Kung Pao Chicken
A takeout favorite for good reason! Kung pao chicken is pan-fried to crispy perfection and coated in a spicy, savory sauce that will leave you wanting more. Once you try making it from scratch, you won’t want it any other way!
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 ½ cups cornstarch
- 3 eggs beaten
- ¼ cup vegetable oil divided
Kung pao sauce
- 1 dried red chili pepper minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chinkiang vinegar
- 1 tablespoon red chili paste
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Stir fry
- 1 large red bell pepper sliced
- 1 large green bell pepper sliced
- ¼ cup dried red chilis roughly chopped
- ¼ cup peanuts roughly chopped
- ¼ cup green onions chopped
Instructions
- Season the chopped chicken with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Place cornstarch and beaten eggs into two separate bowls. Dip the seasoned chicken into the cornstarch, then coat in the egg mixture.
- Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the battered chicken to the pan. You may need to work in batches to avoid crowding the pan.
- Fry the chicken. Tossing and turning every few minutes to evenly brown the chicken on each side for about 8-10 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce by whisking together the minced red chili pepper, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, Chinkiang vinegar, and red chili paste.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and water to make a cornstarch slurry and set aside.
- Once all the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan and set aside. Add more of the oil to the pan and add in the sliced bell peppers, as well as the chopped red chilies. Saute the vegetables until they begin to soften and brown.
- Add the chicken back to the skillet and pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Stir fry the chicken and vegetables in the kung pao sauce for 4-5 minutes.
- Continue to cook until the sauce has thickened, stirring continually to coat all the chicken and vegetables evenly.
- Remove the pan from heat. Serve the kung pao chicken over rice and garnish with peanuts and green onions.
Nutrition
Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 179mg | Sodium: 598mg | Potassium: 825mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1055IU | Vitamin C: 68mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg
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