This spicy and flavorful dish features tender chunks of chicken thighs sauteed with toasted peanuts, vegetables, and a mouth-watering sauce. While it may seem intimidating to recreate this dish at home, it is actually very simple to prepare, and can be cooked in a Western kitchen with relative ease. Below is a recipe for Kung Pao Chicken that you can create and enjoy in the comfort of your own home, without a ton of time required for prep and cooking.
Kung Pao Chicken
This spicy and flavorful dish features tender chunks of chicken thighs sauteed with toasted peanuts, vegetables, and a mouth-watering sauce. While it may seem intimidating to recreate this dish at home, it is actually very simple to prepare, and can be cooked in a Western kitchen with relative ease. Below is a recipe for Kung Pao Chicken that you can create and enjoy in the comfort of your own home, without a ton of time required for prep and cooking.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 3 Tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- 16 oz boneless, (skinless chicken breast, cut into large bite-sized chunks)
- 1 tsp Kosher salt, (for salting chicken)
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic, (finely minced)
- 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, (peeled and finely minced)
- 2 or 3 Tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ cup peanuts, (lightly toasted)
- ½ red bell pepper, (seeded and sliced)
- ½ green bell pepper, (seeded and sliced)
- ½ cup scallions, (finely sliced)
- ½ cup water chestnuts, (drained and rinsed and sliced)
- Kosher salt & freshly-ground black pepper, (to taste)
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, white granulated sugar, and cornstarch until well combined. Set the sauce aside.
- Salt the chicken pieces with Kosher salt.
- Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan.
- Add the chicken to the very hot pan and saute for 3-4 minutes, or until browned on all sides.
- Add the minced garlic and ginger to the pan and saute for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add the chopped bell peppers, ¾ of the sliced scallions, and the sliced water chestnuts to the pan and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
- *Save a small amount of the sliced scallions for a garnish as the end.
- Add the Sichuan peppercorns and red pepper flakes to the pan and saute for an additional 30 seconds.
- Whisk together the sauce that you made earlier again, just to make sure the corn starch is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
- Pour this sauce over the chicken and vegetables, stirring to coat everything evenly.
- Continue to saute the mixture for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the toasted peanuts.
- Taste, and season with additional Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper if desired.
- Serve the Kung Pao Chicken immediately, garnished with some additional sliced scallions.
Notes
This dish still tastes good when reheated the next day for leftovers.
