Black Pepper Chicken and Celery with rice ~$2.10/serving

I found a couple recipes online by searching for "Panda Express Black Pepper Chicken recipe" and used them as guidance. It's very peppery so adjust accordingly.

I made 2 servings using 10 oz of chicken breast and thigh ($2.50), 1 bunch of trader joe's celery heart ($1.40), 2 teaspoons of whole black pepper corns/rice/seasonings ~$0.30 = $4.20/2 servings = $2.10/serving. I could get cheaper chicken but I like this brand of free range whole chicken called Rocky which sells for $3/lb and sometimes go on sale for $2/lb.

Recipe:

1. Soak one dried chili with 2 tablespoons of white vinegar for 30 mins
2. Marinate chicken pieces with soy sauce, cornstarch, oyster sauce, chicken bouillon powder, half of the chili vinegar, baking soda, garlic powder, sliced ginger for 30 mins
3. Heat oil on high heat, stir fry a few pieces of chicken skin to render the fat. Discard chicken skin. Add chicken to pan and stir fry until cooked
4. Set chicken aside. In the same pan stir fry thinly sliced celery hearts (I only like the pale green parts, will use the dark stalks for soup) and sliced onions for about 30 seconds. Add some cooking wine to deglaze.
5. Add chicken back to the pan. Add soy sauce, rest of the chili vinegar and freshly ground black pepper. I use a spice grinder to grind 2 teaspoons of black peppercorns.
6. Mix well and serve immediately with steamed rice.