Kung Pao Chicken

4.87 from 38 votes

Kung Pao Chicken is highly addictive stir-fried chicken with the perfect combination of salty, sweet and spicy flavour! Make it better than Chinese take out right at home! With crisp-tender chicken pieces and some crunchy veggies thrown in, this is one Kung Pao chicken recipe hard to pass up!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Asian

Servings: people

Calories: 382kcal

Author: Karina

Ingredients

Chicken:

28 ounces (800g) boneless/skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cornstarch / corn flour

Sauce:

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock (or broth) -- water can be used
5 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar (or substitute good-quality balsamic vinegar)
2 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons sugar*
1 teaspoon cornstarch / corn flour

Stir Fry:

4 tablespoons cooking oil divided
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic (4-6 cloves)
1 tablespoon ginger
1/2 red bell pepper (capsicum) seeded and diced
1/2 green bell pepper (capsicum) seeded and diced
8-10 dried chilies cut into ½-inch pieces (adjust to taste)
1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns, lightly toasted and ground**
4 green onion / scallion stems cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup roasted/unsalted peanuts
2 teaspoons sesame oil optional

Instructions

Combine all ingredients for the chicken in a shallow bowl; cover and marinate for 10 minutes (if time allows).
Whisk sauce ingredients together until sugar dissolves; set aside.
Heat a large skillet, pan or wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, allow to heat up, then add marinated chicken. Fry chicken for 3-4 minutes while occasionally stirring, until edges are browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
Add remaining cooking oil into the same pan/wok. Stir in garlic, ginger, chili diced peppers (capsicums) and Sichuan peppercorns and stir fry for 1 minute.
Give the prepared sauce a mix, then pour it into the pan and bring it to a boil while stirring.
Once it begins to thicken slightly, add chicken back into the pan/wok and mix all of the ingredients through the sauce until the chicken is evenly coated and sauce has thickened, (about 2 minutes).
Stir in green onions, peanuts and sesame oil. Toss well and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes to infuse all of the flavours together.
Serve immediately with steamed/cooked rice or fried rice!

Notes

*Our kung pao sauce is not sweet for most of our readers and balances out the heat or spice-level. However, start with 1 teaspoon if you are hesitant or omit the sugar completely.

**If you are sensitive to spice or you'd like a mild sauce, start with 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns. Adjust accordingly to make it suitable to your taste.

Nutrition