Kung Pau's Chicken
Submitted by bushchris4
Kung Pao chicken stir-fry with charred dried chiles, roasted peanuts, bell peppers, and a soy-vinegar-sesame glaze. Wok-cooked with ginger and garlic in under 10 minutes.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
30 minREADY
40 minThe charred dried chiles are what set real Kung Pao apart from the saucy, goopy takeout version. Cooking them in hot oil until blackened releases a smoky heat that flavors the entire dish. Turn on your ventilation before this step because the chile fumes are intense.
The chicken gets a quick marinade in rice wine, cornstarch, and sesame oil. That cornstarch coating is doing two things: it creates a silky texture on the outside of each piece and helps the sauce glaze cling rather than slide off.
Everything moves fast once the wok is hot. Ginger and garlic go in for 30 seconds, bell peppers for another 30, then the marinated chicken for about 2 minutes total until the cubes are opaque and firm. The soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil mixture goes in last, thickening into a glossy glaze in seconds.
Roasted peanuts get folded in off the heat so they stay crunchy. Adding them too early turns them soft and chewy.
Pro Tips
- Roast the peanuts yourself at 325°F (160°C) for about 10 minutes. Pre-roasted store-bought peanuts work but won’t be as fresh or crunchy.
- Cut the chicken into uniform 1-inch cubes so they cook evenly in the wok. Uneven sizes mean some pieces are overdone while others are raw.
- Have every ingredient prepped and measured before you heat the wok. Once cooking starts, there’s no time to stop and chop.
- Don’t overcrowd the wok. If your wok is small, cook the chicken in two batches to maintain high heat.
Variations
- Cashew chicken: Swap peanuts for roasted cashews and skip the dried chiles for a milder, nuttier dish.
- Shrimp version: Replace the chicken with large peeled shrimp. They cook even faster, about 1 minute in the hot wok.
Ingredients
Directions
ROAST THE PEANUTS IN A 325F oven until golden brown (about 10 minutes).
Re- move and set aside.
To make marinade, mix together rice wine, cornstarch and 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil.
In a bowl, toss the chicken with the marinade; set aside until ready to cook.
In a small bowl, mix well soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and other teaspoon of sesame oil.
Over medium heat, preheat wok until hot.
Add oil, salt and dried red chiles; cook until chiles are charred (about 15 seconds).
Add ginger and garlic; stir-fry until fragrant and lightly browned (about 30 seconds).
Increase to high heat, add bell peppers and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
Add the chicken into the wok and stir-fry a minute or until the cubes feel firm to the touch and are opaque white in color.
It should take no more than a total of 2 minutes.
Now stir in sauce mixture; toss and stir until it thickens into a glaze (about 30 seconds).
Remove wok from heat. Add reserved roasted peanuts, fold together. Serve hot. Selden, here is my version of General Tso Chicken, which is also known as Kung Pao Chicken. When charring the chile peppers, be sure the ventilation is on and avoid breathing the strong chile fumes. The charring creates a desirable smoky flavor. Serves 4 to 6 with other dishes
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