Salty, sour, spicy and sweet, kung pao chicken traces its origin from China’s Sichuan region. It became so popular that regional variations, some less spicy than the original, were born. This recipe is a cross between the Guizhou and Western versions.
Cook’s notes
What does that mean — a cross between the Guizhou and Western versions?
The Guizhou version uses skin-on chicken fillets and fermented chili paste. Western versions are sweet and hardly spicy. This recipe is not too spicy and rather sweet. It includes chili paste among the ingredients but it is used in moderation.
This recipe also has Sichuan peppercorns, an ingredient found in Sichuan kung pao chicken (read more about Sichuan peppercorns).
This dish has three components: the chicken, the vegetables and peanuts, and the sauce.
The heat of chili paste varies from brand to brand. Tolerance for heat varies from person to person. Use more or less than the specified amount to suit your palate.
For best results, toast Sichuan peppercorns in an oil-free pan before grinding and measuring.
Chicken
The chicken is marinated in soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, garlic and cornstarch. While ten minutes should give the meat enough time to soak up the flavors in the marinade, if you have time, marinate the chicken longer — covered, in the fridge, for an hour or so. You’ll get better results.Vegetables and peanuts
The white and light green portion of scallions are stir fried with diced bell peppers. In traditional Sichuan kung pao chicken, fresh unroasted peanuts are deep fried before the rest of the ingredients are added. To cut down on cooking time and to considerably lessen the amount of oil needed to complete the dish, roasted peanuts are substituted.Sauce
The sauce is salty (soy sauce), sour (Chinese black vinegar), sweet (Hoisin sauce and sugar) and spicy (ground Sichuan peppercorns and chili paste).Kung pao chicken
Ingredients
Marinade
- 500 grams skin-on chicken thigh fillets (1.1 pounds) cut into two-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon grated garlic
For the sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon chili paste
To stir fry
- cooking oil
- 3 stalks scallions thinly sliced and divided into white/light green and dark green portions
- 1 bell pepper deseeded and diced
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Place the chicken cubes in a bowl, add all the ingredients for the marinade, mix well and set aside for ten minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together all the ingredients for the sauce.
- In a wok, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of one inch.
- Spread the marinated chicken in the hot oil and cook over medium heat, turning the over a few times, until cooked through, about seven minutes.
- Scoop out the chicken and set aside.
- Pour off the oil leaving only two tablespoonfuls.
- Stir fry the white/light green portion of the scallions with the bell peppers for about half a minute.
- Add the peanuts and cook, stirring often, until heated through.
- Pour in the sauce and cook for about a minute until slightly reduced and thickened.
- Throw the chicken back into the wok and continue stir frying until every piece of chicken is coated with sauce.
- Tip the contents of the wok into a shallow bowl and sprinkle your kung pao chicken with the dark green portion of the scallions before serving.
White rice, Mexican-style (arroz blanco)