Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao chicken is a favorite Chinese dish that is simple to make at home. This recipe calls for just a few ingredients, and it can be ready in under 30 minutes. It's a delicious dinner that's quick to make and everyone loves it.

Course dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword chicken, chinese, Kung Pao

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 381kcal

Ingredients

CHICKEN:

2 chicken breasts - diced
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 egg white
1 teaspoon salt

SAUCE:

3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cooking wine
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
½ cup water

STIR FRY:

2 tablespoons oil + more for frying chicken
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
4-5 dried red chilies cut into ½ inch pieces
1 green bell pepper cut into cubes
1 red bell pepper cut into cubes
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons water
2 green onions cut into ½ inch pieces
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup roasted unsalted peanuts

Instructions

Combine the diced chicken, corn starch, egg white, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and salt in a large bowl. Toss and then let the chicken marinate for about 5 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
Combine the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, black pepper powder, cooking wine, and water in another small bowl. Whisk to combine.
In a large skillet, heat the cooking oil over medium heat and then add the chicken. Stir occasionally and cook until crisp and golden on the outside and evenly cooked on the inside (3-4 min). Once done transfer the chicken onto a plate.
In the same skillet, Next heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add chopped ginger and garlic and fry until garlic becomes fragrant.
Add the dried red chilies and cubed red and green bell peppers. Stir and cook for a few seconds.
Stir the prepared sauce, then pour it into the pan and bring it to a boil.
In a small bowl mix together the corn starch and water and then add it to the sauce.
Add the green onions, ground black pepper, and cooked chicken to the pan and mix all the ingredients in the sauce until the chicken is evenly coated and the sauce thickens.
Stir in the peanuts, toss well, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Serve hot with rice.

Notes

You can store the chicken in an air-tight container up to 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 2 months in the freezer. Microwave to reheat or add the leftovers back to a pan and flash fry to reheat.

Marinating the chicken in the corn starch, vinegar, egg white, and soy sauce not only makes chicken extremely flavorful but also provides a protective coating that holds the moisture inside the chicken. This makes it tender from the inside and crispy from the outside.

You can add or omit vegetables in stir fry according to your liking.

Ensure that the sauce thickens and coats each and every piece of chicken properly before serving.

You can use any oil of your choice in the recipe. However, I recommend using peanut oil or sesame oil for the best flavor.

Make sure you cut the chicken into roughly similar size pieces so they cook evenly. Overcooking will make them chewy and rubbery instead of juicy and tender.

Nutrition