Kung Pao Chicken
A classic Sichuan dish, this recipe features tender stir-fried diced chicken leg, paired with peanuts, dried chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns, all tossed in a sweet-and-sour starch glaze.
Ingredients
boneless chicken thigh (washed, patted dry, cut into cubes)
raw peanuts (peeled, fried until cooked)
scallion (take the white part, washed, cut into 1 cm segments)
oil
dried chili peppers (ends trimmed, seeds removed)
Sichuan peppercorns
light soy sauce
vinegar
a small amount
white sugar
a small amount
cooking wine
a small amount
starch (water starch slurry)
salt
a small amount
garlic (minced into paste)
ginger (minced)
Instructions
1
Marinate the chicken
Wash the chicken thighs, pat dry, cut into cubes, then marinate for 20 minutes with evenly mixed water starch slurry and light soy sauce.
2
Prepare ingredients
Take the white part of scallions, wash and cut into 1 cm segments; mince ginger; mince garlic into paste; trim the ends of dried chili peppers and remove the seeds.
3
Make the thickening sauce
Mix water starch slurry and light soy sauce in a 1:1 ratio, add a small amount of salt, white sugar, vinegar and cooking wine.
4
Prepare peanuts
Soak raw peanuts in warm water for 20 minutes, wait until their red skins soften, then peel by hand and pat dry.
5
Fry peanuts
Heat oil in a wok over medium heat until it reaches a low temperature, add the raw peanuts, turn to low heat and fry slowly until they turn slightly golden. Remove and drain excess oil, set aside.
6
Stir-fry chicken cubes
Continue heating the oil in the wok over medium heat until it reaches a medium temperature, add the marinated chicken cubes, stir-fry quickly to separate them, fry for about half a minute until the chicken is cooked through, then remove and drain excess oil.
7
Aromatize auxiliary ingredients
Leave a small amount of base oil in the wok, heat it, add Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili peppers, stir-fry over low heat until fragrant, then add scallion segments, minced ginger, garlic paste and chicken cubes, stir-fry for a short while.
8
Thicken sauce and serve
Finally add the prepared thickening sauce, when the sauce gradually thickens, add the fried peanuts, stir-fry a few times and serve.
