Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken is a classic Sichuan dish that is quite popular here in the US. That being said, the versions you often find here tend to lean on the sweeter side and often contain many additional ingredients such as bell peppers or carrots. While this “westernized” version is delicious in it’s own way, the recipe below more closely resembles the classic Sichuanese version. Small chunks of chicken are marinated in Shaoxing wine and dark soy sauce and then stir-fried with dried chilies, scallions, Sichuan peppercorns, and peanuts. The dish is savory, slightly smokey, and delicious with some freshly steamed rice.

I often prepare this dish on a high-output outdoor wok burner to maximize the smoky flavor but if you don’t have one, you can easily make this in a large sauté pan on your strongest home burner. Just don’t try to stir fry more than one recipe’s worth at a time. If your pan gets overcrowded the dish will steam and simmer instead of stir-fry. Make sure you have read the procedure a few times and all of your ingredients are ready to go before starting to stir fry. You want to make sure that you don’t need to read directions or cut vegetables in the middle of cooking, particularly in the second, stir-frying step.

Goes well with:

• Steamed Jasmine Rice
• Mapo Tofu
• Stir-fried shredded pork with hot peppers
• Stir-fried pea leaves with garlic
• Stir-fried romaine with garlic and chilies
• Chinese-style steamed eggs with minced pork and shallots

Kung Pao Chicken

Ian Benites

The classic Sichuan dish of diced chicken stir-fried with chiles, Sichuan peppercorns, scallions and peanuts.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Servings 2 people

Equipment

• Wok or large saute pan

Ingredients

  

Marinated chicken

• 10 oz boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2-3 thighs)
• 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine (sub dry sherry if necessary)
• 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground white pepper
• 1 Tbsp corn starch
• 1 Tbsp neutral flavored cooking oil (canola, vegetable, corn….etc)

Sauce Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp Shaoxing wine (sub dry sherry if necessary)
• 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Chinkiang vinegar AKA black vinegar
• 1/2 tsp MSG
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 tsp corn starch

Stir-fry

• 2/3 cup whole dried heaven facing chili/Tianjin chili
• 2 tsp sichuan peppercorns (green or red)
• 5-6 cloves garlic (2 tbsp after chopping)
• 1/2 inch piece ginger, peeled (1 Tbsp after chopping)
• 4 scallions (one cup after slicing)
• 1/2 cup roasted or flash-fried peanuts
• about 1 cup neutral flavored cooking oil (canola, vegetable, corn….etc)
• plain steamed white rice, for serving

Instructions

 

Marinate the Chicken

• Cut the chicken thighs into 1/3 inch cubes. Place in a mixing bowl.
  
• Add 1 Tbsp Shaoxing wine, 1/4 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp white pepper, and a pinch of salt to the chicken and stir well to combine.
  
• Add 1 Tbsp corn starch to the chicken and stir well to combine.
  
• Add 1 Tbsp neutral oil to the chicken and stir to combine. Set the marinated chicken aside
  

Make the sauce

• Combine all of the sauce ingredients in a small container. Stir to dissolve the sugar and set aside.
  

Final Preparation

• Cut the dried peppers into 1/3 inch pieces. Discard stems but keep the seeds if you like it spicy. You should have about 1/2 cup of chilies after cutting.
  
• Add 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns to the cut chilies and set these aside.
  
• Smash the ginger and garlic with the side of a knife and roughly chop. Do not chop too finely. Set aside
  
• Remove the roots from the scallions and cut into 1/3 inch pieces. Set aside
  
• Make sure you have all of your ingredients ready and within reach before cooking. Have a strainer ready nearby so that you can drain the chicken after it has shallow fried
  
• Heat up about 2/3 cup of neutral oil over medium heat.
  
• Add the marinated chicken to the oil.
  
• Cook the chicken over medium/medium-high heat for about 2-3 minutes while stirring. This may seem like a lot of oil but you will be draining away most of it. The temperature of the oil should induce a very gentle fry. The chicken should not be popping and hissing aggressively. Imagine something between a poach and a fry.
  
• When the chicken is cooked through and just started to color lightly, drain the chicken with a strainer. The oil will be discarded.
  
• Thoroughly clean out the wok/pan and heat up 2-3 Tbsp fresh neutral oil over high heat. Swirl the wok/pan to coat in oil.
  
• When the oil is hot and starting to smoke, add the cut chilies and sichuan peppercorns to the oil. Cook for about 3-5 seconds or until the chilies start to darken. Do not let them get burnt.
  
• Before the chilies burn, add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 5-10 seconds over high heat.
  
• Immediately add the cooked chicken back to the pan before the chilies get too dark.
  
• Stir fry over high heat for approximately 20 seconds. If possible, flip the contents of the pan so that you can get a few licks of flame from the contents of the pan.
  
• Stir the sauce to re-dissolve any corn starch that may have settled to the bottom of the container and add it to the pan. cook for about 10 seconds.
  
• Add the peanuts and scallions to the pan.
  
• Stir fry for another 20-30 seconds or until the sauce has reduced and is coating the chicken.
  
• Adjust seasoning if necessary with salt, soy, sugar and/or vinegar.
  
• Serve with freshly steamed white rice