One said: Ding Baozhen was originally from Guizhou, and was a scholar in Xianfeng period of Qing Dynasty. He was once the governor of Shandong and then the governor of Sichuan. He always likes to eat Chili, pork and chicken stir-fried dishes. It is said that when he was in Shandong, he ordered his chef to make "Fried Chicken with Sauce" and other dishes, which was very appetizing, but it was not famous at that time. After being transferred to the governor of Sichuan, he asked the chef to stir-fry diced chicken with peanuts, dried peppers and tender chicken every time he met a banquet guest. The meat was tender and delicious, and it was very popular with the guests. Later, he was named "Prince Shaobao" by the imperial court because of his meritorious service in guarding the border and defending the enemy, and was called "Ding Gongbao". The fried diced chicken cooked by his chef was also called "kung pao chicken".
Two said: Ding Baozhen came to Sichuan to build water conservancy projects, and the people felt their virtue, offering his favorite fried diced chicken, named "kung pao chicken".
When Ding Baozhen was in Sichuan, he often visited incognito. Once I ate in a small restaurant, I got chili pepper diced chicken fried with peanuts, which was called imitation by the chef, who named it "kung pao chicken".
In addition, it is also said that this dish originated from the famous figure Zuo Zongtang.
It is said that Zuo Zongtang likes to eat the chicken cooked for him by the chef, and the way to do it is to cut the chicken into cubes and copy it with peanuts, diced bamboo shoots, fungus and other ingredients. In Qing Dynasty, the governor had the titles of Gong Bao and Shao Bao, and because Zuo Zongtang was a former governor, he was called Zuo Gong Bao, so people called this dish kung pao chicken.