Ultimate Kung Pao Chicken Recipes

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

Steps:

• To Make Marinade: Combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture and mix together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
• To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon cornstarch/water mixture, chili paste, vinegar and sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.
• Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens.

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Whisk together the cornstarch, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon rice vinegar in a medium bowl. Add the chicken, then toss to coat and let marinate at room temperature, 20 minutes.
• Combine the hoisin, sugar, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 2 tablespoons rice vinegar and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Grate the garlic and ginger into the sauce. Stir and set aside.
• Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then add the chicken. Stir-fry until browned on the outside, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chiles, green beans, red pepper, scallions whites, Sichuan peppercorn powder and peanuts. Stir-fry until fragrant and the veggies are crisp-tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sauce and simmer until thickened slightly and the chicken is completely cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes. Garnish with the scallion greens and additional peanuts. Serve with the rice.

KUNG PAO CHICKEN RECIPE - CHINESE RESTAURANT QUALITY

Steps:

• Heat a teaspoon of oil in a wok over medium heat and add a cup of raw shelled peanuts. Stir constantly (or they'll burn) for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir for another minute using the residual heat in the wok. Set aside to cool. They will turn crunchy once they're cooled completely. You can also skip this step and use already roasted shelled peanuts.
• Marinate the chicken. Mix together the chicken with all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and set aside for 20 minutes.
• Prepare the sauce. Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat. Sear the chicken, remove from the wok to a bowl, and set aside.
• Turn the heat to low and add another tablespoon oil. Add the garlic, ginger, chilies, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and scallions. Cook for a minute or two until fragrant.
• Add the chicken back to the pan and turn up the heat to high. Stir-fry for a minute and then use your finger to stir up your prepared sauce (the cornstarch will have settled to the bottom, so make sure it's well incorporated). Add the sauce to the wok and stir-fry for another minute. The sauce should thicken very quickly.
• Finally, add the peanuts. Give everything a final stir and serve.

KEN HOM'S CLASSIC KUNG PAO CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine chicken, egg whites, 1 teaspoon of the salt, 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch. Mix well.
• Place a large wok over high heat until hot. Add peanut oil. When oil is very hot, remove wok from heat and immediately add chicken pieces, stirring to keep them from sticking. When the pieces are white on all sides, after 2 to 3 minutes, drain them and all the oil through a stainless-steel colander in a heatproof bowl. Reserve 5 tablespoons of the oil, and discard remainder.
• In a small bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1/3 cup water; mix well and set aside. Reheat wok with reserved oil. When very hot, add chiles and stir-fry until slightly blackened. Add peanuts, garlic, scallions and ginger, and stir-fry until lightly browned.
• Add chicken pieces, stock, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Mix well, and stir in cornstarch mixture. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, then reduce heat to low and let mixture sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix again, and serve.

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Marinade: In a non-reactive bowl, prepare the marinade. Combine the rice wine, peanut oil, soy sauce, salt and cornstarch. Stir in the chicken pieces and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Sauce: In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
• Over high heat, in a wok, bring the peanut oil to almost smoking temperature. Stir-fry the chilies, ginger, garlic and white part of the green onions for 30 to 40 seconds, or until the chilies turn dark. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden in color.
• Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the peanuts. Thicken with the slurry and continue to cook until glossy. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with julienne green onions.

ULTIMATE KUNG PAO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine chicken with cornstarch and wine in a bowl. Cover, place in refrigerator and leave to marinate for one hour.
• Place 2 tbs oil and chiles in a cold wok and THEN turn the heat to low. Cook for about 1 1/2 minutes or until chiles begin to darken slightly. Using a slotted spoon, immediately remove chiles and drain on kitchen paper towel.
• Leaving the chile-infused oil in the wok, turn heat up to high and stir-fry half of the chicken cubes for 3 minutes.
• Remove with slotted spoon. Add the rest of the oil to the wok with the remaining chicken and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Return all chicken to wok, along with the ginger and reserved chiles and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
• Add sugar and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add peanuts, soy sauce and vinegar and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Serve immediately with Szechuan salt and pepper.