Kung Pao Chicken

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I can never say no to Chinese food! Whenever I am feeling down in the dumps or just having a bad day, I have one local Chinese takeaway that comes to the rescue and never fails to uplift my mood.

One such recipe that I am extremely fond of whenever a craving for Chinese strikes is Kung Pao Chicken. The recipe can easily be recreated at home and you will have a winning dinner that the whole family will love!
What is Kung Pao Chicken?

Kung Pao Chicken is a famous Chinese dish with stir-fried chicken and crisp vegetables tossed in a delicious sweet and tangy sauce and topped with toasted peanuts for extra crunch.

While the dish originated in the Sichuan province of China, it remains a common sight on the menus of all Chinese takeouts in countries around the world.
The Kung Pao sauce has a right balance of flavors - sweet, savory with a hint of heat from the dry chillies. You really don’t need a lot of fancy ingredients to pull together this recipe, you can find most of them in your local grocery store.
If you are a fan of Asian Cuisine, here are some other recipes that you might like: Serve over rice, fried rice or noodles for an easy, filling, delicious and quick meal!

Notes
  • The dish is meant to be spicy. The dried red chilli peppers give the chicken a spicy kick, however you can totally skip them or de-seed them before adding if that’s your preference!
  • If you are not so fond of chicken, feel free to substitute with shrimp, beef, pork or even tofu.
  • The traditional version doesn't call for any other vegetable other than scallions, however I have used bellpeppers and onions in the recipe. You can also add any veggies of your preference like broccoli, zucchini, edamame.
  • This recipe is also great for easy meal prep-you can chop all the vegetables ahead of time and store in an airtight container the night before.

If you make this recipe, I would love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below.



Kung Pao Chicken Kung Pao Chicken
Author: Happily Cooking
Preparation Time:
Cooking time:
Yields: 4-5 servings
Calories per serving: 416kcal




Ingredients:
  • 900 gm boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 5 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons water
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 6-7 pieces dried red chilies
  • 1/3 cup roasted peanuts

Instructions:
  1. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken pieces, 1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and 1/2 tablespoon black pepper and set aside while preparing the other ingredients.
  2. In another bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons water, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons honey, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Set aside.
  3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, once hot, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil ,add the marinated chicken pieces and saute for 3-4 minutes until browned on the outside. Remove from the heat and set them aside.
  4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the skillet, add the minced garlic and ginger. Stir for a minute. Then, add the bellpeppers, the onion and the red chilies, and stir for 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add in the prepared sauce to the skillet and stir.
  6. Return the chicken pieces to the skillet to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes until the chicken gets fully cooked.
  7. Add in the roasted peanuts and serve with rice.

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