Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken

   October 16, 2018       Lyn Alina

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Kung Pao chicken is one of the most popular Chinese dish. It is basically a stir-fried chicken chunks loaded with bell peppers and roasted nuts and flooded with super mouthwatering sweet, salty and spicy dark soy sauce.

Kung pao chicken recipe is originally from the Sichuan province of south western China. The taste of the dish are varied for different regions and they are usually less spicy compared to the original Sichuan serving.On top of being more spicy, the original Sichuan kung pao chicken is also added with Shaoxing rice wine to enhance the marinade flavors of the chicken.

Kung pao chicken is a perfect for lunch and dinner take away for Chinese cuisine's lover. However, for better option, why spend your money for takeout when you can prepare'em yourselves for a healthier version to skip away those calories?

This recipe is not only delicious, but is also requires simple preparation. The secret of the deliciousness of kung pao chicken lies in the kung pao sauce. It is the heart of kung pao chicken. The secret ingredient of the sauce which gives the sweet, salty and vinegary is the combination of soy sauce, dark soy sauce, a little bit of sugar, cornstarch and vinegar of your choice.  while the spiciness comes from the dried red chillies stir-fried.

The recipe that I will share with you today is very simple edition of kung pao chicken, with lesser ingredients, because I used to prepare dish with whatever ingredients available in my kitchen. Eheh..

AND the best thing is to lower the calorie loads from the thick, dark and the sweetness of the kung pao sauce.

Lets go through this simply amazing kung pao chicken recipe.

The Ingredients:

For chicken marinade:

1 boneless & skinless chicken breast (cut into small cubes)
1 tablespoon of corn flour
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
1 clove of garlic (crush)

For kung pao sauce:

2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce (I don't have any so I replace with oyster sauce)
a pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons of water
a pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (or vinegar of your choice)
1 teaspoon of corn flour

For stir fry:

1 cm of ginger (mince)
1 1/2 cloves of garlic (mince)
6 dried red chillies (cut into halves)
oil for stir fry

Additional ingredients:

2 tablespoons of roasted cashew nuts
1/2 capsicum (cut into small cubes)
1 stalk scallion (cut into 1 inch rings) - I didn't have any, so I didn't put

Methods:

1. First, you need to prepare for the chicken marinade. Cut the chicken into small cubes and marinade with corn flour, soy sauce and a clove of garlic for additional flavor. Let the chicken marinated for at least 30 minutes. (I prepared the dish for my hubby's next day lunch box, so I let the chicken marinated overnight in fridge). 
2. Mix the kung pao sauce in a bowl and set aside.
3. To prepare the roasted cashew nuts, you can spread the nuts in a baking try and bake in oven for about 2-5 minutes with 180'C. Another way is to fry the nuts in a frying pan without oil for a while until your nuts cooked and slightly brownish in color.
4. Heat up your wok over high heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken marinate and stir fry for 3 to 4 minutes until the chicken edges are browned. Remove the chicken from heat and set aside.
5. Add another 1 tablespoon of oil and using the same wok, stir fry garlic,ginger and red dried chillies until the garlic turned brownish. Add in capsicum and continue to stir fry for another 1 minute.
6. Pour over the kung pao sauce mix and bring it to boil.
7. Add in the chicken when the sauce starts to thicken.
8. Lastly add in roasted cashew nuts and scallion. Stir well so that the flavor for all the ingredients fuse together.
9. Serve immediately!

NOTES:

# Each soy sauce has different taste and function. I didn't put dark soy sauce in my kung pao chicken that's why the color of the dish is slightly pale compared to the usual color of the dish. The dark soy sauce is thicker, sweeter and saltier and it enhances the color of the dish.

# You may skip the calorie from the soy sauce by reducing the quantity added in your kung pao chicken. The soy sauce itself is already sweet and salty in flavor, so be careful in using additional salt and sugar. 

# To make your kung pao chicken more colorful, you may mix the green capsicum with the red and yellow one, so your dish will be more appealing.

This recipe is perfect for 2 servings, serves with warm rice. Enjoy!