HaoChi 好吃Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁)
宫保鸡丁
Kung Pao Chicken: juicy marinated chicken, crunchy peanuts and tingly Sichuan peppercorns tossed in a glossy sweet-soy sauce. A 35-minute weeknight win.
Total time: 35 min Yield: 3 servings Cuisine: Sichuan Category: Chinese home cooking Healthy & LightQuick & EasySpicyChinese ChickenChinese Takeout National Day Family Feast
Ingredients
- boneless chicken thigh (or breast), diced 2 cm
- cornstarch
- light soy sauce (for marinade)
- Shaoxing wine
- dried chilies, halved
- Sichuan peppercorn
- scallions, cut into 2 cm sections
- garlic, sliced
- ginger, sliced
- roasted peanuts (or cashews)
- Chinkiang vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- sugar
- light soy sauce (for sauce)
- cornstarch slurry (1 tsp starch + 1 tbsp water)
- neutral oil
Instructions
- Marinate chicken: mix with soy, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch. Rest 10 minutes (velveting — keeps it silky).
- Mix the sauce in a small bowl: vinegar, sugar, soy, and cornstarch slurry. Set aside. (Sugar and starch fully dissolved, no lumps)
- Heat oil in a wok over medium. Add Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies; fry 30 seconds until fragrant but NOT burned.
- Turn heat to high. Add chicken in a single layer and sear 1 minute without stirring, then stir-fry until mostly cooked.
- Add garlic, ginger, and scallion sections. Stir-fry 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the sauce. Stir rapidly 20-30 seconds until it thickens and coats everything.
- Off heat: fold in the peanuts. Serve immediately.
