My Chinese Recipe Menu
- How I Feel About This Kung Pao Chicken
- Story Behind Kung Pao Chicken
- Original Name
- Cooking Tips
- Cooking Time
- Ingredients to Make Kung Pao Chicken
- Food
- Seasonings
- How to Make Kung Pao Chicken
- Preparation
- Cooking
How I Feel About This Kung Pao Chicken
The taste of this Kung Pao Chicken should be fragrant, spicy, umami, tender and crisp. It's not a usual dish for my family but it's super popular worldwide. I guess everyone wants to know the authentic recipe for this dish. I searched for a long time and got an ancient recipe and even I needed to translate the unit of the recipe because the unit for food years ago is different from now.
The authentic Sichuan version of Kung Pao Chicken uses chicken thigh meat, as it absorbs flavors better than chicken breast, which can often result in a lack of tenderness. The dish also traditionally excludes cucumber.
Story Behind Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken, known for its unique spicy and sweet lychee flavor, originated from Guizhou cuisine, was popularized in Shandong, and later perfected in Sichuan cuisine. The preparation of this dish varies slightly among Guizhou, Shandong, and Sichuan.
It is said that Kung Pao Chicken was invented by Ding Baozhen, the Governor of Sichuan during the reign of Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty. He had his personal chef prepare this dish to entertain guests. Since Ding Baozhen held the title of "Kungbao" (a palace guardian), the dish was named "Kung Pao Chicken" in his honor.
Original Name
- Translated English Name: Gong Bao Chicken / Kung Pao Chicken
- Original Chinese Pronunciation: Gong Bao Ji Ding 宫保鸡丁
Note: You may use the Chinese name to order in China because the translated English name of the dishes might be different in every restaurant.
Cooking Tips
- The authentic Sichuan version of Kung Pao Chicken uses chicken thigh instead of chicken breast
Cooking Time
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
Serving: 4
Food
Chicken Thigh — 600g/21.1oz
Peanut — 150g/5.3oz
Green Onion — 20g/0.7oz
Garlic — 8 cloves
Ginger — 20g/0.7oz
Seasonings
Oil — 3 tbsp
Cooking Wine — 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp
White Pepper Powder — 1/2 tsp
Dried Chili — 7 pieces
Light Soy Sauce — 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp
Sugar — 1 tbsp
Chinese Black Vinegar — 1/2 tbsp
Salt — 1 tsp
Sichuan Pepper — 20 pieces
Cornstarch — 1 tsp + 1tsp
Chili Powder — 1 tsp
How to Cook Kung Pao Chicken
Preparation
1. Chop the chicken thighs into cubes of about 1.2 cm and put them in a bowl.
2. Soak the peanut rice in boiling water for a few minutes and remove the skin.
3. Dice green onions and ginger into cubes, slice the garlic, and cut dried chili peppers into 1.3cm long. Set them aside into a bowl.
4. In the bowl with the chicken, add 1/2 tbsp cooking wine, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp light soy sauce and 1 tbsp white pepper powder and 1 tsp cornstarch. Mix well.
5. In the bowl with green onion, garlic and ginger, add 1/2 cooking wine, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp cornflour and 1 tbsp water into it. This will be the sauce for Kung Pao chicken.
Cooking
1. Heat 3 tbsp oil and fry the peanuts until they are crisp. You can tell they're done either by its crisp sound or by tasting them. Set aside.
2. In the remaining oil, add Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies. Fry until they begin to darken then add chicken thighs and fry.
3. Add chili powder and half of the sauce (especially the green onion, ginger, and garlic) to the wok. Stir-fry briefly.
4. Pour in the rest of the sauce into the wok and fry again. Add 1/2 tbsp black vinegar and peanuts into the wok and fry evenly. Dish up. Now you can enjoy the Kung Pao Chicken.
