Kung Pao Chicken | A Basic Chinese Dish X The Woks of Life

We’re going to make a spicy, sweet, tangy Sichuanese version with a recipe from the latest cookbook by The Woks Of Life, a popular food blog based in the U.S. Follow along!

Kung Pao Chicken is one of the most well-known Chinese dishes. You can find it in almost all Chinese take-out restaurants around the world. People love how in one bite, you get a mix of textures — soft, tender chicken, and crunchy peanuts. 

In America, it’s often sweet and gravy-heavy — the versions in China are nothing like that. But that there are so many types of Kung Pao Chicken is a testament to just how ubiquitous the dish is.
 

If you’d like to follow along, we have the recipe here:

Recipe (serving 4 people)

For the chicken:

• Boneless skinless chicken breast x 340g (0.75lb)
• Shaoxing wine x 1 teaspoon
• Water x 1 tablespoon
• Fine sea salt x ⅛ teaspoon
• Cornstarch x 1 teaspoon
• White pepper powder x ⅛ teaspoon
• Neutral oil x 1 teaspoon (We use canola oil)

 

For roasting the peanuts:

• Neutral oil x 1 teaspoon
• Raw shelled peanuts x 1 cup

 

For the sauce:

• Rice vinegar x 1 tablespoon
• Sugar x 1 teaspoon
• Light soy sauce x 1 tablespoon
• Dark soy sauce x ½ teaspoon
• Cornstarch x 1 teaspoon

 

For the rest of the dish:

• Neutral oil x 3 tablespoons 
• Medium garlic cloves x 3
• Dried red chilies x  4
• Scallions x 7
• Fresh ginger slices x 2
• Sichuan peppercorns x ½ teaspoon 

 

Prepare the ingredients:

1. Cut chicken breasts into ½-inch cubes.
2. Dice only the white ends of the scallions. We won’t use the green ends.
3. Grind or cut the Sichuan peppercorns until they’re fine.  
4. Remove the seeds from the chilies. Slice them into small pieces. 
5. Smash the garlic cloves. Slice them into small pieces.
6. Mince or grate the fresh ginger slices. We need two teaspoons of ginger paste. 
7. Marinate the chicken with water, cornstarch, oil, Shaoxing wine, salt, and white pepper for 20 minutes. 
8. Roast the peanuts over medium heat for two minutes. Stir them constantly so they don’t burn. Turn off the heat and let them roast for another minute using the residual heat from the wok. Let the peanuts cool.

 

Assemble the dish:

1. Make the sauce by mixing rice vinegar, light soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and dark soy sauce. Put it aside. 
2. Heat your wok over high heat. Add two tablespoons of oil to coat the surface of the wok.
3. Add the chicken and spread it out. Let the chicken sear on its own for 30 seconds. Put it aside after stir-frying for one minute.
4. Reduce the heat to low and add the rest of the oil to the wok. Add the garlic, chilies, scallions, ginger, and ground Sichuan peppercorns. Stir-fry for one to two minutes. 
5. Toss the chicken back in and increase the heat to high. Stir-fry for one minute.
6. Stir the sauce again. Add it to the wok and stir-fry for one minute. The sauce will thicken and coat the chicken as you cook.
7. Stir in the peanuts and serve.

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