Kung pao chicken

Why kung pao is a beloved Chinese chicken dish

Why is kung pao chicken so popular? It all comes down to its aromatic flavours. Kung pao chicken ingredients are made up of mini cubed chicken tossed in a spicy, sweet and vinegary sauce that traditionally features Shaoxing wine, Sichuan peppercorns and dried chillies. It is delicious! 

Kung pao chicken hails from the Sichuan province of China. Sichuan cuisine is known for its use of mouth-numbing peppers and sweet and sour flavours. This dish is a popular family-style meal in many provinces in China. Each province has put their spin on it. Guizhou’s sauce includes a fermented chilli paste, while Shandong’s includes walnuts and isn’t spicy. 

Did you know that this dish has been around since the 1800s? Kung Pao was the title given to palace guardians in the Qing Dynasty, and one of these guardians, whose last name was Ding, is said to have inspired the dish’s name, Kung Pao Ji Ding.

This straightforward, easy-to-follow recipe is perfect for a comforting weeknight dinner at home. Your only complaint will be that there isn’t more of it! For more recipes inspired by the delicious flavours of this traditional cuisine, see our collection of easy Chinese recipes. 

Getting the right texture for your spicy chicken stir-fry: the velveting technique

Have you noticed that the proteins in Chinese stir-fries are usually super tender? You can do this with a technique called ‘velveting’, which involves mixing the chicken cubes in a marinade containing cornstarch and setting them aside for around 10-15 minutes before cooking them on high heat. Usually, you would cook the proteins quickly in either oil or boiling water, but in this recipe, you will place the marinated chicken pieces straight into a hot oven. This technique seals in moisture by creating a coating around each piece of chicken so that you end up with tender, velvety baked chicken. Velveting is great, especially if you choose to use chicken breast instead of thigh because it keeps it nice and juicy.  

If you prefer, you can leave the chicken in the cornstarch marinade overnight in the fridge. It is best to place it in an airtight container so it doesn’t become dry.

Tips for baking the chicken for this kung pao chicken recipe

Usually, the chicken is stir-fried, but this game-changing recipe for kung pao chicken shows you how to achieve tender chicken and phenomenal flavour by using an oven. Oven-baking has many benefits. Marinated chicken tends to stick to the bottom of the frying pan and the marinade can get burnt if you’re still a newbie at stir-frying. Baking is perfect for beginners because you get all the punchy flavours while also achieving a moist, braised texture. Baking also adds a roasted flavour to the sauce, which is helpful, especially because this recipe does not include toasted dried chillies like in traditional recipes.

Inspired to cook more chicken meals? Our line-up of winning chicken dinner recipes includes chicken breast recipes, chicken thigh recipes and chicken mince recipes that'll become fast favourites. 

What's in kung pao sauce?

Besides nailing the texture of the chicken, the kung pao chicken sauce needs to taste right for a dish to proudly bear that name. The traditional kung pao sauce from Sichuan includes Sichuan peppercorns, which are toasted and then ground into a powder. This powder is tossed into the sauce to give a slight tingling sensation and citrus-like zing. Dried chillies are also toasted in oil before the rest of the sauce ingredients are added to the wok.

Instead of hunting for Sichuan peppercorns and dried chillies, dried chilli flakes work well too and can be easily found in your local Coles supermarket.

Sourness is a key flavour in kung pao. Usually, you would use Chinese rice wine vinegar, but it is perfectly fine to use the Japanese version instead or even red wine vinegar if you have to. Different people prefer different levels of tang. If you want your sauce to be a bit more tart, replace the tablespoon of rice wine vinegar with 1 teaspoon of black vinegar, plus 2 teaspoons of rice wine vinegar.

Chinese cooking wine, called Shaoxing wine, is another crucial ingredient in your sauce. It imparts a sharp, caramel-like and slightly spicy flavour, and can be replaced with dry sherry if necessary. 

What can you serve with this Chinese chicken recipe?

Once you’ve taken the chicken out of the oven, toss through toasted or roasted peanuts or cashews. If you’re toasting the nuts yourself, stir them continuously for 1-2 minutes in a small amount of oil in a pan over medium heat. Keep stirring for a minute more after turning the heat off, then take off the heat and let them cool down completely. 

Serve the chicken alongside some sliced spring onion, minced coriander or thinly sliced daikon radish, which all add brightness to each mouthful.

Some carbs you can serve your chicken with are fried rice, tomato rice, garlic rice, pineapple fried rice and noodles. See our round-up of best noodle recipes and choose something to twirl your fork or chopsticks into. 

Planning to serve this dish up as part of a celebratory banquet? Check out our collection of Lunar New Year recipes to complete your menu. 

Beverages that go best with kung pao’s flavours include cold tea (sweetened or unsweetened), hot Chinese tea or green tea, and cold Chinese sweet herbal tea (called Wong Lo Kat). Alternatively, a chilled cola will also hit the spot!