KUNG PAO CHICKEN
By Simbooker 15th September 2019
Files & Tags: recipes, index, chicken, chinese & chinese american, asian, soy sauce, chili pepper
This is my version of Kung Pao Chicken. It's truly delicious coated in a sticky sweet peppery sauce but garnished with walnuts instead of peanuts.
The most important ingredient in this dish is Szechuan Peppercorns which I toast in the pan so the chicken picks up the flavour, but then I remove them because biting into this pepper can be quite unpleasant.
There are many variations of this dish, and it's another popular Chinese takeout that can easily be made at home.
KUNG PAO CHICKEN
THE INGREDIENTS
3 chicken thighs or breasts cut into cubes coated in 1 cup of cornstarch
Whisk together these ingredients 3 tbs of soy sauce, 2 tsp of rice wine vinegar, 1 tbs of garlic paste, 2 tbs of sweet chilli paste, 1 tsp salt, 3 tbs sugar, 1 cup of chicken stock or water with a melted stock cube, 3 tbs of honey or golden syrup-
The most important of all, you will need 2 tbs of Szechuan peppercorns, 5 Thai red chilis cut in half OR dry red chilis, and 3 cups of vegetable oil
THE KEY INGREDIENT
Start by coating the chicken pieces with the cornstarch and heating up the oil in a pan or wok. Place the chicken in a large bowl and pour the cornstarch over the chicken making sure all the pieces are coated.
Fry the chicken in batches until very crisp, turning them to make sure each side is crisp. You will know that they are crisp when the chicken has bubbles and makes a noise when tapped with a fork. Let the chicken drain in a sieve or a colander over a bowl.
Fry the chicken in batches until very crisp, turning them to make sure each side is crisp. You will know that they are crisp when the chicken has bubbles and makes a noise when tapped with a fork. Let the chicken drain in a sieve or a colander over a bowl.
Discard the oil which you can save for another time. Wipe the pan or wok with kitchen towel. Set over the stove on medium high heat. Once the pan is hot toast the peppercorns and the chili peppers until they become aromatic. Then remove. Pour in the sauce and reduce til it becomes thick and sticky then add the chicken pieces. Coat the chicken with the sauce and garnish with nuts and the pepper, and a few peppercorns.