Typically Chinese in origin, this dish has also been served as Thai and Singaporean fare in a lot of restaurants worldwide. A lot or recipes online produce a pale-looking and bland finished product. This recipe is restaurant-grade. The secret is the hoisin sauce, which adds seasoning and a certain degree of sweetness to the dish. There are two different varieties of chili peppers used- the traditional hot pepper, which introduces the spicy Schezuan character of the dish, and the long, dried, semi-spicy, semi-sweet pepper (sorry about the description, but do not confuse this with green pepper), which adds spice and some sweetness. The chicken is fried with the skin to add flavor, and is cooked independently . This retains the crunchiness of the chicken pieces even after cooking.