Kung Pao Chicken
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats, NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Velveted chicken thigh is stir-fried hard with dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorns and peanuts in a sweet-sour soy sauce.
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Method
- 1
Velvet the chicken. Mix the chicken with the soy sauce, cornflour and water, and leave for 15-30 minutes. This light starch coating protects the meat during fierce heat, keeping it silky, and helps the finished sauce cling.
- 2
Mix the sauce. Stir the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
- 3
Toast the chillies and peppercorns. Heat the wok over high heat until smoking, then add the oil and swirl. Take it off the heat if very hot, add the dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns, and stir for 15-20 seconds until the chillies darken a shade and smell toasty - stop before they turn black, as burnt chillies turn bitter.
- 4
Sear and stir-fry the chicken. Return the wok to high heat, add the chicken and spread it out, leaving it for 1 minute to sear before stir-frying for 3-4 minutes until no pink remains and it reaches 74°C.
- 5
Add aromatics and sauce. Add the garlic, ginger and spring onion whites and stir for 30-60 seconds. Stir the sauce again, pour it in, and toss for 30-60 seconds until glossy and thickened.
- 6
Finish and serve. Take off the heat and toss through the peanuts and spring onion greens. Serve immediately with rice.
Storage
Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot wok or pan until piping hot (74°C), as the peanuts will soften if reheated in a microwave. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Equipment
- wok (35 cm) or large frying pan (30 cm)
- wok spatula
- 2 small bowls
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 411 kcal |
| Protein | 34.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 12.1 g |
| of which sugars | 4.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 25 g |
| of which saturates | 3.7 g |
| Fibre | 2.3 g |
| Salt | 1.92 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
8.4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
