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With its delicious stir-fry, crunchy veggies and mouthwatering sauce, this Kung Pao chicken is one of the most popular menu and Chinese takeouts in the US.

Kung Pao Chicken

5 from 9 votes
Pin Recipe
With its delicious stir-fry, crunchy veggies and mouthwatering sauce, this Kung Pao chicken is one of the most popular menu and Chinese takeouts in the US.
Servings: 3
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Equipments:

  • Wok

Ingredients:

For the Marinade:

  • 1 lb chicken breast / thigh
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese Cooking Wine or dry sherry
  • 2 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon white pepper

For Kung Pao Chicken Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon dark sauce
  • 3 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon black vinegar
  • 3 tablespoon sugar add more if you want sweet
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 or 2 tablespoon Chinese Cooking wine or dry sherry
  • ½ cup chicken stock

For Stir Fry:

  • 2 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 5 cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 10 dried chili peppers cut & take off the seeds
  • 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns toasted and lightly grind - this process is optional*
  • 4-6 stalks scallions
  • ½ cup unsalted peanuts
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:

Marinate First

  • Marinate the chicken by adding the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • Prepare the sauce by mixing all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Cook the Dish:

  • Heat 2 tablespoon oil over high heat. Cook the marinated chicken and place in a bowl. Set aside.
  • In the same wok add another tablespoon oil (in low-medium heat). Add the ginger, garlic, chilies, and Szechuan peppercorns. Stir and cook for 30 seconds or a minute to infuse the flavor on the oil.
  • Now, stir up your prepared Kung Pao sauce as the cornstarch may have settled to the bottom, so make sure it’s well incorporated.
  • Pour the sauce into the wok and let it boil. Add ¼ cup of water and 1 tablespoon of sugar (optional if you don't want sweet).
  • Keep stirring until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
  • Add the cooked chicken back to the wok/pot and stir fry all together. Now, you can add the scallions and the unsalted peanuts.
  • Give everything a final stir and serve hot with jasmine rice.

Notes:

1.) If black vinegar is not available, you may use apple cider vinegar, rice vinegar or red wine vinegar.
2.) Adjust the saltiness level accordingly as soy sauce has different level of sodium. If your sauce tastes too salty, just add more sugar and water.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 675.63kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.88g | Protein: 44.1g | Fat: 38.14g | Saturated Fat: 6.68g | Sodium: 1699.79mg | Fiber: 5.62g | Sugar: 27.47g

Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.

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Course: entree
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Keywords: Kung pao chicken, kung pao chicken panda express, panda express kung pao chicken recipe, panda express kung pao chicken sauce