Kung pao chicken with crunchy peanuts
Tender chicken, crunchy roasted peanuts and spring onions in a glossy, tangy sauce with dried chillies and Sichuan pepper. Cook the chicken in small batches for lightly browned edges, then serve with jasmine rice.
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Servings
Originally developed for 2 servings.
Ingredient checklist
Method
- 15:00
Cut the chicken into even 2 cm pieces. Mix with 10 ml soy sauce, 10 ml Shaoxing wine, 5 g cornflour, 5 ml cold water and 5 ml marinade oil. Refrigerate for 15 minutes while you start the rice and prepare the remaining ingredients. Do not wash the chicken; wash your hands and clean the board and knife after handling it.
- 12:00
Rinse and drain the rice, then put it in the saucepan with 225 ml fresh water, unless its packet specifies a different absorption ratio. Bring to the boil, cover tightly and turn the heat to its lowest setting. Cook for 12 minutes, then move off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes. Start preparing the sauce and aromatics while it heats and cooks. If the rested rice is still firm and dry, add 15–30 ml boiling water, cover and cook gently for another 2–3 minutes, then rest briefly. Keep covered until serving.
- No timer needed
Mix the sauce in a small bowl: the remaining 15 ml soy sauce, 10 ml Shaoxing wine and 3 g cornflour, plus the black vinegar, sugar and 40 ml cold water. Slice the garlic, finely chop the ginger and cut the spring onions into 2 cm lengths, keeping whites and greens separate. Snip the chillies into sections and shake out most loose seeds. Check the Sichuan pepper husks for hard black seeds, discard those seeds and coarsely crush the husks. Have everything beside the hob before frying.
- 02:00
Heat the frying pan over medium-high heat with 10 ml frying oil until shimmering, allowing about 2 minutes. Respect a non-stick pan's heat limits. Add half the chicken, approximately 200 g, leaving any pooled marinade behind, and spread into one layer. Leave for 1–2 minutes to colour; during this pause, move the rice off the heat when its cooking time finishes. Turn and stir-fry the chicken for another 4–5 minutes. It should have lightly browned edges and a firm but yielding centre. Check several of the largest pieces reach 75°C for 30 seconds at the centre. Transfer to a clean plate, using clean utensils for the cooked chicken.
- 02:00
Add another 10 ml frying oil and let the pan regain its heat. Cook the remaining chicken in the same way: leave for 1–2 minutes, then turn and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes, checking the same temperature endpoint before transferring to the plate. Keep raw-chicken utensils away from the cooked batches. If the pan has black, bitter residue rather than brown fond, carefully wipe it out before continuing.
- No timer needed
Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 5 ml frying oil. Stir in the chillies and Sichuan pepper for 10–15 seconds, just until fragrant, without letting them blacken. Add the garlic, ginger and spring onion whites and stir-fry for 30–45 seconds. Stir the sauce thoroughly to lift the settled cornflour, pour it in and bring to a bubbling simmer. Stir for 30–60 seconds, until glossy and lightly thickened.
- No timer needed
Return the chicken and its collected juices to the pan with the spring onion greens. Toss for 1–2 minutes, until hot throughout and lightly coated. The sauce should cling, not form a thick paste. If it becomes sticky, add water 15 ml at a time. If it remains watery, lift out the chicken briefly and bubble the sauce a little longer before returning it.
- No timer needed
Take the pan off the heat and fold in the peanuts. Fluff the rice: the grains should be tender with no standing water. Divide the rice and chicken between two plates and serve immediately. The dried chilli sections need not be eaten.
Chef tips
- Keep each chicken batch to approximately 200 g in a 28–30 cm pan. For a smaller pan, use three batches and allow extra cooking time.
- If the chicken releases a puddle of liquid, avoid adding more pieces; let the moisture evaporate and use smaller batches next time.
- Cornflour settles quickly, so stir the sauce immediately before pouring it into the pan.
- Keep the extractor fan on when frying chillies. If the spices or garlic blacken, discard the burnt aromatics, wipe out the pan and restart that stage with fresh ingredients.
- Add the peanuts only after taking the pan off the heat; simmering them in the sauce softens them.
Equipment check
- 28–30 cm heavy frying pan or wok
- Approximately 1.5-litre saucepan with a tight-fitting lid
- Digital food thermometer
- Chopping board and knife
- Kitchen scissors
- Marinade bowl and small sauce bowl
- Clean plate for cooked chicken
- Heatproof spatula
- Fine sieve
Nutrition per serving
- Calories950
- Protein53 g
- Carbs84 g
- Fat44 g
Tags
Behind the dish.
Overview
This kung pao chicken balances savoury soy, rounded vinegar acidity, restrained sweetness and chilli heat with a gentle Sichuan-pepper tingle. The sauce should cling to the chicken rather than pool underneath it. Frying two small batches helps the chicken brown; folding in ready-roasted peanuts off the heat keeps them crunchy.
Ingredient notes
Use light soy sauce, not dark or sweet soy. Chinkiang Chinese black vinegar gives the sauce its characteristic acidity; balsamic is not a direct substitute. Dry sherry can replace the Shaoxing wine in both the marinade and sauce. Chicken breast can replace thigh, but check it promptly for doneness to avoid drying it out.
Dried chilli strength varies considerably: start with two small chillies for a milder dish. Use Sichuan peppercorn husks, removing any hard black seeds. Ready-roasted, unsalted peanuts need no further cooking.
Allergens: peanuts, soya and usually wheat. Shaoxing wine may contain wheat and sulphites; Chinese black vinegar ingredients also vary. Check all labels, including substitutes. Using rapeseed oil instead of groundnut oil does not remove the peanuts from this dish.
Serving & storage
Serve immediately with the jasmine rice. The dried chilli sections flavour the sauce and need not be eaten. Refrigerate leftover chicken in shallow portions within 2 hours, at 5°C or colder, and use within 48 hours or freeze sooner. Cool rice as quickly as possible, ideally within 1 hour, refrigerate and use within 24 hours. If stored together, follow the shorter rice limit. Thaw frozen portions in the fridge and reheat only once, until steaming hot throughout. Peanuts soften during storage.
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