Ingredients
Ingredients, Shopping List amounts, and highlighted step quantities follow your servings. Keep temperatures, piece sizes, and cooking times as written; larger batches may need more pans. Check any flagged step against the ingredients.
Check off ingredients as you prep.
- 1 lb chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 tbsp soy sauce (for marinade)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (for marinade)
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or dry sherry (for marinade)
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 8-10 whole dried red chili peppers
- 2 stalks celery, sliced on a bias
- 3 green onions, chopped (whites and greens separated)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (for that rich color)
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp chili garlic sauce or sambal
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 tbsp water (slurry)
Allergen check: Peanut, Soy, Sesame recognized in these ingredients. Check package labels and substitutions.
Step by step
- First, we gotta treat the chicken with respect. In a bowl, toss your cubed chicken with the marinade soy sauce, cornstarch, and wine. Let it sit for 15 minutes while you prep your veggies. This is called velveting—it keeps the meat tender.
- Whisk together your sauce ingredients: soy sauces, vinegar, sugar, chili paste, sesame oil, and chicken stock. Keep that cornstarch slurry separate for now.
- Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. When it's shimmering, add the chicken in a single layer. Don't crowd the pan, or it'll steam instead of sear. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Remove the chicken and set it aside.
- Wipe out the pan if needed, add the remaining tablespoon of oil, and toss in the dried red chilies. Stir-fry them for about 30 seconds until they start to darken and smell smoky. Don't burn them!
- Toss in the celery, garlic, ginger, and the whites of the green onions. Stir-fry for about a minute until fragrant. We want the celery to keep a little snap.
- Pour in your sauce mixture and bring it to a bubble. Stir in your cornstarch slurry. It should thicken up into a beautiful glossy glaze almost immediately.
- Throw the chicken back in along with the peanuts and the green onion tops. Toss everything until it's coated in that sticky, spicy perfection.
- Plate it up immediately over steamed rice. Finish with a pinch of Sweet Ginger Finishing Salt to make those aromatics sing. DUNZO!
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A little more about this recipe
Timing
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield & storage
Original yield
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The peanuts will lose their crunch, but the flavor gets deeper.
From Tony’s kitchen
You know, food is funny. It takes you places. Every time I smell dried chilies hitting a hot wok, I'm right back to this little hole-in-the-wall spot in the city where I had my first real date. We were sweating from the heat, laughing, fighting over the last peanut. This dish here? It's inspired by P.F. Chang's, sure, but it's got that same soul. It's spicy, savory, and sticky in all the right ways. It's the kind of meal that makes you put down your phone and actually talk to the people at your table. That's the good stuff.
Nutrition • per serving
Ingredient notes
Ingredients & allergen check
Major-allergen signals: Peanut, Soy, Sesame
- Chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- soy sauce
- cornstarch
- Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- vegetable oil
- whole dried red chili peppers
- celery
- green onions
- garlic
- fresh ginger
- roasted peanuts
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- dark soy sauce
- rice vinegar
- sugar
- chili garlic sauce or sambal
- sesame oil
- chicken stock
- cornstarch mixed with water (slurry)
Sweet Ginger blend: Sea salt, Ginger
Check every package label. Brands, substitutions, shared equipment, and cross-contact can change allergen exposure.
