[Chinese Recipes] Kung Pao Chicken

Kung pao chicken is one of those dishes that exists both in the traditional Chinese repertoire and Americanized takeout menus alike. When we lived in Beijing, I was actually surprised to see how popular Kung Pao Chicken was among restaurant goers.

At certain restaurants that featured family-style cooking, I’d often see kung pao chicken on one out of every three tables. Chopsticks would work hard to grab at the small bite-sized pieces. And trust me, when the dish was “hot-off-the-wok” good, those chopsticks were moving faster.

There are good reasons why everyone loves kung pao chicken. It’s got so many flavors going on: tangy, sweet, and salty with a hint of heat. The art is putting in the right amount of each ingredient to come up with that winning flavor combination. It’s actually a relatively easy dish to make at home, and my goal was to make a restaurant-quality recipe. Let’s see if I succeeded.

Start by roasting the peanuts:
1 teaspoon oil
1 cup raw peanuts, shelled (with or without the skin)

Heat the oil in a wok over medium heat and add the peanuts. Stir constantly (or they’ll burn) for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir for another minute using the residual heat in the wok. Set aside to cool. They will turn crunchy once they’re cooled completely.

Then marinate the chicken:
12 oz. chicken breast, cut into 3/4” cubes
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon shaoxing wine
A pinch of ground white pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

Prepare the sauce:
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Mix together all the ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Grab the rest of your ingredients:
3 tablespoons oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
2 thin slices ginger, minced
2 dried red chilies, deseeded and chopped (these can be quite spicy, so adjust according to your own tastes)
1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
6 scallions, white portions only, cut into 3/4” pieces

And you’re ready to cook:

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat. Sear the chicken, remove from the wok to a bowl, and set aside.

Turn the heat to low and add another tablespoon oil. Add the garlic, ginger, chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns. Cook for a minute or two until fragrant.

Add the chicken back to the pan, along with the scallions. Turn up the heat to high and stir-fry for a minute. Then use your finger to stir up your prepared sauce (the cornstarch will have settled to the bottom, so make sure it’s well incorporated). Add the sauce to the wok and stir-fry for another minute. The sauce should thicken very quickly.

Finally, add the peanuts. Give everything a final stir and serve.

For a twist on this Kung Pao Chicken dish, try our oven fried Kung Pao Chicken wings!

Kung Pao Chicken

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 2-4 servings

Ingredients

To roast the peanuts:
1 teaspoon oil
1 cup raw peanuts, shelled (with or without the skin)

To marinate the chicken:
12 oz. chicken breast, cut into 3/4” cubes
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon shaoxing wine
A pinch of ground white pepper

To prepare the sauce:
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch

The rest of your ingredients:
3 tablespoons oil
3 cloves garlic, smashed and sliced
2 thin slices ginger, minced
2 dried red chilies, deseeded and chopped (these can be quite spicy, so adjust according to your own tastes)
1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
6 scallions, white portions only, cut into 3/4” pieces

Instruction:

Step 1: Roast the peanuts. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a wok over medium heat and add the peanuts. Stir constantly (or they’ll burn) for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir for another minute using the residual heat in the wok. Set aside to cool. They will turn crunchy once they’re cooled completely.

Step 2: Marinate the chicken. Mix together the chicken with all the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside for 20 minutes.

Step 3: Prepare the sauce. Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Step 4: Cook the dish! Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat. Sear the chicken, remove from the wok to a bowl, and set aside.

Turn the heat to low and add another tablespoon oil. Add the garlic, ginger, chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns. Cook for a minute or two until fragrant.

Add the chicken back to the pan along with the scallion and turn up the heat to high. Stir-fry for a minute and then use your finger to stir up your prepared sauce (the cornstarch will have settled to the bottom, so make sure it’s well incorporated). Add the sauce to the wok and stir-fry for another minute. The sauce should thicken very quickly. Finally, add the peanuts. Give everything a final stir and serve.

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Thewoksoflife.com. Thanks so much!