Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁) in Chinese is a stir-fried dish with chicken cubes, dried chili pepper, and crispy peanuts. The tender taste of the chicken matches great with the crispy peanuts with a combined sweet, sour, and spicy taste. This dish is a popular Sichuan food and has become one of the signature dishes in Chinese cuisine along with the popular map tofu, dan dan noodles, etc.
What’s kung Pao chicken
Kung Pao Chicken originates from the Sichuan Province in China, with bold flavors that are distinctively spicy, pungent, and numbing. There are several versions, the real and authentic Sichuan version, or popular Chinese northern version in which cucumber or other vegetables are added, and the westernized version where fresh peppers are added.
Why it is named Kung Pao
The name Kung Pao comes from a court official Ding Baozhen in the Qing dynasty. The hero official Ding is a foodie who especially loves stir-fried diced chicken. During the time of being served as governor of Sichuan province, he frequently treats his guest to this dish and add dried chili peppers because People in Sichuan loves to eat hot chili. Later on, he is granted the title Taizi Shaobao also known as Kung Pao, which means the protector of the crown prince. People name this dish after him to memory him. In China, chefs usually use chicken thighs to make this dish rather than boneless chicken breasts.
The Kung Pao Sauce
It is critical to make the kung pao sauce before cooking kung pao dishes. Usually, the kung pao sauce is a combination of vinegar, sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, white pepper starch, and water. Different chefs may have their own recipes for making the kung pao sauce. All the condiments are scooped into a bowl and mixed together before start working with stir-frying.
What does kung pao taste like?
For making kung pao dishes, dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns are added to the wok and stir-fried in the cooking oil. Therefore, when you taste kung pao dishes, you will feel a little spicy on your tongue at first. Then it will come with an acceptable sour and sweet flavor. The spicy flavor will not last long and will be substituted by a sweet and sour flavor, which is called the lichee (荔枝) flavor in Sichuan cuisine. If you want more about unique Sichuan flavors, check this post : Sichuan Food. The taste of kung pao dishes is perfectly combined and well-balanced, which makes kung pao dishes addictive and appetizing.
Ingredients breakdown
Here are some of the important ingredients which are essential to this authentic version of the kung pao dish:
Chicken thighs or breast cubes – both chicken thighs and breast can be used for this recipe. But boneless chicken thigh is much more tender. So I recommend trying with chicken thigh. But the chicken breast is completely fine.
Sichuan peppercorns – this is the special ingredient in kung pao dishes, which yields both numbing sensation and spicy flavors to kung pao chicken.
Dried chili peppers – the red color and spicy taste of dried chili pepper are essential elements of kung pao dishes.
Crispy Peanuts – crispy peanuts give a crunchy texture to the kung pao chicken dish. The peanuts can be deep-fried or fried with salt. Or you can simply use store-bought crispy peanuts.
Garlic and ginger – garlic and ginger give kung pao dishes a strong and rich aroma.
Vinegar – I use black vinegar. You can mix with two types of vinegar or replace this with other vinegar on hand.
Light soy sauce– adding the unami flavor and a basic savory taste.
Dark soy sauce- darken the color of the kung pao dishes.
Chinese large green onion (大葱) or large scallion is a thick, large scallion- It has a much larger white portion at the base. You may find they look similar to leeks but it is much more tender and juicy. You can use a scallion to replace it but remember only use the white part.
Sugar– for the sweet flavor
Salt and white pepper- as needed
cornstarch– to thicken the sauce so it can wrap on the ingredients
How to debone the chicken thigh
1. Start by cutting a slit in the middle of the chicken thigh.
2. Insert your knife into the slit and use the tip of the knife to lift up the bone.
3 Angle your knife towards the bone and slice down both sides of it to expose the bone even further.
Pick the bones out. If it is attached, then remove the knife to separate it.
What’s “velveting chicken”, tenderizing chicken
Velveting meat for stir-frying recipes is a very traditional Chinese cooking method. It means tenderizing meat for the coming stir-frying recipes. In this recipe, in order to keep the chicken tender after cooking, we will use velveting method to give it a very basic flavor and protecting from drying out.
Firstly, add salt, Shaoxing wine, starch, and white peppercorn. Mix well to make sure the starch is well coated on the thick cubes.
Then add around 2 teaspoons of vegetable cooking oil to avoid the cubes sticking together when frying.
How to make crispy peanuts
There are lots of ways of making crispy peanuts and here I love to introduce a lovely salt-baked version. This method will give the peanuts a super lovely taste of aroma (quite similar to five spice taste but we don’t use five-spice powder here). I recommend frying a larger batch each time. You can save and use it as toppings or snacks.
- Firstly, add around 600g salt to the wok, and fry until hot. Place around 2 cups of peanuts in.
- Keep stir-frying the peanuts so make sure they are evenly heated. Continue heating for 6-8 minutes until you can hear Pa pa sound from the peanuts.
- Strain and shift the salt out and then you will get super lovely peanuts. For this method, we have to remove the skin because salt is attached.
You can use store-bought crispy peanuts to speed up the process for sure. Or you can also use a shallow frying method. But this version is much better.
How much starch to add to the sauce
About the sauce, the amount of cornstarch used in the mixed stir fry sauce (碗芡) can be slightly different based on the very single dish. For example, in this kung pao chicken, only a small amount is enough since the chicken cubes are coated with starch in the marinating process. In other veggie kung pao dishes like kung pao cauliflower, more cornstarch is needed to make the sauce thicker and consequently can attach to the main ingredients.
How to serve
Kung Pao Chicken is a classic Sichuan dish that pairs perfectly with steamed white rice or noodles. It can also be served with other dishes to make a complete meal. A stir-fried vegetable dish, such as kung pao broccoli, is a great way to add a bit of color and texture to kung pao chicken. You can also serve it with some light and healthy Chinese soups including egg drop soup, bok choy soup, or winter melon soup.
Is kung pao chicken healthy?
Well since it requires raw and natural ingredients, I believe it is generally a healthy dish. But it contains lots of soy sauce and sugar, so try to moderate the amount of both when cooking kung pao chicken. Also, you can consider adding some other vegetables to make a more balanced dish.
Kung pao VS General Tso
Kung Pao and General Tso may sound similar, but they are far from it in terms of the flavor profile. Kung Pao is a Sichuan Chinese dish that packs a punch with its bold flavors. It is made with chili peppers, garlic, vinegar, and Chinese large scallions among other seasonings for an overall sour and spicy dish. General Tso is a sweeter Hunan Chinese dish made with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and syrups for a sweet umami-packed savory sensation.
Instructions
If you use chicken thigh: remove the bones by cutting a break on the top and then push the meat off with the help of a sharp knife. Cut the meat into long strips and further into one-bite cubes.
Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and marinate with salt, white pepper, cooking wine, and cornstarch. This helps to add a basic taste and create a protecting shell for the chicken so we can produce the tenderest chicken.
Then cut the scallion into 1cm sections, and chop ginger and garlic.
Heat up oil in a wok until hot, pour in cold oil, and then heat until warm. Place the chicken cubes in and let them stay for 3-5 seconds until the starch begins gelatinization. Gently fry until all of the chicken cubes begin to change color.
Transfer the chicken cubes out. Add another 1 tablespoon of oil and fry Sichuan peppercorn and dried chili pepper, until aromatic. Place in garlic, ginger, and half of the scallion sections. Mix for 10 seconds until aromatic.
Return the chicken and mix well. Stir the sauce first and pour it in.
Fry until the sauce is well-coated. Mix with the remaining large scallion sections and fried peanuts. Transfer out immediately.
Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken thigh , remove skin and cut into small cubes (around 250g)
- ½ cup fried peanuts , you may use roasted peanuts or salt baked ones
- 2 large scallion or 4 scallions , only white part, cut into small section.
- 6 ~8 dried chili peppers , change the amount according how hot you wish it to be
- 3 tbsp. cooking oil
- 1 tsp. whole Sichuan peppercorn , or you can use Sichuan peppercorn powder
- 1 thumb ginger , chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , chopped
marinating
- a small pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. cooking wine
- dash of white pepper
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 2 tsp. vegetable cooking oil
Mixed Sauce
- ½ tbsp. dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1/8 tsp. a small pinch of salt
- 2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1.5 tbsp. vinegar
- 2 tbsp. water
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- dash of white pepper
Instructions
Crispy peanuts
- Firstly, add around 600g salt to the wok, and fry until hot. Place around 2 cups of peanuts in. Keep stir-frying the peanuts so make sure they are evenly heated. Continue heating for 6-8 minutes until you can hear Pa pa sound from the peanuts.
- Strain and shift the salt out and then you will get super lovely peanuts. For this method, we have to remove the skin because salt is attached.
Marinating the chicken
- If you use chicken thigh: remove the bones by cutting a break on the top and then push the meat off with the help of a sharp knife. Cut the meat into long strips and further into one-bite cubes.
- Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and marinate with salt, white pepper, cooking wine, and cornstarch. Mix well and then add 2 teaspoons of oil to coat the cubes. This helps to add a basic taste and create a protecting shell for the chicken so we can produce the tenderest chicken.
Prepare the bowl sauce
- Mix all the bowl sauce, and set aside.
Stir fry
- Heat up oil in wok until hot, pour in cold oil and then heat until warm. Place the chicken cubes in and let them stay for 3-5 seconds until the starch begins gelatinization. Gently fry until all of the chicken cubes begin to change color.
- Transfer the chicken out. Add Sichuan peppercorn and dried chili pepper, and fry until aromatic. Place in garlic, ginger, and half of the scallion sections. Fry for another 10 seconds.
- Return the chicken and mix well. Stir the sauce first and pour it in.
- Fry until the sauce is well-coated. Mix with the remaining large scallion sections and fried peanuts, mix 3 seconds. Transfer out immediately.
Is 1tsp salt for the sauce too much? Can u substitute it with chicken stock instead of water?
Lilian,
Yes, 1 teaspoon of salt is too much for this. I just add a very small pinch and that’s a wrong detail and have already updated this. Yes, you can use chicken stock instead of water.
Great recipe. If you want it to taste like the Gong Bao Jie Ding served in northern China, add 1 or 2 tablespoons of honey, corn syrup or maple syrup to the dish before serving.
Wow…… finally i will stop calling my favorite chinese restaurant. I definitely will cook it. Thank you…..if i want to add meat and shrimp, when i i mix it?
Thank you Noemi. Sure, you can try to mix shrimp and chicken together.
Hello, it says 3 table spoon of cooking oil and 4 tablespoons of cooking oil. Which is the chilli oil? And do I first use 4 tablespoons heat up and then add the 3 tablespoons? Sorry if this is a stupid question.
Greetings out of the Netherlands.
Sorry Mark. I made a serious mistake.
Actually, you need to heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil firstly for frying the chicken and only 1 tablespoon of chili oil to lighten the color.
Thanks a lot! With the update on your recipe I have just made it! I had a lot of soy sauce because of the marinate, do you actually throw the marinade in the wok or just try to put the chicken in without it?
Anyway this was my first recipe in my wok. Before using this wok I used a western wok with a nonstick coating. I love this new pan so much more it’s only 1mm thick so it fires up really fast! I think this recipe really is a keeper! I disliked the dried chili’s though it has a weird texture so next time I’ll just fish them out. Or I’ll try adding in one or two fresh ones?
Thanks a lot for the help and I’ll be sure to keep watching your blog.
I just ran across your website a few days ago and you have done a great job on it. This was an excellent version of Kung Pao chicken. So much better than the mild sweetened up versions found typically in the states. I added a few more dried chilies and sichuan peppercorns and it was just about perfect. I’m looking forward to cooking your tofu with black bean sauce tonight.
Thanks, Robert.
Thank you Robert. Most of my recipes are authentic Chinese version. In general, the real Chinese version is less sweet than American version. I even found Sichuan dishes in Shanghai are quite sweet and less spicy too. Dishes are always customized locally.
Happy Cooking and I hope you love the tofu with black bean sauce version too.
One small but powerful word of advice: teaspoon, not tablespoon when adding Szechuan pepper ? my mouth is still numb! Very very tasty, though. I’ll make this again; only properly…
? I am so sorry for your numbed mouth, Matt! I searching about the Sichuan pepper, but only find teaspoon, no tablespoon. Can you specify which line lead you to this mistake.
Thank you so much for the recipe. What type of vinegar should be used?
Chinese black vinegar.
Yum. We sometimes add douboujang and maybe sesame oil to sauce as well. We also added celery, some fresh chili peppers in addition to dried, and dried black mushrooms. A flavor and texture explosion. Delicious
Can’t wait to have a go at feeding guests with homemade Chinese Cuisine
Happy cooking, Roland.
You say: “Then cut the leek onion into 1cm sections, slice ginger and garlic.”
Is this the ginger and garlic from the mixed sauce? The ingredients list says “grated ginger” and “finely chopped garlic” but here you say to slice them. There is no ginger or garlic listed for the main ingredients. I am so confused.
The ginger here is cooked before adding the chicken for aroma. Different from the grated in the sauce.