Description
Kung Pao Chicken is a classic Chinese stir-fry dish featuring tender chicken thigh pieces tossed in a savory, tangy, and slightly sweet sauce with Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, crunchy peanuts, and aromatic garlic and ginger. It’s bold, flavorful, and perfect served with steamed rice for a quick and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 1 lb (500 g) chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
Sauce
- 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1.5 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
- 3 tbsp sugar (any type)
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/3 cup water
Stir Fry
- 2 tbsp peanut oil (or other cooking oil)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp ginger, finely chopped
- 6–10 dried chilies, cut into 2 cm (3/4″) pieces, most seeds discarded
- 3 green onions, cut into 2 cm (3/4″) pieces (white and green parts separated)
- 1.5 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns (adjust to taste)
- 3/4 cup whole peanuts (or 1/2 cup halved), roasted unsalted
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine chicken pieces with cornflour and light soy sauce. Mix well and let marinate for 10–15 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together dark soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, Chinese cooking wine, sugar, sesame oil, and water to make the sauce. Set aside.
- Heat peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pan, add garlic, ginger, dried chilies, and the white parts of green onions. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Return chicken to the pan and sprinkle in ground Sichuan peppercorns. Toss to coat.
- Pour in the prepared sauce and stir-fry for another 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens and evenly coats the chicken.
- Add peanuts and the green parts of the green onions. Stir well.
- Serve hot over steamed rice.
Notes
- Adjust the number of dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns depending on your spice tolerance.
- For extra depth, lightly toast the peanuts before adding.
- Chicken breast can be substituted for thighs, but thighs stay more tender and juicy.
- Kung Pao Chicken is best enjoyed fresh but can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 portion
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 820mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 23g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 95mg
Keywords: kung pao chicken, Chinese stir fry, spicy chicken stir fry, Sichuan chicken recipe, chicken with peanuts