Servings
Font
Back
0 from 30 votes

Kung Pao Chicken With Peanuts

This Kung Pao chicken is an easy, authentic Chinese dish made with crisp chicken breast, peanuts, and chile peppers in a sauce made from soy sauce, black vinegar, and sesame oil.

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 753 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

For the marinade
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons potato flour or 2 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine or medium-dry sherry
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2/3 pound boneless chicken breasts skin-on or skinless, cut into 1/2-to-3/4-inch (12- to 18-mm) chunks
For the sauce
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon potato flour or 1 1/8 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Chinkiang or Chinese black vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon homemade chicken stock or canned chicken broth or water
For the Kung Pao chicken
  • 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
  • ginger (enough to equal the amount of garlic), thinly sliced
  • 5 scallions white and green parts, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • 1 handful of dried red chiles (at least 10) preferably Sichuanese
  • 1 teaspoon Whole Sichuan peppercorns
  • 2/3 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

Instructions

Make the marinade
    Cup of Yum
  1. In a small bowl, combine the potato flour or cornstarch and salt. Slowly add the soy sauce, rice wine, and water, mixing constantly with a fork. (If using potato flour, the marinade will be more of a paste than a liquid marinade. That's okay.)
  2. Add the chicken and stir to evenly coat the chicken. Let it stand at room temperature while you make the sauce.
Make the sauce
  1. In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients.
Make the Kung Pao chicken
  1. Snip the chiles into 2 or 3 pieces. Wearing rubber gloves, discard as many chile seeds as possible.
  2. Add 2 tablespoons oil to the wok and place it over high heat. When the oil is hot but not yet smoking, add the chiles and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry briefly until crisp and the oil is spicy and fragrant. Whatever you do, be mindful not to burn the chiles and pepper. You can remove the wok from the heat if necessary to prevent overheating.☞ TESTER TIP: Keeping the peppercorns whole and the dried chiles in larger pieces allows the heat-averse eaters at your table to pick around them.
  3. Plop in the chicken pieces and cook, stirring constantly. As soon as the chicken cubes have separated, add the ginger, garlic, and scallions and continue to stir-fry for a few minutes until everything is fragrant and the chicken is cooked through. (You may want to slice into one of the larger pieces of chicken to make sure it's done.)
  4. Stir the sauce and then carefully swirl it into the wok, continuing to stir and toss. As soon as the sauce is warmed through and becomes thick and shiny, add the peanuts, stir to combine, and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Kung Pao Shrimp Or Pork
  • You can substitute prawns (shrimp) or chunks of pork in place of the chicken.
  • Kung Pao Chicken With Cashews
  • Cashews can be used instead of the traditional peanuts for a slightly more grand-seeming version of this dish.
  • Kung Pao Chicken With Whatever’s In Your Fridge
  • We love this Kung Pao chicken recipe without changing a thing. However, if you’re the sort who prefers a little extra vegetable to make you feel a little more virtuous after having cold cereal for dinner last night, or if you happen to have some vegetables languishing in the fridge or canned items in the back of the pantry that you know you won’t use if they linger any longer, then go ahead and toss them in. Red bell peppers, water chestnuts, even asparagus, they all work here. Follow your bliss.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1portion Calories 753kcal (38%) Carbohydrates 25g (8%) Protein 45g (90%) Fat 54g (83%) Saturated Fat 10g (50%) Monounsaturated Fat 25g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 97mg (32%) Sodium 1115mg (46%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 9g (18%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 2servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 753

% Daily Value*

Serving 1portion
Calories 753kcal 38%
Carbohydrates 25g 8%
Protein 45g 90%
Fat 54g 83%
Saturated Fat 10g 50%
Monounsaturated Fat 25g 125%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 97mg 32%
Sodium 1115mg 46%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 9g 18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.