Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁)
Balanced sweet, sour, numbing, spicy, and savory flavors make for the perfect kung pao chicken. Learn the technique to recreate the authentic flavor in your own kitchen.To make the dish gluten-free, use tamari to replace dark and light soy sauce. Use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine. And use rice vinegar instead of Chinkiang vinegar.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) boneless skinless chicken breast , diced into 3/4” (1.5 cm) pieces (or thigh)
Marinade
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Stir-fry
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 4 cloves garlic , sliced
- 1 thumb ginger , julienned
- 6 red dried Chinese chili peppers , cut into 3 pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 red pepper , diced
- 5 large green onions , cut into 1” (2.5 cm) pieces
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts
- 2 teaspoons chili oil (Optional, to add color)
Instructions
- Combine the chicken and marinade ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well by hand and let marinate for at least 10 minutes, up to 30 minutes.
- Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Swirl the pan and let oil coat the bottom.
- When the oil is hot, spread chicken in a layer and cook for 20 to 30 seconds without moving it. Cook and stir until the chicken turns just white on the surface and the inside is still slightly raw. Turn to medium-low heat and immediately transfer chicken to a plate.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, garlic, ginger, dried chili peppers, and ground Sichuan peppercorn. Turn to medium heat. Stir and cook until very fragrant.
- Turn to medium-high heat. Add the pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Then add the green onion, Stir and cook for another minute.
- Mix the sauce again so that cornstarch dissolves completely. Swirl in sauce and quickly stir a few times. Add back the cooked chicken. Stir and toss until the sauce thickens. Add the roasted peanuts. Stir again to mix well. Immediately transfer to a plate. Serve warm with steamed white rice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 259kcal, Carbohydrates: 17.8g, Protein: 10.3g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 2.6g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 789mg, Potassium: 361mg, Fiber: 2.4g, Sugar: 10.2g, Calcium: 45mg, Iron: 2mg