Kung Pao Chicken or Gong Bao Chicken is a delicious Chinese style chicken stir fry with peppers and peanuts. It is the most popular Chinese takeaway fare. Kung Pao is one of the best things that can happen on a Friday night. Or for say, on any night when you are planning a dinner date.
Making Of Kung Pao Chicken….
Making and serving your loved ones homemade Chicken Kung Pao gives you a kind of satisfaction and proud feeling. Along with a bowl of fried rice, it tastes simply divine. I am so fond of this dish that finally I learned the trick of making a good Kung Pao at home.
After testing a lot of recipes, my conclusion is you cannot think of healthy and Kung Pao at the same time. It is the kind of dish which requires a bit of frying and involves cornstarch. Without these two, I doubt there can be any good Kung Pao.Â
Tips For Cooking A Perfect Kung Pao Chicken:
Start with tasting the sauce mixture and adjusting it accordingly. If you like it fierce add more chili sauce or if you prefer it little sweeter be generous with the brown sugar.
Stick to even, bite-size pieces of meat for making the Kung Pao. This helps in the even cooking and frying of the chicken pieces. The large pieces of chicken usually take a longer time to get cooked.
Many of my friends ask if the cornflour can be skipped in this kung pao recipe. If you do not care about the consistency of the sauce then go ahead. But in my opinion, cornstarch makes the sauce gooey and finger-licking good. Also, it gives a crisp texture to the chicken pieces.
What To Serve With Chicken Kung Pao?
Here are few side-dishes that pair perfectly with Chicken Kung Pao:
Steamed Jasmine Rice
Watch Step-By-Step Kung Pao Recipe Video:
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Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
Ingredients for marinade
- 500 gram boneless & skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper or to taste
- 1/4 Cup cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- Salt to taste
Ingredients For Sauce:
- 1/2 Cup diced yellow bell pepper
- 1/2 Cup diced red bell pepper
- 2 – 4 dry red chilies
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoon fine chopped celery or spring onion
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon siracha sauce or red chili sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/4 Cup water
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
- Salt to taste
- 6 tablespoon sesame oil or cooking oil
Ingredients For Garnish:
- 1 tablespoon roasted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon chopped spring onion greens
Instructions
Marinate Chicken:
- Rinse the chicken pieces in water and pat dry with paper towels. Marinate the chicken pieces in oil, soy sauce, pepper, salt, and cornflour. Set aside for 15 – 20 minutes or keep in the fridge overnight.
Fry Chicken:
- Heat up a wok with 4 tablespoons of oil. Stir-fry the marinated chicken pieces until they are cooked and turn pale white in color. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel and set aside.
Prepare Sauce:
- Combine soy sauce, sriracha sauce, vinegar, sugar, cornflour and water in a bowl. Keep aside till required.
- In the same wok, heat remaining oil and stir fry the bell peppers for a minute. Transfer them to a bowl and keep aside.
- Add the chopped ginger, garlic, and dried red chilies. Stir fry until aromatic or 10 – 20 seconds.
- Next, add the chopped celery or spring onion and quickly stir-fry for less than a minute.
- Now, add the fried chicken pieces and mix nicely. Add the sauce mixture, salt, and stir-fry until the chicken pieces are nicely coated with the sauce. Allow the chicken to cook in the sauce for 5 – 10 minutes.
- Add the bell peppers and stir to combine. Turn off the heat.
- Garnish Kung Pao with roasted peanuts and spring onion greens.
Recipe Notes:
- Adjust the amount of salt as per the taste of the sauces and the sodium amount in each sauce.
- Adjust the consistency of gravy by adding more or less water.Â
