Chinese · Lunch · Dinner
Kung Pao Chicken
宫保鸡丁 (Gōngbǎo jīdīng)
Tender diced chicken stir-fried with dried chilies, tingling Sichuan pepper and crunchy peanuts in a glossy sweet, sour and savoury sauce. This lighter version uses lean breast, less oil and extra peppers and celery, served over brown rice.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 41% · Fat 30% · Protein 29%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1 cup190 gbrown rice
- 2 cups plus 3 tbsp525 gwater
- 500 gskinless chicken breast, cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp32 glight soy sauce
- 1 tbsp15 gShaoxing rice wine
- 4 tsp11 gcornstarch
- 1 1/2 tbsp22 gChinese black vinegar
- 2 tsp8 gsugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp20 gpeanut oil
- 10 whole5 gdried red chilies, halved and seeds shaken out
- 1 tspSichuan peppercorns
- 3 cloves9 ggarlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp6 gfresh ginger, minced
- 1 medium150 gred bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks80 gcelery, diced
- 460 gspring onions, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 1/3 cup50 gunsalted dry-roasted peanuts
Steps
- 1
Rinse the brown rice, then put it in a saucepan with 2 cups (480 g) of the water.
- 2
Bring the rice to a boil, cover, and simmer on low for 40 minutes until the water is absorbed; rest covered for 5 minutes.
- 3
Meanwhile, toss the chicken with 1 tbsp soy sauce, the Shaoxing wine and 1 tbsp cornstarch; set aside for 10 minutes.
- 4
Stir together the remaining 1 tbsp soy sauce, the black vinegar, sugar, remaining 1 tsp cornstarch and the remaining 3 tbsp water to make the sauce.
- 5
Heat the peanut oil in a wok over medium heat and fry the dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns for about 30 seconds until fragrant but not burnt.
- 6
Turn the heat to high, add the chicken and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes until it is no longer pink and reaches 74 °C / 165 °F inside.
- 7
Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- 8
Add the red pepper and celery and stir-fry for 2 minutes until crisp-tender.
- 9
Stir the sauce, pour it into the wok and toss for about 1 minute until glossy and thickened.
- 10
Toss in the spring onions and peanuts, cook for 30 seconds, and serve over the brown rice.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breast for juicier, more forgiving meat.
- Swap the chicken for firm tofu cubes, pressed and patted dry, to make it vegetarian.
- Use rice vinegar with a pinch of extra sugar if you can't find Chinese black vinegar.
- Replace the peanuts with cashews, or for a peanut-free version leave them out, add toasted sunflower seeds and use a neutral oil such as vegetable oil instead of peanut oil.
Storage
Refrigerate leftovers in airtight containers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot; cool and chill the rice quickly too. The peanuts soften and the vegetables lose their crunch on standing, so it is best eaten fresh.
Make ahead
Cook the brown rice, dice the chicken and vegetables, and mix the sauce up to a day ahead, keeping everything covered in the fridge. Marinate the chicken just before cooking and stir-fry at the last minute.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: GlutenSoyPeanutsCelerySulphites
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (421 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 499 kcal | 119 kcal |
| Protein | 36.6 g | 8.7 g |
| Carbohydrates | 50.9 g | 12.1 g |
| of which sugars | 6.5 g | 1.5 g |
| Fiber | 4.9 g | 1.2 g |
| Fat | 16.3 g | 3.9 g |
| of which saturated | 2.9 g | 0.7 g |
| Sodium | 546 mg | 130 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
