Gong Bao Chicken with Peanuts

As far as I’m concerned, this is one of the ultimate chicken dishes: quick and easy to make and thrillingly delicious. The cooking method is xiao chao, ‘small stir-fry’, in which all the ingredients are simply added to the wok in succession. With its kick of scorched chilli, tingle of Sichuan pepper and gentle sweet-sour sauce, it’s a typically Sichuanese combination of flavours. The crunchy peanuts, juicy spring onions and succulent chicken also give it a delightful mouthfeel.