Kung Pao Chicken

5 from 16 votes

This Kung Pao Chicken is so much better than takeout and comes together in about 15 minutes! Serve it with some freshly steamed rice and enjoy.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings:

Author: Chris Joe

Equipment

Ingredients

Chicken

1 lb chicken thigh cut into 1" pieces
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp neutral oil

Sauce

1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1/4 tsp msg optional
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock high quality
1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Vegetables & Oil

3 tbsp neutral oil I used avocado oil
6 scallion whites cut into 1/2" pieces
4 dried red chilis cut into 1/2" pieces
1 tsp szechuan peppercorn ground
5 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup unsalted peanuts

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Marinate chicken in with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, white pepper, kosher salt, shaoxing wine, neutral oil and cornstarch for 20 minutes.
Mix sauce in a bowl by combining light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, msg, high quality chicken stock and cornstarch.
In a wok or pan, fry peanuts in 1 tbsp oil over medium heat for 2 minutes, remove and cool.
Over high heat, add 3 tbsp neutral oil to a pan and add chicken. Cook until cooked through and set aside (about 4-5 minutes).
In the remaining oil over medium high heat, fry red chilis and szechuan peppercorn powder for 15 seconds, then add garlic for another 15 seconds. Add back chicken and sauce. Cook for another minute until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly.
Add peanuts and scallion whites and cook for another 30 seconds to combine. Serve with rice and enjoy!

Notes

Kung Pao Chicken is one of those dishes that comes together FAST once you start cooking. For this reason, it's crucial that you prepare your ingredients (chicken and vegetables cut and portions, sauce mixed, etc) BEFORE you begin cooking. I like to have all of my ingredients in individual bowls, near my cook station so I can easily grab when needed.

This dish has a numbing spice that are caused by the chilis and peppercorns. If you are sensitive to spice, you may want to adjust:

dried red chilis - these are not super spicy; however, if you want to reduce the heat, you can either use less chilis or remove the seeds from inside. The seeds are oftentimes coated in an oil that makes them spicy (the seeds themselves are not spicy).

Szechuan peppercorns - you will be grinding these for the recipe (I always prefer grinding them myself for freshness, but you can use pre-ground Szechuan peppercorn as well; if you are sensitive to the mouth numbing feel of Szechuan peppercorns, you can always reduce the amount used in Kung Pao Chicken! The other flavors of the dish will still taste great.

Cooking with a Wok - If it is your first time cooking with a wok, make sure to read my "How To Season a Wok" post. There is a video included that shows exactly how to season your brand new wok and how to maintain it so it lasts for years. If you cannot or do not want to use a wok to make Kung Pao Chicken, you can use a large pan, cast iron, or even a dutch oven.

Storage - You can store Kung Pao Chicken in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Because the chicken is not coated in a batter you won't have to worry about trying to restore the crispy texture of the dish - I recommend reheating this in the microwave or in a hot pan/wok for a couple minutes (add a little bit of water if you want to loosen up the chicken pieces that stuck together in the refrigerator).

Nutrition