Kung pao chicken recipe

A Sichuan stir-fry built on the numbing tingle of toasted huajiao and a sweet-sour black vinegar glaze.

35 minutesmedium12 ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
• 10 dried red chilies
• 500 g chicken thigh
• 80 g peanuts
• 4 scallions
• 3 clove garlic
• 10 g ginger
• 2 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

How to make Kung pao chicken

1. Dice 500 g of boneless chicken thigh into 1.5 cm cubes and marinate 20 minutes with 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 1 tbsp light soy sauce and 2 tsp cornstarch.
2. Mix the sauce in a bowl: 2 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp cornstarch and 2 tbsp water.
3. Start 80 g of raw peanuts in cold oil over low heat and fry 4-5 minutes until pale gold; drain, they finish crisping as they cool.
4. Halve and deseed 10 dried red chilies. Cut 4 scallions into 1 cm sections, mince 3 garlic cloves and 10 g of ginger.
5. Heat 3 tbsp neutral oil over low heat and drop in the chilies with 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns for 20-30 seconds, just until the oil smells fragrant; burnt peppercorns turn the dish bitter.
6. Raise the heat to high, add the chicken, let it sear undisturbed 1 minute, then stir-fry 2-3 minutes until no pink remains.
7. Add the garlic, ginger and scallions and toss 30 seconds.
8. Stir the sauce, pour it in and toss 30 seconds until it thickens into a glaze, then fold in the peanuts off the heat so they stay crisp. Serve at once.

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