Kung Pao Chicken

This is the real Sichuan classic, gong bao ji ding: velveted chicken cubes stir-fried fast with dried chillies, mouth-tingling Sichuan peppercorns and toasted peanuts, bound in a glossy sweet, sour and savoury sauce. It's punchy but balanced, and quicker than any takeaway.

Kung Pao is Sichuan’s most famous chicken dish, and the magic is in the balance: heat from dried chillies, a lip-tingling buzz from Sichuan peppercorns, and a sauce that hits sweet, sour and savoury all at once. Velveting the chicken keeps it silky, and everything cooks in minutes, so get your sauce and aromatics ready before the wok goes on.

Ingredients

• 500g boneless skinless chicken thighs — cut into 2cm cubes; breast also works
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine — for the chicken; dry sherry is a fine sub
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce — for the chicken
• 3 tsp cornflour — 2 tsp for the chicken, 1 tsp for the sauce
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce — for the sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce — for colour
• 1 tbsp Chinkiang black rice vinegar — specialist item; balsamic loosened with rice vinegar works
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 8 dried red chillies — snipped, seeds shaken out for less heat
• 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns — specialist item; black peppercorns lack the tingle but will do
• 4 garlic cloves — finely sliced
• 3cm fresh ginger — peeled and finely sliced
• 4 spring onions — whites cut into chunks, greens sliced
• 80g roasted unsalted peanuts

Method

1. Toss the chicken cubes with the Shaoxing wine, 1 tbsp light soy and 2 tsp cornflour until evenly coated. Leave to sit while you prep everything else; this velveting keeps the meat tender.
2. Make the sauce: in a small bowl stir together the 2 tbsp light soy, dark soy, Chinkiang vinegar, caster sugar, remaining 1 tsp cornflour and 2 tbsp water until smooth. Set it by the hob with all your aromatics, as the stir-fry moves fast.
3. Warm a dry wok over medium heat and toast the Sichuan peppercorns for about a minute until fragrant, then tip out and lightly crush. Return the wok to high heat with 3 tbsp neutral oil.
4. Add the dried chillies and crushed peppercorns and stir for 10-15 seconds until the chillies darken and smell toasty, but don't let them blacken or they turn bitter.
5. Add the chicken in a single layer and leave for a minute to colour, then stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until golden and cooked through with no pink in the middle.
6. Add the garlic, ginger and spring onion whites and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Give the sauce a stir, pour it in and toss for a minute until it thickens to a glossy coat.
7. Stir through the peanuts and spring onion greens, toss once more so everything is piping hot, and serve straight away over steamed rice.

Serve it with

• Steamed jasmine rice
• Stir-fried pak choi with garlic
• Egg-fried rice
• Smacked cucumber salad
• Chinese greens in oyster sauce

Why this works

Toasting the Sichuan peppercorns and chillies in hot oil first infuses the whole dish with their aroma, while the cornflour in the sauce grips the chicken in a glossy sheen rather than a watery puddle.

Common swaps

• Use chicken breast for a leaner version, cooking a touch less to keep it juicy
• Swap peanuts for toasted cashews
• For no nuts, use toasted sesame seeds and finish with a drizzle of sesame oil
• Firm tofu cubes in place of chicken make a vegetarian version
• Chinkiang vinegar can be replaced with balsamic loosened with a splash of rice vinegar

Common mistakes to avoid

• Crowding the wok so the chicken steams instead of searing; cook in two batches if your pan is small
• Burning the dried chillies, which makes the whole dish acrid; pull them back the moment they darken
• Skipping the cornflour slurry, leaving a thin sauce that slides off the chicken
• Adding the peanuts too early so they go soft; stir them in right at the end

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Cool quickly and keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezing: Freezes well for up to 2 months; the peanuts soften slightly, so add a fresh handful when reheating for crunch.

Reheating: Reheat in a hot wok or frying pan with a splash of water until piping hot throughout, adding fresh peanuts to bring back the crunch.

Allergen notes: contains Soya, Nuts, Gluten. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.