Recipe Background
You know we have to say it... this is the Best Kung Pao Chicken out there. Like, it's truly better than any takeout you can get anywhere! The juicy chunks of chicken, crunchy peanuts, and fresh celery pieces are soaked in a savory, tangy sauce that tastes so terrific atop a bed of fluffy white rice. Stay in and make the Best Kung Pao Chicken ever! You'll be glad you did!
You know we have to say it... this is the Best Kung Pao Chicken out there. Like, it's truly better than any takeout you can get anywhere! The juicy chunks of chicken, crunchy peanuts, and fresh celery pieces are soaked in a savory, tangy sauce that tastes so terrific atop a bed of fluffy white rice. Stay in and make the Best Kung Pao Chicken ever! You'll be glad you did!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted raw peanuts
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil divided
- 5 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce divided
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 teaspoons Shaoxing (Chinese rice wine) or sherry vinegar
- 2 (1.25-pound) chicken breasts boneless and skinless, halved and cut into 3/4-inch-thick pieces
- 4 teaspoons Chinese black vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns coarsely crushed
- 15 small dried chiles such as Szechuan or Arbol, broken in half and stems and seeds discarded
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 stalks celery sliced on the bias into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
- 4 scallions sliced into 1/2-inch-long pieces
- white rice to taste, cooked and warm, for serving
Directions
- Heat a large cast-iron skillet or wok over medium heat.
- Add the peanuts and 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil to the heated skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peanuts are fragrant and golden-brown, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the toasted peanuts to a clean plate.
- In a medium bowl, add 3 tablespoons of the soy sauce, the cornstarch, and the Shaoxing and whisk to combine.
- Stir the chicken pieces into the soy sauce mixture and let them marinate at room temperature, about 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, add the Chinese black vinegar, the remaining soy sauce, the sesame oil, and the brown sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Set the sauce mixture aside.
- In the same cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add the remaining peanut oil.
- Add the peppercorns and the chiles to the heated oil and cook, stirring frequently, until the chiles are blistered in places, about 1 minute.
- Add the garlic to the chile mixture and cook, about 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken mixture to the chile mixture and stir to coat. Spread the pieces out in an even layer.
- Cover the cast-iron skillet and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the chicken mixture, undisturbed, until the chicken pieces begin to turn golden on the bottom but are not cooked through, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the sauce mixture and the celery to the chicken mixture and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring frequently, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and the sauce thickens and evenly coats the chicken pieces, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer the skillet from the heat and stir the toasted peanuts and the scallions into the chicken mixture.
- Serve the chicken mixture over the white rice.
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