宮保鶏丁 (Kung Pao Chicken / Stir-Fried Chicken with Peanuts and Chilli) / China

What kind of dish is this?

This is a dish from Sichuan, China, made with fried chicken, peanuts and Sichuan chilies.
It is very popular all over the world.

Name

The name comes from Ding Baozhen, a high-ranking government official from Guizhou province.
・宮保＝Title based on Ding Baozhen’s Position.
・鶏＝Chicken
・丁＝diced

History

In the 19th century, a young boy named Ding Baozhen fell into a river and nearly drowned.
A passerby rescued him.
Decades later, as a high-ranking government official, Ding Baozhen went to visit the man who had saved him as a boy.
The dish he was served was this dish of fried chicken, peanuts and chillies.
He was so fond of this dish that he started serving it to his visitors and it has become known all over Sichuan as Ding Baozhen Chicken, or Kung Pao Chicken.
It is now a dish loved not only in China, but all over the world.

Others

There are many variations of this dish.
Sichuan pepper
Roasted peanuts
Shaoxing wine (or sherry)
These are the three most important ingredients.
With these three, you’ll enjoy the traditional flavors.

Thoughts

This dish is just spicy because of the Szechuan chillies.
But it’s delicious. But it’s still spicy.
By the way, if you substitute peanuts for cashews and Sichuan pepper for black pepper, you get a less spicy dish called Cashew Chicken(腰果鶏丁).
This dish originated in Springfield, Missouri in the U.S. and was adapted for the U.S. by a chef who emigrated from China to the United States.

Recipe of Kung Pao Chicken

Local recipe

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Marinade

• 400 g chicken breast / bite size
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing or Sherry
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Sauce

• 1 tbsp black vinegar
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Hoisin sauce or oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp Sichuan pepper in powder form
• 4 tbsp water

Stir fry

• 2 tbsp peanut oil
• Free Sichuan pepper
• 15 g garlic
• 15 g ginger
• Free roasted peanuts
• Free green onion

Instructions

 

• In a bowl, marinate the chicken, soy sauce, Shaoxing, and cornstarch in a bowl. About 10 minutes.
• In another bowl, combine black vinegar, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, Sichuan pepper in powder form and water. Mix well.
• In a frying pan, stir fry the Sichuan pepper in peanut oil over medium heat.
• Add the chicken. Stir fry.
• Add garlic and ginger. Stir fry.
• Add number 2. Stir-fry.
• Add peanuts and green onion. Stir-fry.

  Finish.

Keyword chicken, soy sauce