Fiery, Popular Takeout… Sichuan Chicken with Dried Chillies and Nuts. Better than takeout at home!
Prep time:10min Cook time: 10min Marination: 30min-1hour Serves:4-5
Kung Pao Chicken
® This is a RAS signature Recipe©
A detailed introduction, and related links are available on the
Recipe Intro ↓ Check it out or scroll down for the Recipe and Video⇓.
EAT AND TELL!!! Let us know if you tried – Kung Pao Chicken
| ♦Mail me your pics and testimonials 🙂 – recipesaresimple@gmail.com ♦If you make the dish and share it on your social media please don‘t forget to tag me @recipesaresimple and hashtag it #recipesaresimple on any platform. ♥Please rate the recipe if you have tried it below ↓♦Quick Browse to see All Recipes by Category.♦World Cuisines to browse recipes by Country ♥Thanks for visiting www.recipesaresimple.com |
Kung Pao Chicken
Description
Kung Pao Chicken (Gōngbǎo Jīdīng) is a classic, spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish that originated in the Sichuan province of China, famous for its bold and complex flavor profile.
It is characterized by a precise balance of savory, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors, along with a distinctive mouth-numbing sensation due to the use of Sichuan Peppercorns.
Ingredients:
To Marinate the Chicken:
For the Sauce:
Instructions
-
Cut the chicken into small bite-sized pieces. Rinse well and pat dry.
-
Marinate the chicken: Rub the chicken well with the ingredients listed for marinating, including the Sichuan peppercorn (pounded to a powder). I often use red chilli powder instead of this, and it works well too. Set aside for 30 minutes.
-
Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic and ginger. Slice the Spring onion bulb portion.
-
Cut the dried chillies, each into small segments. As you do so, the seeds will fall out. You can discard these to reduce heat.
-
Prepare the sauce ingredients: To a bowl, add the water and other ingredients for the sauce. Stir together and set aside.
-
Prepare the cornflour solution by mixing the cornflour and water in a small cup. Set aside.
-
Heat 3-4 Tbsp in a wok and add the dried chilli pieces. Fry briefly till bright red and quickly strain from the oil and set aside. Do not allow the chillies to turn dark.
-
Fry the nuts in the same oil till golden and remove.
-
Now we need to par-fry the marinated chicken. Add the chicken to the centre of the remaining oil. Leave undisturbed for 30 seconds on high heat. Then, toss and turn to separate the pieces. Flash-Fry till light opaque. Remove from the wok and set aside. The chicken should not be fully fried or crisp, just achieve a bouncy texture and no longer be pink in colour. It will be cooked further in the sauce.
-
Wipe clean the wok. Add 2 Tbsp of oil and heat again.
-
Add the ginger and garlic to the oil and sauté till fragrant and soft. Do not allow to change colour.
-
Add the sliced spring onion whites( bulb). Sauté 30 seconds more.
-
Now return the par-fried chicken and toss well in the mixture. Allow the fragrance of the ginger, garlic and scallions to be absorbed by the chicken, making sure there is no darkening of the ginger and garlic.
-
Now add the prepared sauce ingredients. Bring to a simmer, allow the chicken to become tender.
-
At this time, do a taste test and add more dark soy sauce (1-2 tsp) for colour and black vinegar(about 1 tsp) for flavour.
-
Add the prepared cornflour solution now. Stir and allow to thicken.
-
Return some of the fried chillies (reserve half for final garnish) and all of the nuts. Remove from heat.
-
Garnish with the spring onion greens and the remaining fried chillies on top.
-
Serve hot with steamed white rice or with Congee.
Note
Dried Red Chillies: Here, I use the long, shrivelled variety, which is milder. If you are using the shinier and hotter variety, you might want to reduce the amount. My chilli pack just the right heat. I love eating the chillies along with the chicken; they provide a lovely crispness and smoky heat.
Nuts: Peanuts or Groundnuts are usually used. I prefer cashew nuts.
If you don't have Black rice Vinegar, you can use 1 ¾ tsp Worcester / Worcestershire sauce, but the Black vinegar gives a more authentic taste.
I usually use ABC sauce(Kicap Manis) instead of the brown sugar and adjust the light soy and the ABC sauce to get the right balance of salty and sweet.
Key Ingredients: Chicken, Dried Red Chilli, Nuts, Spring Onion, Ginger, Garlic, Soy Sauce (light and dark), Black Vinegar, Sesame oil, Pepper, Sichuan Peppercorns,
