My husband grew up in the USA, and his favourite Chinese dish – one he almost always has to order whenever we have Chinese takeaway – is Kung Pao Chicken. I’m adding a few extra vegetables to the authentic Chinese recipe, but this brings together an enhanced, well-balanced family meal. Served with steamed rice, on the table in under an hour, including marinating, this is a great homemade alternative to a takeaway favourite.
Chinese New Year celebration dish
Kung Pao Chicken is often a dish served as part of a family banquet or celebration. So it’s fitting to be sharing this recipe during the week of the Chinese New Year. Originating from the Sichuan Province, it uses Sichuan peppercorns to help create the spicy sauce with which the dish is synonymous. Added to the spice of the pepper and dried chillies is the savoury balance of soy, as well as the sweetness from the sugar and the Shaoxing wine. It’s an umami mix of flavours. And let’s not forget the crunchy texture from the roasted peanuts added at the end.
Homemade takeaways
Takeaways can be expensive, especially when you’re cooking for a family. And whilst it’s nice as a treat sometimes, with just a few kitchen cupboard staples, some vegetables and a protein, it’s not that hard to whip up a tasty dinner. Invest in a bottle of rice wine vinegar, some five-spice powder, Sichuan peppercorns, a good soy sauce, and sesame oil, and along with your fresh ingredients, you’re ready to get the wok out and create your own Chinese banquet.
That’s a lot of ingredients!
Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients. There is a lot of duplication as I’ve broken it out into the different stages: marinade, sauce, stir-fry. Put the marinade and the chicken together in the fridge, and you have time to ready all your other ingredients and be prepared to stir-fry with time to spare.
Other stir-fry recipes
Another dish you might want to try is my Sticky Beef Mince Stir Fry.
Traditionally, Kung Pao Chicken is made with chicken breast. However, I like to use chicken thighs as I find they have more flavour, stay juicier, and they are cheaper. But there is no reason why you can’t use chicken breast instead, or a mix of the two.
You could use dry sherry as an alternative to Shaoxing wine.
You can definitely make this gluten-free by using Tamari. If you do this, add a little extra sugar to balance the sweetness. And you should expect a lighter-looking finished dish.
Chinese New Year Kung Pao Chicken
Equipment
- Large wok or frying pan
- Spice grinder or pestle and mortar
Ingredients
Marinade
- 450 g chicken thighs (skinless and boneless) diced into 2cm/1/2" pieces
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or sherry
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt
Sauce
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine or sherry
- 3 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 dried red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
- 80 ml water
Cornflour thickener
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp water
Stir fry
- 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 tbsp light oil
- 80 g peanuts raw or unsalted and roasted
- 1 onion finely diced
- 3 cloves of garlic crushed
- 1/2 broccoli small cubes of the stem and small florets
- 2 celery stalks sliced
- 1 carrot (large) finely sliced
- 1 red pepper cubes approximately 3cm/1"
- 1 dried chilli deseeded and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 4 spring onions finely sliced to serve
Instructions
- Mix together all the marinade ingredients and place in either a reusable plastic bag or a non-metallic bowl with a cover. Mix until the chicken is well coated and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Take the tablespoon of Sichuan peppercorns and add to a dry, non-stick frying pan and toast over a high heat until fragrant – around 3 minutes. Grind in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar, then set aside.
- Next, mix up all your sauce ingredients in a small jug and put to one side.
- In a small dish, mix the cornflour and 2 tablespoons of water until you have a paste with no lumps.
- When you are ready to make your stir fry, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the wok and add the peanuts. Fry for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly. Lift out of the oil gently and set aside to cool on kitchen paper. Or skip this step if you're using already roasted peanuts.
- With the remaining oil in the wok, add in your marinated chicken pieces and cook. Flip the pieces every 20 seconds or so to colour evenly and cook through. After 5-6 minutes, the chicken should be cooked through, and you can remove it to a plate.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok and stir-fry the diced onion over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, moving constantly. Next, add your crushed garlic and stir for an additional minute. Finally, add in all the remaining vegetables and dried chilli. To help soften the vegetables, you can add a couple of tablespoons of water. Stir the mixture regularly for 3-4 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
- Put the chicken back into the wok, along with any cooking juices, and pour the sauce into the wok. Once this is mixed in and bubbling, slowly add in your cornflour mix. Stir this well. Cook for 2-3 minutes until everything is bubbling well and coated in the glossy sauce.
- Just before serving, add in a teaspoon of the ground Sichuan peppercorns, a tablespoon of sesame oil, and the peanuts. Serve with freshly steamed rice and sprinkle with the finely sliced spring onions.
Notes
- You can replace the dark soy sauce with Tamari, to be gluten-free, but if you do so, I would double the sugar and expect the sauce to be lighter in colour.
- If you prefer to use chicken breast, rather than thighs, that’s not a problem. Or even a mix of the two.
- If you don’t have Shaoxing wine, then sherry is a good substitution.
