Before kung pao chicken won the hearts and takeout orders of American diners, it was the favorite dish of a 19th-century governor of Sichuan, China.
Also known as gong bao chicken, the fiery, peanut-studded stir-fry is believed to have been named after Ding Baozhen—or Ding Gongbao, using his official title—governor of Sichuan Province during the late Qing Dynasty. The dish’s exact origins are murky, but it’s considered a Sichuan classic, combining tender cubed chicken, crunchy roasted peanuts, and dried red chiles and Sichuan peppercorns in a slightly spicy, sweet, and vinegary sauce.
