Dishes
Kung Pao Chicken
GOONG-bow jee-DING
Also Known As Gong Bao Chicken
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Kung Pao chicken is a Sichuan dish of diced chicken stir-fried with roasted peanuts, dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns in a sweet, salty and numbing sauce. It takes its English name from Gongbao, an honorary title held by Ding Baozhen, a Qing dynasty governor of Sichuan province in the late nineteenth century, and food historians generally date the dish's invention to the mid to late 1800s, attributing it to a chef in Ding's household. Several competing anecdotes explain exactly how the dish came to carry Ding's title, none of them fully verified, and Chinese food historians continue to dispute the precise circumstances of its creation even while agreeing on the Sichuanese origin and the rough nineteenth century date.
Facts
Disputed
Origin Period, From (Year)Sourced to the subject's own accountMarks the mid-to-late 19th century the dish is credited as invented, believed named after Ding Baozhen (1820-1886), a late Qing dynasty official; the exact year is not documented and the origin itself is uncertain. Origin RegionSourced to the subject's own account Cross-Tradition Connections
In Cuisine
Uses Ingredient
Represents the soy sauce seasoning central to the dish.
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