Kung Pao Chicken is a very popular Sichuan Chinese-style stir fry dish. The perfect combination of juicy tender chicken, chillies, peppercorns, crispy peanuts, and flavorful savory sauce.
This is our family recipe and the whole family loves it! All ingredients, Kung Pao sauce and the cooking method is so simple that anyone can cook at home.
I love to serve it over a bed of steam rice and it tastes best when freshly cook. Who can resist the ultimate combination of chicken, colourful vegetables, savoury sauce and aromatic spices. This dish is very tasty and addictive and I haven’t seen anyone who doesn’t like kung pao chicken.
Why do you make at home while you can order takeout? When you make at home, you can adjust the amount of spices, sauces, chilli and vegetables you want. It’s a lot faster than ordering from takeout. Learn how to make at home with our easy to follow steps. You will find it much easier and tastier than you have imagined.
Ingredients you will need
Chicken
Chicken breast is commonly used in most restaurants and takeaway recipes. But you can use any of your favorite proteins like chicken thigh, prawns/shrimp, seafood, or any tender meat cut for this recipe. Simply season the meat with soy sauce, vinegar, baking soda, and corn starch.
Vegetables
Onions and bell pepper dices are ideal for this recipe. But you can swap with any of your favourite stir fry vegetables. Snow peas, baby corn, spring onions, taste great too!
Peanut
Use roasted un-salted peanuts for this recipe. Or you can fry the raw peanuts with vegetable oil until crispy. If you are not a peanut fan, you can swap it with cashew nuts.
Spice and Sauces
To balance the perfect sweet, savoury taste, you will need light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Sauces used in this recipe are very similar to most Chinese-style stir fry sauces, the main difference is the spices. Sichuan peppercorns, Chinese five spices and dry red chilies are added to bring the dish a distinct Sichuan-style hot and spicy flavour.
As Sichuan peppercorns have a numbing sensation, you can adjust the amount according to your taste.
How To Make Perfect Kung Pao Chicken
Cut chicken into small cubes. Mix the chicken pieces with soy sauce, vinegar, baking soda and corn starch. Set aside and marinate for 10-15 mins.
Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
Heat the pan into medium high heat. Drizzle 1/2 Tbsp oil, add the marinated chicken pieces and stir fry for 1-2 mins till the chicken change into nice color. Remove from pan and set aside.
Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon oil and add the chopped garlic and stir fry for few seconds, then add the ginger and follow by the the dry chillies and stir for few seconds.
Add crushed sichuan peppercorns and chinese five spices and stir for few seconds.
Pour the kung pao sauce mix and chicken stock and stir well for few seconds.
Then add the pepper slices and stir well for few seconds and follow by the chicken pieces and continue stir fry for 1-2 min with medium high heat.
Add the spring onions and roasted peanuts, mix well to combine all ingredients and sauce together.
Delicious Kung Pao Chicken is ready! Serve immediately! Perfect with steamed rice or stir fry noodle.
Here is more of our family’s favourite Chinese stir fry recipes you might like :
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 400 g Boneless Chicken thigh/breast
- 1 cup Bell Pepper ( cut small pieces )
- 2-3 Spring Onion ( cut thin slices )
- 3 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
- 1 tbsp Garlic (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp Ginger (finely chopped)
- 2-3 tbsp Dried Chillies (cut small pieces)
- 1 tsp Sichuan Peppercorns ( finely crushed /ground )
- ½ tsp Chinese Five Spices
- ½ cup Chicken Stock
- 2-3 tbsp Oil
Marinate for Chicken
- 1 tsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Rice Vinegar
- 1 tsp Baking Powder/Soda
- 1 tsp Corn/Potato Starch(Flour)
Stir Fry Sauce
- 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 1½ tbsp Brown sugar
- 2 tsp Corn/Potato Flour(Starch)
Instructions
- Cut chicken into small cubes. Mix the chicken pieces with soy sauce, vinegar, baking soda and corn starch. Set aside and marinate for 10-15 mins.
- Prepare the stir fry sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the pan into medium high heat. Drizzle 1/2 Tbsp oil, add the marinated chicken pieces and stir fry for 1-2 mins till the chicken change into nice color. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Drizzle 1/2 tablespoon oil and add the chopped garlic and stir fry for few seconds, then add the ginger and follow by the the dry chillies and stir for few seconds.
- Add crushed sichuan peppercorns and chinese five spices and stir for few seconds.
- Pour the kung pao sauce mix and chicken stock and stir well for few seconds.
- Then add the pepper slices and stir well for few seconds and follow by the chicken pieces and continue stir fry for 1-2 min with medium high heat.
- Add the spring onions and roasted peanuts, mix well to combine all ingredients and sauce together.
- Delicious Kung Pao Chicken is ready! Serve immediately!
- Perfect with hot streamed rice or simple stir fry noodle.
Notes
- Sichuan(Szechuan) Peppercorn is the key spice in this cuisine, it has fragrant and buzzy numbing sensation.
- You can find in Chinese/Asian Groceries or Supermarket Asian spice counters.
- Suggest to use finely crushed or ground peppercorn to get more fragrant.
- Nearest substitute for Sichuan peppercorn is black pepper.
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