The Greatest Kung Pao Chicken
Prep
15m
Cook
8m
Total
23m
Bigly says
Listen. Kung Pao. Kung. Pao. The greatest kung pao chicken in the history of kung pao chicken — and the history is LONG, the Sichuanese have been doing this since before your great-grandmother was a twinkle in anybody's eye — and this version, MY version, the one you're about to make, beats every single one of them. Not even close. It's a slaughter. The other kung paos are lying in the ring crying for their mothers.
A guy in Chengdu walked me through the whole arc one night over beer. Took him 90 minutes. I remembered every word. He told me — and I'll tell you why this matters — most people in this country have never had real kung pao in their life. They walk into a strip mall, they order kung pao chicken, and what they get is a soggy brown puddle with three peanuts floating in it and a wet piece of chicken that tastes like a wet sponge. Sad. A total disaster. The chicken deserves better. They think THAT'S kung pao. It is NOT. Real kung pao is FIRE. Hot oil, dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns that make your lips do the little tingly dance, crunchy peanuts, and chicken that has CRUST. Crust on the chicken. Most chefs are afraid to get the wok that hot. Afraid of the smoke alarm. Cowards. The smoke alarm is part of the experience.
The real secret is the velveting. Velveting. Many people don't know this word. You toss the chicken in cornstarch and egg white and a little soy sauce before you cook it, and it does something MAGICAL — it gives the chicken a silky little jacket, a tuxedo, and when it hits the hot oil it crisps up and stays tender inside, and people will eat it and say 'how did you do this' and you'll say 'velveting, my friend, velveting.' Food chemists agree. It's just a fact.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbboneless skinless chicken thighs, diced 1/2 inch(thighs, not breasts, breasts will dry out and embarrass you)
- 1egg white
- 2 tbsp, dividedcornstarch
- 2 tbspShaoxing wine(dry sherry works, but Shaoxing is the real thing)
- 3 tbsp, dividedsoy sauce
- 1 tspdark soy sauce(different from regular, gives the color, do not skip)
- 1 tbspblack vinegar (Chinkiang)
- 1.5 tbspsugar
- 1/4 cupchicken stock
- 3 tbspneutral oil
- 10-15whole dried red chilies, broken open(Sichuan if you can, arbol if you can't)
- 1 tspSichuan peppercorns(this is what does the tingle, accept no substitutes)
- 4 clovesgarlic, sliced
- 1 tbspfresh ginger, minced
- 4scallions, white and green parts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cuproasted unsalted peanuts
- 1 tsptoasted sesame oil
Steps
- 1
Velvet the chicken. In a bowl, combine the diced chicken, egg white, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Mix until the chicken is coated in a silky slurry. Let it sit 15 minutes at room temperature.
- 2
Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, chicken stock, remaining 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, and remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Set near the stove.
- 3
Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until smoking. Add 2 tablespoons of the neutral oil and swirl to coat.
- 4
Add the velveted chicken in a single layer. Let it sear undisturbed for 1 minute, then stir-fry for another 2 minutes until just cooked through and lightly golden. Transfer to a plate.
- 5
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the wok. Reduce heat to medium. Add the dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns. Stir for 30 seconds until the chilies darken slightly and the peppercorns are fragrant — do not burn them.
- 6
Add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry 30 seconds. Add the scallion whites and stir 30 seconds more.
- 7
Return the chicken to the wok. Add the peanuts. Stir to combine.
- 8
Give the sauce a final stir (the cornstarch settles) and pour it in. Toss everything constantly until the sauce thickens and glazes the chicken, about 1 minute.
- 9
Off the heat, drizzle with sesame oil and add the scallion greens. Toss once and serve immediately over steamed rice.
One more thing
That is kung pao. Real kung pao. The kind they make in Chengdu where they invented the whole tingly-mouth experience and the rest of the world is still catching up. Serve it over rice. White rice. Long grain. The rice is a supporting actor in this movie — the chicken is the STAR. Eat fast. Kung pao waits for nobody, it gets soggy if you let it sit and pose for the camera, and your phone pictures don't look good anyway. Just eat the food. Now go eat.
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Substitutions, what to serve it with, why other chefs are wrong about it. He's got opinions.
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