Has anyone seen places where Kung Pao Chicken is written as Kung Bao Chicken? This is due to a lack of understanding of the dish's origins and the assumption that it involves quick stir-frying. As for the specific origins, I won't go into too much detail, only mentioning that “Kung Pao” is a shortened name of an ancient official title, given in honor of the dish's founder. Different people have different understandings of how to make Kung Pao Chicken. If you want to know how to make delicious Kung Pao Chicken, please refer to the following comprehensive guide on making Kung Pao Chicken.
Authentic Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
Ingredients Preparation
Chicken thigh meat, peanuts, dried red chilies, egg white, vinegar, chicken broth, water starch, peanut oil, doubanjiang (fermented broad bean and chili paste), soy sauce, salt, sugar, white pepper powder.
Method Steps
1. After buying chicken thighs, remove the bones, skin, and membranes, then dice and wash them.
2. In the diced chicken thighs, add egg whites, salt, white pepper powder, rice wine, mix evenly, then add a little starch and mix again. Drizzle with some peanut oil, mix, and freeze for a while.
3. Cut scallions into small round pieces, snip the dried chilies, and mince green onions and garlic for later use.
4. In a wok, with cool oil, add skinned peanuts and fry slowly over low heat until cooked.
5. In a bowl, mix soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, minced garlic, minced green onion, clear broth, and water starch to prepare the sauce mixture.
6. Heat a wok with warm oil, stir-fry the chicken until just cooked through, then remove.
7. In the wok, add a little chili oil, stir-fry the Sichuan peppercorns over low heat until fragrant, then add the scallion segments and stir-fry until fragrant.
8. Add the chili segments and green onion, stir-fry until fragrant, then add the chicken and stir-fry.
9. Add chopped doubanjiang, stir-fry until red oil appears, then add cooking wine and a little chicken broth. Stir in the sauce mixture.
10. Finally, add the peanuts and a little chili oil.
Home-Style Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
Ingredients Preparation
150 grams of chicken breast, a handful of fried peanuts, 10 grams of scallion, 5 grams of ginger, 10 grams of garlic, an appropriate amount of dried chili peppers, an appropriate amount of Sichuan peppercorns, 2 teaspoons of vinegar, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of starch, 1 teaspoon of cooking wine, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 tablespoon of water.
Method Steps
1. Tenderize and dice the chicken breast, add 1 teaspoon of cooking wine and a little salt. Mix well, then add starch and mix evenly. Marinate for 10 minutes.
2. Slice scallions, ginger, and garlic. In a bowl, mix vinegar, dark soy sauce, sugar, salt, cooking wine, starch, and water to prepare the Kung Pao sauce.
3. In hot oil, stir-fry the chicken until just cooked through, then set aside.
4. In the wok with remaining oil, stir-fry the dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns over low heat until fragrant.
5. Add sliced scallions, ginger, and garlic, stir-fry, then add the chicken and stir-fry. Turn up the heat and pour in the Kung Pao sauce along the edge of the wok.
6. Stir-fry evenly, then add peanuts and stir-fry.
Simplified Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
Ingredients Preparation
300g chicken breast, a bag of wine-flavored peanuts, Sichuan peppercorns, chili peppers, 15g white sugar, 30ml soy sauce, 45ml water starch, 5g ginger minced, 5g garlic minced, 15ml cooking wine, 5g salt.
Method Steps
1. Wash the chicken breasts, cut into small pieces, add water starch and soy sauce, mix evenly, and marinate for 20 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, mix 15ml water starch, 15ml soy sauce, salt, sugar, cooking wine, and mix to prepare the sauce mixture.
3. In a wok, heat oil, when it reaches 60% hot, add the chicken and stir-fry until separated and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
4. Leave some oil in the wok, heat, add Sichuan peppercorns, chili peppers, minced ginger, and minced garlic. Stir-fry over low heat until fragrant, then add the chicken.
5. Stir-fry briefly, then add the sauce mixture. Once the sauce thickens, add peanuts and stir-fry evenly.
Tips for Making Delicious Kung Pao Chicken
1. Chicken thighs are more flavorful, but require deboning and removing tendons which can be troublesome.
2. Prepare the sauce mixture in advance since it needs to be added all at once during the stir-fry process.
3. Tenderize the chicken first, and marinate thoroughly for better flavor.
4. Stir-fry the chicken until just cooked through, do not overcook, to ensure it remains tender and delicious.