In a medium bowl, whisk the water, citric acid, salt, and white pepper until the citric acid and salt have fully dissolved. Citric acid tossed in dry lands unevenly and leaves sharp spots on some pieces and nothing on others.

Add the diced chicken and stir continuously for 1 to 2 minutes. Tilt the bowl. The chicken is ready when no free liquid pools at the bottom and the surface feels tacky rather than wet. Panda uses a vacuum tumbler to force the marinade into the muscle, and working it in by hand is the closest home version.

Add the cornstarch, potato starch, and tapioca starch. Toss until every piece is evenly coated and no dry starch remains in the bowl. The coating should be a thin even slick, not a visible paste.

Add the vegetable oil and toss until the pieces are glossy and separate easily.

Cover the bowl, or transfer it to a storage container, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before cooking. It also holds 2 to 3 days in the fridge, so this is worth doing well ahead.

Combine the soy sauce, sugar, dark corn syrup, salt, MSG, ground ginger, white pepper, and water in a small saucepan. Warm over medium, stirring, until the sugar and MSG have fully dissolved. Do not let it boil.

Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the xanthan gum while the liquid is still warm, until no specks remain. Cold liquid makes xanthan clump; warm liquid takes it smoothly.

Cool to room temperature and refrigerate in a sealed jar. Keeps 2 months.

Whisk the Basic Sauce, water, and cornstarch in a small bowl until the cornstarch is fully dissolved and no grit sits on the bottom. If you are using the dark soy sauce, whisk it in here. Set aside, and stir it again right before it goes in the wok.

Whisk the garlic, ginger, vegetable oil, and water together in a small bowl.

Refrigerate the infusion in a sealed container for up to 4 days, or freeze it in an ice cube tray for single-use portions.

Add enough vegetable oil to a wok or a deep pot to submerge the chicken, and heat over medium to 300°F (149°C). Use a thermometer. At this temperature the oil gives you no visual signal, so guessing does not work here.

Add all of the marinated chicken at once and stir constantly to keep the pieces separate. It will take 1 to 2 minutes to reach 165°F (74°C). Pull one of the larger pieces and check it. The chicken should be surrounded by gentle lazy bubbles and come out pale and glossy with no browning at all.

Remove the chicken with a spider strainer or slotted spoon and drain it on a wire rack. The chicken is fully cooked and will keep cooking on its own heat while it sits, so move to the stir-fry promptly.

Heat the dry wok over high heat until lightly smoking. Turn off the heat, add the vegetable oil, and swirl to coat. Turn the heat back on to medium-high and heat the oil briefly.

Add the Ginger Garlic Infusion and the coarse ground black pepper and stir for 10 seconds, until fragrant. Have the celery and onion sitting next to the wok before you start, because ten seconds is the whole window.

Add the celery and onion. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes, until the onion edges turn translucent and the celery is crisp-tender, lightly softened but still with snap.

Add the blanched chicken and the Shaoxing cooking wine. Toss to combine.

Stir the #1 Sauce, then pour all of it around the rim of the wok. Toss constantly until it boils and tightens into a glaze that coats the chicken, 30 to 45 seconds.

Drizzle the toasted sesame oil around the rim of the wok, toss two or three times, and serve immediately.