Kung Pao Chicken

A spicy, savory dish made of diced chicken, chilies and peanuts.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword kung pao chicken

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 1160kcal

First cut up the bell pepper, removing the stem and interior seeds. Mince the garlic and ginger. Cut the dried chilies in half and remove the seeds. Dice the chicken.
In a large skillet or wok heat the cooking oil and stir fry the bell pepper, garlic, ginger and dried chili pieces. for 2 minutes on medium / high heat. Remove to a bowl.
In the same skillet add a little more oil and cook the chicken until all pieces go from pink to white and the meat is cooked through. Use a meat thermometer to check the interior temperature reaches 160°F.
While the chicken is cooking make the sauce. First whisk together the water and cornstarch. Then stir in the sichuan peppercorn powder, soy sauces, cooking wine, vinegar and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
Once the chicken is cooked, add the vegetable mixture back into the pan. Drizzle on the sesame oil and cook together for a couple minutes until everything is hot.
Then pour in the sauce as well as the peanuts and stir so everything gets coated. The sauce will begin to thicken up quickly. Turn the heat off and toss in the green onions.
Serve warm on it’s own or with some steamed rice.

I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts in this recipe most often. Other cuts of chicken will also work, but you want something you can easily cut into small cubes or pieces.
Sichuan peppercorn powder is available online if you can’t find it in stores. You can also use whole peppercorns and crush them. I go fairly light with it in this recipe. If you want more spice, use more. If you aren’t sure stick to what I have listed here and you can always add more next time you make this.
Sichuan pepper has a numbing effect which is pretty unique so there isn’t a great substitute if you can’t find this ingredient. I would use red pepper flakes instead to add spice, but it’s not quite the same thing although will still create a tasty dish.
You can substitute Chinese cooking wine for Mirin or a dry cooking sherry if needed.
Balsamic vinegar can be substituted for Chinese black vinegar in this recipe if needed.
You can add more vegetables to this dish beyond the red bell pepper I use. Other additions could include broccoli, cabbage or mushrooms.