Kung Pao Chicken: The Ultimate Wok For Dinner

By Aanchal Mathur

This one is a stir-fried chicken with the perfect combination of salty, sweet and spicy flavour! A highly addictive one! 

Ingredients

For chicken 800g boneless chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes 1 tbsp dry sherry 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp corn flour

Ingredients

Sauce: 1/2 cup chicken stock 5 tbsp light soy sauce 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 tbsp dry sherry 2 tsp dark soy sauce 2 tsp hoisin sauce 2 tbsp sugar 1 tsp corn flour

Ingredients

Stir Fry: 4 tbsp cooking oil divided 1 1/2 tbsp garlic (4-6 cloves) 1 tbsp ginger 1/2 red bell pepper (capsicum) seeded and diced 1/2 green bell pepper (capsicum) seeded and diced 8-10 dried chilies cut into ½-inch pieces   1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns 4 green onion / scallion stems cut into 1-inch pieces 1/2 cup roasted/unsalted peanuts 2 tsp sesame oil optional 

Step 1

Combine all ingredients for the chicken in a shallow bowl; cover and marinate for 10 minutes. Whisk sauce ingredients together until sugar dissolves; set aside. 

Step 2

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil, allow to heat up, then add marinated chicken.

Step 3

Fry chicken for 3-4 minutes while occasionally stirring, until edges are browned. Remove from heat and set aside. 

Step 4

Add remaining cooking oil into the same wok. Stir in garlic, ginger, diced (capsicums) and Sichuan peppercorns and stir fry for 1 minute.

Step 5

Give the prepared sauce a mix, then pour it into the pan and bring it to a boil while stirring.

Step 6

Once it begins to thicken slightly, add chicken back into the pan/wok and mix all of the ingredients through the sauce until the chicken is evenly coated and sauce has thickened. 

Step 7

Stir in green onions, peanuts and sesame oil. Toss well and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes to infuse all of the flavours together. Serve immediately with steamed rice or fried rice.