Kung Pao Chicken

The chicken is tender, the peanuts are roasted and perfectly crunchy, and the dish has a balanced sweet, savory, and tangy flavor. No complicated Chinese seasonings or hard-to-find ingredients — just simple pantry staples that make this recipe easy for anyone to follow at home.

https://cookandlivewell.com/en/recipes/kung-pao-chicken/

Ingredients

• 2 organic chicken breast (about 450-500g)
• 120 g peanuts (rosted)
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 3 tsp cornstarch
• 3 tbsp cooking wine
• 1/2 tsp White Pepper powder
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp suger
• 1 - 2 tsbp rice vinegar
• 2-5 whole dried red chili pepper (optional)
• 3-4 slices Garlic
• 4 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
• 1 stalk green onion (chopped)
• 3 tbsp water

Instructions

1. Put 120g of peanuts into the oven at 350°F (175°C) and roast for 10 minutes. Once they turn slightly golden, remove them from the oven and peel off the skins.
2. While roasting the peanuts, dice 2 chicken breasts, then marinate and coat them: add 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp potato starch (cornstarch), 1/4 tsp white pepper powder, and 1 tbsp cooking wine to the diced chicken. Massage the chicken until the starch completely coats it. Then, add 1 tsp oil and mix gently a couple of times so the oil coats the surface of the chicken. Set aside.
3. Cut the dried red chilies into sections and remove the seeds. Finely chop the scallions (green onions), slice the ginger into diamond shapes, and thinly slice the garlic. Place them on a plate and set aside.
4. Prepare the Kung Pao sauce: Take a bowl and mix 2 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp white pepper powder, 2 tsp potato starch (cornstarch), 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 2 tbsp cooking wine, 1–2 tbsp black vinegar or rice vinegar, 1 tsp dark soy sauce for color (optional, omitting it won't affect the flavor), 1/4 tsp sesame oil (optional), and 3 tbsp water. Add half of the sliced garlic and half of the chopped scallions. Stir with chopsticks or a fork until the sugar is dissolved.
5. Heat a wok or add 2 tbsp of cooking oil to a preheated wok, add the scallions, ginger, garlic, and dried chili sections, and stir-fry until fragrant.
6. Add the diced chicken and spread it out. Do not stir-fry immediately; wait until it changes color before flipping it to the other side. Once the other side changes color, stir-fry a few times.
7. Stir the sauce thoroughly to mix well, then pour it over the chicken when it is about 90% cooked. Stir-fry a few times so the sauce evenly coats the chicken pieces.
8. Finally, toss in the roasted peanuts, mix everything well, and transfer to a serving plate.

Step-by-Step Photos

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Video

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