Kung Pao Chicken Stir Fry
Created by ForeverMama on January 19, 2025
- Servings: 4
- Prep Time: 30m
- Cook Time: 20m
- Recipe #44075
Ingredients
- Chicken and Sauce
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/4 cup tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white or black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black or rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek or chile-garlic paste
- Stir-Fry
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 2 medium bell peppers, large dice
- 2 celery stalks, medium, thinly sliced on a slight diagonal
- Kosher salt
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, fresh, peeled and minced (from a 1-inch piece)
- 1/2 cup peanuts, roasted
- 2 scallions, medium, thinly sliced (optional)
- Steamed rice, for serving (optional)
How to Make
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Marinate the Chicken
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Step 1: Place the chicken in a medium bowl. Place the tamari or soy sauce, wine or sherry, cornstarch, sesame oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the mixture over the chicken and toss to combine; set the chicken aside.
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Make the Sauce
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Step 2: Add the vinegar, sugar, and sambal to the remaining marinade and whisk until the sugar is dissolved; set this sauce aside.
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Step 3: Stir-fry the vegetables and aromatics. Heat a flat-bottomed wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat until very hot (a flick of water should sizzle and evaporate right away), about 2 minutes. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of the oil, add the bell peppers and celery, and season with salt. Stir-fry with a metal spatula until crisp-tender and browned in spots, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate.
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Stir-fry the Chicken
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Step 4: Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil into the pan. Add the chicken and spread into an even layer. Let cook undisturbed until golden-brown and seared on the bottom, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir-fry until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more.
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Step 5: Return the vegetables to the pan and stir-fry with the sauce. Add the reserved vegetables and peanuts to the pan. Re-whisk the reserved sauce to dissolve the cornstarch. Pour into the pan and stir-fry until the sauce thickens, is glossy, and evenly coats everything in the pan, about 1 minute more. Sprinkle with the scallions if using and serve immediately with rice.
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Step 6: Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Nutritional Facts
- Serving Size: 1 (317.3 g)
- Calories 668.1
- Total Fat - 51.8 g
- Saturated Fat - 10.4 g
- Cholesterol - 166.7 mg
- Sodium - 1569.9 mg
- Total Carbohydrate - 16.7 g
- Dietary Fiber - 3.8 g
- Sugars - 6.3 g
- Protein - 35.3 g
- Calcium - 86 mg
- Iron - 2.9 mg
- Vitamin C - 78.4 mg
- Thiamin - 0.2 mg