To cook Chengdu dried chili chicken, also known as La Zi Ji, start by marinating bite-sized pieces of chicken—ideally dark meat for juiciness—in a mixture of soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, sugar, cornstarch, and ground Sichuan peppercorns for at least 30 minutes. Once marinated, deep-fry or shallow-fry the chicken in hot peanut oil until it reaches a deep golden brown and crispy texture, then remove and set aside. In a clean wok over medium heat, sauté sliced ginger, garlic, and scallions in a few tablespoons of oil until fragrant before adding a copious amount of dried Sichuan chilies and whole Sichuan peppercorns, stir-frying carefully to avoid burning the spices. Finally, return the crispy chicken to the wok, toss with a stir-fry sauce made of rice wine, soy sauce, and sugar, and continue to stir-fry on high heat until the chicken is well-coated and aromatic. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and peanuts before serving this iconic, numbing, and spicy dish.