The most authentic Kung Pao Chicken Recipe (real deal)

 

I got this recipe straight from the source from master chef Yan at one of the top culinary schools in Chengdu, Sichuan, China. That's the home of Kung Pao chicken! It's the perfect dish for your lazy weekend or after work meal and goes perfect with steamed rice. After over 8 years living and eating in Sichuan and eating countless variations, I can say this is one of the best and most authentic, exactly as it's made in Sichuan. It's a highly addictive, slightly spicy stir-fried chicken with the perfect mix of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors! You're going to love it.

This Kung Pao chicken recipe is incredibly delicious and is only mildly spicy. The chilies add flavor and aroma and only a slight amount of spice. I know you're going to love it!

The recipe is surprisingly simple. It uses skinless chicken breasts and various ingredients such as peanuts, garlic, Chinese leeks, Sichuan peppercorn, and Sichuan dried chili peppers. The rich flavor of the spicy aroma makes it a big crowd pleaser. It's a mildly spicy dish and the Sichuan chilies are mainly for color.

It's super easy to make at home, and the ingredients are very easy to get using this link (add these peppercorns to your cart and use code “ranger” to get them free at checkout). You can find some of them at your local Asian grocery store, or even better from the above link to get the top quality prime stuff. The cooking method is the exact one that I learned at cooking school in Chengdu, so you know it's the most authentic Kung Pao Chicken recipe.

I'm also going to teach you the secret to making sure your Kung Pao sauce has the perfect sweetness and sour ratio. You'll also learn how to cook the chicken without overcooking it while retaining it's natural tenderness.

A few notes on the legendary Kung Pao Chicken, one of my all-time favourite dishes. As you guys know, I love Chinese food. I've eaten and filmed videos in most of the major provinces of China, and am now learning these recipes straight from cooking school in Chengdu. Let me tell you a secret, not all Kung Pao Chicken recipes are created equal.

For example, outside of Sichuan, particularly in America, Kung Pao chicken often has green onion, sesame oil, broccoli, and green bell peppers. Some other recipes call for hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, chili flakes, and more.

I have to say it: After over ten years of living and travelling in Sichuan, I have never tasted a Kung Pao chicken with bell peppers, broccoli, or bok choy inside. This is not your panda express Kung Pao Chicken. This is the real deal of the Kung Pao chicken recipe, and it is exactly like it's eaten in Sichuan.

Under the expert guidance of Teacher Yan, who has been a full-time Master Sichuan chef teacher for over two decades, I learned the most authentic way to make the dish. I've learned a lot of beautiful things about Kung Pao Chicken, such as the best way to make Kung Pao sauce, how to marinate chicken with standard ingredients, how to choose sauce ingredients, and more.

Chef Yan teaching me the most authentic Kung Pao chicken recipe
Chef Yan teaching me the most authentic way to make Kung Pao chicken.

I've poured my heart and soul into sharing these Chinese recipes with you.

And to test whether this recipe is fully locally approved, I ventured out into the village outside of Chengdu, while looking for the perfect place to practice these recipes, and found a village house to rent. I met Auntie Yang, the friendly neighbour whose discerning palate approved every step of this Kung Pao Chicken recipe. In the quaint village outside Chengdu, her nod of approval was the ultimate stamp of authenticity.

Now, let's bring the essence of Sichuan into your kitchen with this Real Deal Kung Pao Chicken recipe.

How to Make Kung Pao Chicken

The Kung Pao chicken recipe below is suitable for two adults to eat. You can order the ingredients here (premium quality), so you don't have to worry about finding the harder to get Sichuan ingredients.

If you prefer to watch the recipe video, check it out below:

YouTube video

First step, get yourself 5 small bowls. With every Chinese recipe, you always want to prepare all your ingredients first and make sure to have them at your hand beside your wok within arms reach.

Ingredients: Ingredients

These are the 5 small bowls you will end up with before frying:

  • 1 bowl of raw peanuts, about 50 grams.
  • 1 bowl chicken breast (see how to marinate it below), about 300 grams, cut into smallish cubes
  • 1 bowl mixed with 1 large Chinese leek (use the white/light part only) and 6-10 garlic cloves, both cut into bite-sized pieces.
  • 1 bowl of dried large Sichuan chilies erjingtiao variety (about 10-20 depending on how spicy you like it) + one or two teaspoons red sichuan peppercorn.
  • 1 flavor bowl (see how to do it below in the flavoring part)

Marinade for Chicken: Marinade for Chicken

  • 1 bowl skinless chicken breasts, about 250-300 grams, cut into cubes, chicken pieces small
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp MSG (completely optional, but this is what the chefs use in Sichuan)
  • 1/3 tsp Chinese hujiaofen pepper powder
  • A touch of Laochou Chinese dark soy sauce for color
  • 1 capful of Liaojiu Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)
  • Mix this up, and then add a touch of cold water and mix until water is no longer showing on bottom of bowl, so the chicken absorbs all the water. It should feel juicy but not too wet. This is an important step in keeping the juiciness into the chicken when you fry it. Make sure it absorbs all the water. Aunt Yang likes to add an egg white instead.
  • After mixing water, add 2.5 teaspoons of wandoufen pea starch or potato starch or corn starch.
  • Add soybean oil to the bowl so it goes halfway up the chicken.
  • Marinate for about 10 minutes

How to make the Kung Pao Chicken sauce flavouring: How to make the Kung Pao Chicken sauce flavouring

  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 tsp MSG (optional, but I use it because that's how I was taught)
  • 4 tsp sugar
  • 1/3 tsp Hujiaofen Chinese pepper powder
  • Xiangcu Chinese black vinegar, pour it until it just barely saturates all your sugar and then add just a little more. This is to make it slightly more sour than sweet. That's the way it's done in Sichuan.
  • A touch of regular Chinese soy sauce.
  • 1/2 tsp Wandoufen pea starch or potato starch, mix until the sauce thickens a bit

Step By Step How To Make Kung Pao Chicken

Prepare yourself a large bowl of soybean oil (the oil that teacher Yan insists on using) on the side of your wok. This is an essential step in all Sichuan recipes. You keep this bowl at arms reach so you can reach it with your ladle to scoop oil into your wok and you also pour your hot oil back into this bowl after you season your wok, which is an easy way to prevent your food from sticking to the pan.

1 Fry Peanuts

  1. Heat a wok over low heat and add a generous ladle of soybean oil or vegetable oil, enough so the peanuts will be covered.
  2. Before the oil warms up, add the raw peanuts and fry them gently. Keep it at low temperature and low heat.
  3. You will start to see some small bubbles forming in the oil. Wait until the skins of the peanuts start to come off and the inside turns slightly yellow and golden, emitting a fragrant aroma. This should take a few minutes.
  4. When the peanuts are slightly golden, carefully pour them out of the wok and strain any excess oil. Set aside. This step is easy to overcook so if you burn them, it's no big deal, just throw your peanuts out and try again with a new batch.

2 Fry the Chicken 50%

  1. Turn the heat to maximum and pour a large ladle of soybean oil or cooking oil into the pan, allowing it to heat until it begins to smoke.
  2. Once it begins to smoke, remove the wok from the heat and carefully pour the hot oil back into the oil bowl.
  3. Turn the heat OFF, and immediately return the hot wok back down and add two large ladles of oil.
  4. The heat from the wok will instantly make the oil hot. Add marinated chicken to the wok and mix and spread around gently fry them until they are halfway cooked, which should take about 30-40 seconds.
  5. Once the chicken is halfway cooked (usually once the oil has stopped frying the chicken, because remember the wok is off), pour it out of the wok into a strainer and strain any excess oil back into your oil bowl. Set aside. This technique is essential for keeping the chicken nice and juicy so you can just put the chicken in near the end and finish the cooking and serve shortly after.

3 Final Stir-Fry

  1. Heat the wok over medium-high heat and add half a ladle of oil.
  2. Add the garlic and chopped chinese leeks to the wok and fry until aromatic, ensuring the leeks and garlic slightly sizzle. You can fry until there is even a slight yellow char on the leeks.
  3. Next, add the dried large Sichuan chilies and Sichuan peppercorns to the wok and continue to fry until aromatic. You can even wait until the chilies turn slightly yellow.
  4. Maintain medium heat throughout this process.
  5. Add half cooked chicken to the wok and stir-fry until completely cooked.
  6. Then, add the prepared sauce to the wok. Before pouring it in, ensure the sauce is well mixed to prevent the sugar from sticking to the bottom of the bowl. You can also pour a little chicken and sauce from the wok into the sauce bowl to ensure all the sauce is transferred.
  7. Here is where we increase the heat to max heat. Stir fry the chicken and sauce vigorously, usually for about 10 seconds.
  8. Finally, add the fried peanuts to the wok, stir, toss, and serve immediately.

With this great recipe, you'll have the perfect balance of flavors and textures that make this Real Deal Kung Pao Chicken absolutely delicious. Happy cooking and enjoy every aromatic bite!

Here is the official recipe card below.

Real Deal Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

The Kung Pao chicken recipe below is suitable for two adults to eat.
It's so simple. There's just 5 small bowls you need to prepare with ingredients to add to your wok. With every Chinese recipe, you always want to prepare all your ingredients first and make sure to have them at your hand beside your wok within arms reach.Note that the exact amounts are just by feel each time.
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 1 2

Ingredients
  

Marinated Chicken Breast Bowl

  • 1 whole chicken breast 250-300g
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp MSG
  • 1/3 tsp Chinese white pepper powder
  • 1 tsp Laochou Chinese dark soy sauce for colour, judge it by eye
  • 2 tsp Liaojiu Chinese cooking wine (shaoxing wine)
  • 2.5 tbsp cold water
  • 2.5 tsp pea starch or potato starch
  • 3 tbsp soybean oil

Sauce bowl

  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 tsp MSG
  • 4 tsp sugar
  • 1/3 tsp Chinese white pepper powder
  • 6 tsp Xiangcu Chinese black vinegar
  • 2 tsp Chinese soy sauce (shengchou)
  • 1/2 tsp pea starch or potato starch

Sichuan Chili and Sichuan Peppercorn Bowl

  • 10-20 whole dried red Sichuan chili chopped into 1/3rds, seeds removed
  • 1 tbsp dried red Sichuan peppercorns

Chinese Leek and Garlic Bowl

  • 1 whole Chinese leek chopped bite size cylinders
  • 6 whole cloves garlic chopped into half or thirds

Peanut bowl

  • 50-80 grams raw peanuts

Instructions
 

Marinate the chicken

  • Take your chicken breast and first slice it into strips, and then into cubes, fairly small bite sized pieces. Place into a bowl.
    Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp MSG, 1/3 tsp Chinese white pepper powder, a touch of laochou Chinese dark soy sauce for colour, and 1 capful of liaojiu Chinese cooking wine.
    Mix this up by hand until it's all mixed through, then add a touch of cold water and mix it through until the water is no longer showing on the bottom of the bowl, so the chicken absorbs all the water. The chicken should feel fairly juicy but not very wet. This step is important in the velveting technique so it stays juicy when you fry it. So make sure that the chicken absorbs all the water. Or, you could do like Aunt Yang, and add an egg white instead.
    After Mixing the water in, add 2.5 teaspoons of pea starch or potato starch, and mix by hand again until it's all mixed in.
    Add soybean oil until it goes about halfway up the chicken.
    Marinate for about 10 minutes.

Create your Kung Pao sauce

  • Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/3 tsp MSG, 4 tsp sugar, and 1/3 tsp Chinese white pepper powder into a bowl.
    Pour Chinese black vinegar into it until it just barely saturates all your ingredients and then add just a little more. This will make the chicken slightly more sour than sweet. That's the way all the chefs make it in Chengdu.
    Add a touch of regular Chinese soy sauce.
    Then add 1/2 pea starch or potato starch to thicken the sauce a little bit.

Fry the peanuts

  • Make sure your wok is dry and then start it up on low heat and add enough soybean oil or vegetable oil so that the peanuts will b covered. Make sure to add the raw peanuts before the oil warms up, and fry them gently. Keep frying at low temp.
    Some small bubbles will start to form. Then, the skins of the peanuts will start to peel away and the peanuts will turn a little yellow and golden.
    This will only take a few minutes. Once they are slightly golden, remove the peanuts by pouring them out into a strainer and your main oil bowl below to catch the oil.
    Be careful during this step as it's easy to overcook them. Just do it again if you burn them, no problem, it takes time.

Fry the chicken 50%

  • Put your wok on max heat and pour a big ladle of soybean oil or vegetable oil into the pan. Make sure your pan is dry before doing so or the oil will splatter.
    Wait until the oil begins to smoke and then pour it out back into your oil bowl.
    Turn the heat OFF. Your wok will still be very hot, so add in two large ladles of oil. Add the marinated chicken and mix it around so that it doesn't stick to the wok and gently fry for about 30-40 seconds.
    This will result in half cooked chicken. Strain your chicken by pouring it into a strainer above your oil bow.
    This is an important step to keeping your chicken juicy. You will add it in back at the end to finish cooking it.

Final Stir-Fry

  • Get ready to fry up your kung pao chicken!
    Put the temperature to medium heat and add a little oil, about half a ladle. Then add the garlic and chinese leeks and stir fry until aromatic and slightly sizzled.
    Then add your Sichuan dried red chilies and Sichuan peppercorns in and fry until fragrant. You can fry it until the red chilies get a little sizzled and even a little yellow. Keep the heat at medium throughout.
    Next, add the half cooked chicken back into the wok and fry until completely cooked, usually just another 10-20 seconds.
    Get ready to put your sauce in. Mix the sauce first thoroughly because the sugar sometimes sticks to the bottom of the bowl. Then pour your sauce in. And you can even scoop a little chicken from the wok into the sauce bowl back and forth to make sure it's all removed.
    Put the heat up to max heat now!
    Keep frying on max heat for around 10 seconds. Then to finish, add the fried peanuts, quickly toss, and serve.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

FAQ

Kung Pao Chicken, also known as Gong Bao or Kung Po, is a stir-fried dish with chicken, peanuts, and chili peppers. The spice dish originated in the Sichuan Province of southwestern China and is named after the late Qing Dynasty official Ding Baozhen. The dish's spicy, numbing, and savoury flavors make it a popular Chinese dish, and there are many variations of Kung Pao Chicken both within and outside of China.

Kung Pao Chicken is a delicious mix of chicken, crunchy peanuts, leeks, garlic, and fiery red chilies. The sauce will leave your taste buds tingling with delight.

To maintain the standard flavor of Kung Pao Chicken, you should not. This is the most authentic way, straight from Sichuan. However, you can play around with similar substitute ingredients such as dried peppers, black pepper, fresh peppers, bell pepper, and red pepper flakes. Or if you want to change it up a bit, you can add green onions, corn starch, dry sherry, sliced ​​carrots, and arrowroot powder.

Absolutely, this easy Kung Pao chicken is a perfect choice for you to show off your talent at home. Just follow the recipe I showed above, and you can taste the famous Chinese Kung Pao Chicken. I spent a lot of time and money to learn this amazing formula. Now it's yours, 100% FREE. So, save this homemade Kung Pao stir fry recipe and throw it in the kitchen immediately!

You can use the recipe I showed above to make kung pao sauce. The ingredients to make kung pao sauce are usually easy to find and almost all are available in your beautiful kitchen. If you are someone who likes super spicy flavors, you can add more chili peppers when you fry, not inside the sauce.

General Tso's Chicken is sweeter and usually deep-fried, while Kung Pao Chicken is spicier and stir-fried with veggies.

Chinese people enjoy Kung Pao Chicken for its bold flavors, satisfying texture, and versatility. It's a popular dish that offers a balance of spicy, savory, and slightly sweet flavors, making it appealing to many palates. Kung Pao Chicken is also extremely easy to cook, so it's a great choice for busy people. Its combination of tender chicken, crunchy peanuts, and vibrant vegetables makes it a delicious and satisfying choice for any meal. Overall, Chinese people enjoy Kung Pao Chicken for its delicious taste and bring people together.

Kung Pao Chicken is mildly spicy. It looks spicy but it's actually not. The dried Sichuan chilies are fiery red but are really not that spicy at all. Just don't eat them! They are too dry and not really meant to be eaten. They just infuse some of their spiciness into the oil when you're cooking them.

This is pretty necessary for this dish. But if you're not used to the mouth numbing aroma of Sichuan peppercorns, you can skip them entirely. Personally, I think they are amazing! You can find them at most Asian supermarkets, or from my friends over at the Mala Market

Rice vinegar is a type of vinegar made from fermented rice. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavor compared to other types of vinegar, such as white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Rice vinegar is commonly used in Asian cuisine, particularly in dishes like sushi rice, salad dressings, marinades, and sauces. However, for this recipe, you can use Sichuan baoning vinegar, it's the much more authentic way. 

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