Chinese Cuisine
Kung Pao Chicken
A classic Sichuan-style stir-fry featuring tender chicken, crunchy peanuts, carrots, and cucumber tossed in a savory, slightly sweet, and mildly spicy sauce. Perfect served over steamed rice.
- Total
- 30 minutes
Quick Recipe Summary
- Cuisine
- Chinese
- Category
- Chinese Cuisine
- Method
- Stir-fry
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Main Ingredient
- Chicken Breast
About This Recipe
A classic Sichuan-style stir-fry featuring tender chicken, crunchy peanuts, carrots, and cucumber tossed in a savory, slightly sweet, and mildly spicy sauce. Perfect served over steamed rice.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ready in about 30 minutes, so it can fit into a busy cooking day.
- Breaks the method into manageable steps instead of assuming you already know the technique.
- Helpful for practicing timing, heat control, and the order of adding ingredients.
- Shows a practical way to cook chicken with clear preparation and cooking cues.
- Gives the dish a clear sweet and spicy flavor profile without making the method feel complicated.
Ingredients
- 1 piece Chicken Breast
- 1/2 piece Carrot
- 1 handful Peanuts
- 1/2 piece Cucumber
- 1 stalk Green Onion
- 15 g Ginger
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Pixian Doubanjiang
- 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp White Pepper
- As needed Cooking Oil
- 1 tbsp Cooking Wine
- To taste Salt
- 1/4 tsp Chicken Bouillon Powder
Ingredient Notes
These notes explain the role of the main ingredients so the recipe is easier to adjust.
Chicken Breast
Chicken adapts well to quick stir-fries, steaming, soups, and soy-based braises.
Carrot
Vegetables bring texture and freshness; cut them evenly so they cook or ferment at a similar pace.
handful Peanuts
This ingredient helps define the flavor, texture, or structure of the dish.
Cucumber
This ingredient helps define the flavor, texture, or structure of the dish.
Ingredients & Techniques Used in This Recipe
These guides explain the key sauces, ingredients, and cooking techniques used in this recipe, so you can understand the dish instead of only following steps.
Sauce
Doubanjiang
Fermented chili bean paste that gives Sichuan dishes savory heat and depth.
Sauce
Shaoxing Wine
Chinese cooking wine used in marinades, stir-fries, braises, and sauces.
Sauce
Oyster Sauce
A savory sauce for glossy stir-fries, vegetables, marinades, and meat dishes.
Sauce
Light Soy Sauce
The everyday soy sauce for salt, umami, marinades, and stir-fry seasoning.
Ingredient
Sichuan Peppercorn
The citrusy, numbing spice behind many Sichuan dishes.
Technique
How to Stir Fry Properly
Learn heat control, ingredient order, sauce timing, and quick wok cooking.
Technique
Velveting
A Chinese technique for keeping sliced meat, chicken, shrimp, and beef tender.
Technique
How to Steam Chinese Food
Understand Chinese steaming for fish, eggs, tofu, buns, and vegetables.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Prepare the chicken breast, cucumber, peanuts, carrot, green onion, ginger, and garlic.
Step 2
Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized cubes. Dice the cucumber and carrot.
Step 3
Blanch the carrots briefly until slightly tender. Fry the peanuts in a small amount of oil until fragrant and crisp.
Step 4
Season the chicken cubes with salt, sugar, white pepper, chicken bouillon powder, light soy sauce, and cornstarch. Mix thoroughly to coat.
Step 5
Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to the marinated chicken and mix well.
Step 6
Prepare the sauce by combining light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and water in a small bowl.
Step 7
Heat oil in a wok and stir-fry the chicken until fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
Step 8
Leave a small amount of oil in the wok. Add Pixian doubanjiang and cook until the red oil releases. Stir in the green onion, ginger, and garlic until fragrant.
Step 9
Return the chicken to the wok and add the carrots, cucumber, and peanuts. Stir-fry to combine.
Step 10
Pour in the prepared sauce and cook for about 1 minute until everything is evenly coated.
Step 11
Serve hot with steamed rice.
Cooking Tips
- Marinating the chicken with cornstarch and oil helps keep it tender and juicy. For a more authentic Sichuan flavor, add dried red chilies and Sichuan peppercorns during stir-frying. Blanching the carrots beforehand ensures they cook evenly without overcooking the other ingredients.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve it with steamed rice when you want a simple Chinese home-cooked meal.
- Add a light soup or cold vegetable side if the stir-fry is salty, spicy, or saucy.
- Keep rice or noodles ready before cooking because stir-fries are best served immediately.
Recipe Card
A classic Sichuan-style stir-fry featuring tender chicken, crunchy peanuts, carrots, and cucumber tossed in a savory, slightly sweet, and mildly spicy sauce. Perfect served over steamed rice.
Ingredients
- 1 piece Chicken Breast
- 1/2 piece Carrot
- 1 handful Peanuts
- 1/2 piece Cucumber
- 1 stalk Green Onion
- 15 g Ginger
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Pixian Doubanjiang
- 2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp White Pepper
- As needed Cooking Oil
- 1 tbsp Cooking Wine
- To taste Salt
- 1/4 tsp Chicken Bouillon Powder
Method
- Prepare the chicken breast, cucumber, peanuts, carrot, green onion, ginger, and garlic.
- Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized cubes. Dice the cucumber and carrot.
- Blanch the carrots briefly until slightly tender. Fry the peanuts in a small amount of oil until fragrant and crisp.
- Season the chicken cubes with salt, sugar, white pepper, chicken bouillon powder, light soy sauce, and cornstarch. Mix thoroughly to coat.
- Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil to the marinated chicken and mix well.
- Prepare the sauce by combining light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and water in a small bowl.
- Heat oil in a wok and stir-fry the chicken until fully cooked. Remove and set aside.
- Leave a small amount of oil in the wok. Add Pixian doubanjiang and cook until the red oil releases. Stir in the green onion, ginger, and garlic until fragrant.
- Return the chicken to the wok and add the carrots, cucumber, and peanuts. Stir-fry to combine.
- Pour in the prepared sauce and cook for about 1 minute until everything is evenly coated.
- Serve hot with steamed rice.
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