Kung Pao Chicken / 宮保雞丁 (Gōng Bǎo Jī Dīng)
This savory take on kung pao chicken is way better than Chinese takeout—especially if you add ground Sichuan peppercorn powder.
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon xiaoxing or cooking wine
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (if using chicken breast)
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 2 tablespoons black vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 inch ginger, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium onion, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 2-5 dried chili peppers (depends on your spice preference)
- 1 tablespoon xiaoxing or cooking wine
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorn powder (optional)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon water
- Marinade
Place the chicken cubes into a bowl with the marinade ingredients, then mix well and allow to sit for 20-30 minutes.
- Sauce
In a separate bowl, combine the dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, white sugar and vinegar.
While the chicken is marinating, dice your bell pepper, onion, garlic, and ginger.
After the chicken has had time to marinate, heat a large frying pan or wok to medium heat with 3 Tbsp. of oil. When the oil is heated, carefully add the chicken pieces and cook until the pieces are white all over with no visible pink.
Remove the chicken from the wok and onto a plate for now. Try to keep as much of the oil in the pan as possible.
Add the dried chili peppers–use less if you’d like to keep the spice level down. If you want to really heat things up, cut the dried chilis in half before adding into the oil. Make sure you've got your fan running because the air will get caustic very quickly. Fry the chili peppers until they start to darken in color.
Once the peppers have darkened, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until aromatic. If you’re not using a non-stick, the pan will get sticky and some of the ingredients will start browning while stuck on the cooking surface. That’s okay!
Add the onions and bell peppers and stir to combine. Add the 1 Tbsp. of cooking wine, then ¼ cup water to fully deglaze the pan. Scrape all of the sticky parts off the pan–they should come off quite easily with the water and wine.
Turn the heat up to medium high and continue to stir for a minute. When the onions start to become translucent, add the chicken cubes you previously set aside and stir to mix.
Add the soy sauce mixture you combined earlier and stir to coat evenly, about one minute.
Add the cornstarch and stir until the sauce thickens considerably.
Toss the peanuts into the wok and stir to coat with sauce.
Turn off the heat and plate immediately. Sprinkle with ground Sichuan peppercorns (optional) and serve.