Kung Pao Chicken
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats, NYT Cooking and America's Test Kitchen.
Velveted chicken thigh is stir-fried hard with dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorns and peanuts in a sweet-sour soy sauce.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Velvet the chicken. Mix the chicken with the soy sauce, cornflour and water, and leave for 15-30 minutes. This light starch coating protects the meat during fierce heat, keeping it silky, and helps the finished sauce cling.
- 2
Mix the sauce. Stir the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
- 3
Toast the chillies and peppercorns. Heat the wok over high heat until smoking, then add the oil and swirl. Take it off the heat if very hot, add the dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns, and stir for 15-20 seconds until the chillies darken a shade and smell toasty - stop before they turn black, as burnt chillies turn bitter.
- 4
Sear and stir-fry the chicken. Return the wok to high heat, add the chicken and spread it out, leaving it for 1 minute to sear before stir-frying for 3-4 minutes until no pink remains and it reaches 74°C.
- 5
Add aromatics and sauce. Add the garlic, ginger and spring onion whites and stir for 30-60 seconds. Stir the sauce again, pour it in, and toss for 30-60 seconds until glossy and thickened.
- 6
Finish and serve. Take off the heat and toss through the peanuts and spring onion greens. Serve immediately with rice.
Storage
Keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in a hot wok or pan until piping hot (74°C), as the peanuts will soften if reheated in a microwave. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Why this label?
34.7 g protein for 411 kcal = 8.4 g per 100 kcal, so protein gives about 34% of the energy. High Protein needs at least 20% (5 g per 100 kcal), the condition in the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
EU nutrition claims
- Low sugars: 2.5 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 170 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
3 g per serving
6 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 12 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- wok (35 cm) or large frying pan (30 cm)
- wok spatula
- 2 small bowls
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 411 kcal |
| Protein | 34.7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 12.1 g |
| of which sugars | 4.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 25 g |
| of which saturates | 3.7 g |
| Fibre | 2.3 g |
| Salt | 1.92 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
8.4 g meets High Protein (≥ 5 g, 20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
