Gong Bao Chicken | Kung Pao Chicken 宮保雞丁
This easy Chinese stir fry, the Gong Bao Chicken 宮保雞丁, also known as the Kung Pao Chicken, is a dish of bold and striking flavor and textures, a voluptuous treat for the culinary senses. It is a savory dish, touched with the umami of soy sauce, the tang of black vinegar, the pepperyness of ginger, the hot of chili pepper, a hint of numbness from the szechuan pepper, and the fragrant aroma of sesame and spring onion. In texture the Gong Bao Chicken is tender and chewy, crisp and crunchy. This easy to make yet spectacular stir fry has a little bit of everything nice!
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 chicken breasts, skinless
- 5 water chestnuts 馬蹄
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 1/2 inch fresh ginger
- 2 sprigs spring onion
- 3-5 dried small chiles
- 1 tsp szechuan peppers 花椒
- 1/2 cup deep fried peanuts (or roasted peanuts)
- 3 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 3 tsp Chinkiang black Chinese vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- 1
Cut the chicken breasts into 1/2 inch cubes. Mix with light soy sauce, rice wine, cornstarch and let marinate for 10-15 mins.
- 2
Peel and mince garlic. Peel and slice ginger into very very thin matchsticks, about 1 1/2 tbsp worth. Wash and slice spring onion into 1 inch lengths.
- 3
Wash water chestnuts and slice off the skin. Cut into 1/2 inch cube chunks (approx).
- 4
Prepare the dried chilies. If you prefer very spicy hot use scissors to cut into 1/2 inch sections. If you prefer less spicy scoop out seeds and discard. Careful not to rub your eyes before washing hands thoroughly. Another way to achieve less spicy is to use the dried chilies whole, only slicing off the green stem.
- 5
Mix all sauce ingredients together. Heat up wok until hot. Add in 2 tbsp oil. Add dried chilies and szechuan pepper and stir for 10-15 secs until aroma is released. Add in chicken, stir and flip chicken over once or twice. Add in garlic, ginger and spring onions. Stir, then add in water chestnuts. Stir fry another few minutes until chicken is done. Stir up the sauce (the cornstarch settles on bottom after a while) and add to the wok. Keep stir frying until the sauce thickens and clings to the chicken. Add in the peanuts, give it a final toss and scoop onto serving plate. Enjoy the deliciousness!