry long enough before adding the chicken, but I think next time I would just add more sichuan peppercorn, since we love that numbing flavor. I also ground the peppercorns in my mortar and pestle rather than leaving them whole, since I don't love biting into a whole one. I think I decreased the quantity of peanuts a bit as well. This was very quick and easy and great for a weeknight.

  • Breadcrumbs on April 19, 2014

    p. 237 - I know this is a very popular Chinese dish but I have to admit it’s been years since I’ve had it. During my recent trip to Beijing the chef at my hotel suggested I order Gong Bao since he knew I liked spicy dishes. I have to say, I absolutely loved it. Back at home and one week later I was already craving it so I pulled out FD’s book and set to it. Perhaps it’s not fair to compare but this was a bit of a let down. Like LlM, I too felt there were too many peanuts. The dish was also saucier than the one I had in Beijing. Certainly both issues are easy enough to rectify next time around but I think I’ll look to one of my other Chinese cookbooks for a different recipe next time. I should note that mr bc quite liked it and did not think there were too many peanuts. I used thighs vs chx breasts. Photos here: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/494664#8887996

  • stockholm28 on August 25, 2013

    Really delicious! I will be making this again.

  • minerva on July 28, 2013

    I've made this with both chicken and pre-fried tofu. When using tofu, I add some of the marinade ingredients to the wok instead of actually marinating. It is not very spicy unless you bite into a chile, which is very much so.

  • Delys77 on January 08, 2013

    Very good rendition of Kung Pao chicken. While I like peanuts I did cut back on the suggested amount by about half as I thought it would be too much. As I served it I thought the amount of peanuts was just right. While the dish is spicy, it wasn't unreasonably so, especially since I removed the chiles from the dish before serving so that no one would have a bite with a chili in it. The acidity is very nicely balanced with sweetness and heat.

  • amraub on June 07, 2012

    I love this version of kung pao chicken. I've made it many times using both breasts and thighs and every time it's a huge hit. It is a little heavy on the peanuts, but I love peanuts so that's not a problem!

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