Summary: Sichuan stir-fry of chicken thigh cut into cubes, marinated in soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and cornflour, then cooked over the highest heat with dried chillies, Sichuan pepper, peanut and vegetables. The sauce is mixed in advance from light and dark soy, black rice vinegar, sugar and a little cornflour, so it goes in during the last minute and thickens on contact with the hot pan. Dry-fried peanuts go in at the very end and stay crunchy. Total time 45 minutes, base 6 servings.
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Category: Poultry · Chinese Cuisine
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Quick overview
- Dish: Kung Pao chicken – spicy Sichuan chicken with peanuts, chilli and a sweet-savoury sauce
- Category: Poultry, Chinese Cuisine
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Main ingredient: Boneless chicken thighs, 900 g (150 g per portion)
- Guide: 12 most famous Chinese dishes: traditional recipes from Chinese cuisine
- Total time: 45 minutes (30 minutes preparation + 15 minutes cooking), plus 20 minutes marinating
- Difficulty: Medium
- Servings: 6 (Portion weight: 287 g)
- Key technique: Velveting the chicken in cornflour and stir-frying in two rounds over the highest heat
- Method types: Stir-frying, frying, reducing a sauce
- Dietary info & allergens: soy, peanuts, gluten
- Great for: A quick weeknight dinner, anyone who likes heat, batch cooking, a rice bowl for lunch the next day
- Nutrition (per portion): 478 kcal, Protein: 36.0 g, Fat: 27.8 g, Carbohydrates: 20.9 g
- Storage: 3 days in the fridge, 1 month in the freezer
- Pairing: Jasmine tea, light lager, dry Riesling
- In short: A marinated chicken, a sauce mixed before you switch on the hob and two rounds of stir-frying – three steps that decide whether the chicken stays juicy and the vegetables crunchy.
WAGUU says: “The wok must be hot before the chicken goes in and hot again before the vegetables follow. Cook them together and you steam both.”
Key facts
| Preparation time: | 30 minutes plus 20 minutes marinating |
| Cooking time: | 15 minutes |
| Temperature: | Wok at 200–220 °C, internal chicken temperature 74 °C |
| Servings: | 6 (portion weight 287 g) |
At a glance
Kung Pao rests on three things: cornflour, heat and timing. Cornflour seals the surface of the chicken so the juices stay inside while the outside browns; without it, the meat releases water into the pan and starts to stew. The chillies and Sichuan pepper are toasted in oil for no more than twenty seconds, enough to release their aroma but not to burn. The sauce is mixed in a glass beforehand because there is no time to measure anything once the wok is at temperature; cornflour thickens it within seconds of contact, so the sauce clings to the chicken instead of pooling at the bottom. Peanuts are added at the end, either dry-fried or roasted, so they keep their crunch.
Ingredients
Base servings: 6 • Portion weight: 287 g
| Ingredient | Quantity | Quality |
|---|---|---|
| boneless skinless chicken thighs | 900 g | fresh, trimmed of gristle and sinew |
| roasted unsalted peanuts | 120 g | shelled, no salt, no oil |
| dried chillies | 8 g | whole, stalks removed, medium heat |
| Sichuan pepper | 4 g | whole, toasted and ground before use |
| soy sauce | 60 ml | light, naturally fermented |
| dark soy sauce | 20 ml | sweet, for colour and gloss |
| Shaoxing rice wine | 40 ml | dry, for the marinade |
| black rice vinegar | 30 ml | dark, slightly sweet |
| caster sugar | 20 g | to balance the vinegar and soy sauce |
| cornflour | 30 g | for coating the chicken and thickening the sauce |
| peanut oil | 60 ml | for stir-frying, high smoke point |
| ginger | 25 g | fresh, sliced thinly |
| garlic | 20 g | fresh, sliced thinly |
| spring onions | 80 g | white part for stir-frying, green for finishing |
| green pepper | 200 g | firm, deseeded, cut into cubes |
| onion | 100 g | yellow, cut into thin wedges |
| fine sea salt | 4 g | for the marinade |
Why you will love this recipe
- On the table in 45 minutes: Marinating takes twenty minutes and you can prepare the vegetables during that time. The stir-frying itself takes four.
- Heat you control: The dried chillies flavour the oil, but their seeds do not have to reach the plate. Halve the amount for a gentler version.
- Exact quantities for 6 servings: 150 g of chicken per portion, 20 g of peanuts and 33 g of green pepper. Every amount matches the shopping list and the print view.
- Made for a hot pan: Cornflour coating, a sauce mixed in advance and separate rounds of frying keep the chicken juicy and the vegetables crisp.
Why it works: Chicken thigh holds moisture better than breast because it contains more fat and connective tissue. The cornflour and wine marinade forms a thin film on the surface; when the meat hits a pan above 180 °C, that film sets before the juices escape, which is the effect Chinese kitchens call velveting. Sugar in the sauce does not make the dish sweet – it balances the vinegar and helps the sauce caramelise and cling. The Sichuan pepper is toasted first because its aromatic compounds, including sanshool, are released by heat and dissolve in oil; that is why the tingle reaches the tongue while the chillies contribute a clean, warm heat. Adding the sauce last and off the boil prevents the cornflour from forming lumps, which happens when starch meets liquid that is already boiling hard.
Recipe overview
Prep: 30 min | Cook: 15 min | Difficulty: Medium | Servings: 6 | Type: Main course | Origin: Chinese
Detailed method
Overall progress: 0 % complete
Phase 1: Marinade – 20 min
Equipment: board, knife, bowl
1. Cut the chicken thighs into cubes with a two centimetre edge and pat them dry. Put them in a bowl with half the cornflour, half the Shaoxing wine, half the light soy sauce, the fine sea salt and one tablespoon of water. Mix with your hand until every piece is coated, cover and leave for twenty minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile toast the Sichuan pepper in a dry pan for thirty seconds, grind it and set it aside.
Checkpoint: Each cube is evenly coated in a thin, milky film and the bowl holds no free liquid. The ground Sichuan pepper smells citrus-sharp, not dusty.
Before you move on:
Do not skip the marinade, and do not leave the chicken in it for hours. Twenty minutes is enough for the coating to set. Longer and the salt starts to firm the surface of the meat, which leaves it tough after frying.
Phase 2: Sauce and preparation – 10 min
Equipment: glass, small bowls, knife
2. In a glass, mix the remaining light soy sauce with the dark soy sauce, the rest of the Shaoxing wine, the black rice vinegar, the caster sugar, the remaining cornflour and four tablespoons of cold water. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Cut the green pepper and onion into cubes, slice the ginger and garlic thinly and separate the white and green parts of the spring onions. Put everything within reach of the hob.
Checkpoint: The sauce is smooth, dark brown and free of cornflour lumps. All vegetables are cut to a similar size and arranged in the order they will be used.
Before you move on:
Mix the sauce before you switch on the hob, not during frying. Cornflour must dissolve in cold liquid; tipped straight into a hot pan it sets into lumps that cannot be stirred out.
Phase 3: Aromatics – 2 min
Equipment: wok, spatula
3. Heat the wok over the highest setting for two to three minutes. Pour in half the peanut oil, then add the dried chillies and the ground Sichuan pepper. Stir for twenty seconds, until the chillies darken slightly and the oil smells aromatic, then add the ginger, garlic and the white parts of the spring onions and stir for another twenty seconds.
Checkpoint: The chillies are dark red, not black, and the oil is fragrant. The garlic has not taken on any colour yet.
Before you move on:
Take the chillies out the moment they darken. Burnt chilli turns the whole dish bitter and there is no way back; you would have to start the oil again.
Phase 4: Chicken – 3 min
Equipment: wok, spatula, meat thermometer
4. Push the aromatics to one side, add the marinated chicken in a single layer and leave it untouched for forty seconds. Then stir-fry for two minutes, until the pieces are golden at the edges and no longer pink. Take the chicken out into a bowl, leaving the oil and aromatics in the wok.
Checkpoint: The chicken is golden at the edges and white throughout, the thermometer reads 74 °C and there is no liquid in the pan.
Before you move on:
Fry the chicken in one layer and do not stir it at once. Thirty to forty seconds of contact with the metal is what browns the coating; constant stirring steams the meat instead.
Phase 5: Vegetables – 3 min
Equipment: wok, spatula
5. Pour the rest of the peanut oil into the wok, add the onion and stir-fry for one minute, then add the green pepper and stir for another minute. The vegetables should stay firm; they will heat through once more when the chicken returns.
Checkpoint: The pepper is bright green and still crisp, the onion is translucent at the edges. No water has collected in the base of the wok.
Before you move on:
Once the vegetables are in, work fast. Two minutes of stir-frying keeps them crunchy; four turns them soft and they release water, which thins the sauce later.
Phase 6: Sauce, peanuts and serving – 2 min
Equipment: wok, spatula
6. Return the chicken to the wok, pour the sauce down the side of the pan and stir for thirty seconds, until it thickens and coats every piece. Take the wok off the heat, fold in the peanuts and the green parts of the spring onions and serve immediately with rice, which is not part of the recipe.
Checkpoint: The sauce is glossy, thick enough to cling to the spatula and no liquid is left in the base of the wok. The peanuts are still whole and crunchy.
Equipment needed
| Item | Ideal size | Alternative | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| wok | 30 cm, thick base | deep cast-iron pan | a thin pan loses heat and the chicken steams rather than browns |
| meat thermometer | probe type, reads to 250 °C | cut the thickest piece open | without measuring, chicken is either undercooked or dry |
| spatula | metal or stiff silicone | two wooden spoons | a flexible spatula cannot lift the chicken cleanly off the base |
| small glass for the sauce | 250 ml | a mug or small jug | measuring at the hob means one ingredient burns while you look away |
| spice grinder or pestle | small, for four grams of pepper | a heavy pan and a rolling pin | pre-ground pepper has lost most of its aroma |
Shopping list
Nutrition profile
Values per portion (as served, without rice). Calculated from average nutritional values of the ingredients. Portion weight 287 g. Frying oil absorbed by the food is counted at roughly eight per cent of the oil used.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per portion | For 6 servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 167 kcal | 478 kcal | 2866 kcal |
| Fat | 9.7 g | 27.8 g | 166.6 g |
| of which saturates | 4.2 g | 4.2 g | 4.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.3 g | 20.9 g | 125.6 g |
| of which sugars | 8.1 g | 8.1 g | 8.1 g |
| Protein | 12.5 g | 36.0 g | 216.0 g |
| Salt | 2.4 g | 2.4 g | 2.4 g |
| of which sodium | 0.42 g | 1.22 g | 7.28 g |
Reference intake of an average adult (8400 kJ / 2000 kcal). Salt comes mainly from the two soy sauces and the marinade; the dish is not salted further. Serve with rice to bring the salt per plate down.
WAGUU Pro level
- Pro standard: A tested recipe with exact quantities and visual checkpoints.
- Tip 1: Freeze the chicken for twenty minutes before cutting. Firm meat slices into even cubes and the coating then sets uniformly.
- Tip 2: Toast the Sichuan pepper in a dry pan and grind it the same day. Within a week the aroma fades noticeably.
- Tip 3: Keep a bowl of cold water next to the hob. If the chillies begin to blacken, lift them out with a slotted spoon and drop them in the water to stop them burning.
- Tip 4: Double the sauce and keep half in the fridge for up to four days. Weeknight cooking then takes the fifteen minutes of the actual stir-fry.
The science behind it
Velveting works by forming a starch and protein film on the surface of the meat. Cornflour gelatinises at around 70 °C, and because the coating sets before the interior reaches that temperature, water is trapped inside. At the same time the surface dries quickly in a pan above 180 °C, so Maillard reactions begin between amino acids and reducing sugars and give the chicken its roasted colour. Sichuan pepper contains sanshool, a compound that activates touch receptors on the lips and tongue rather than taste buds; that is why it produces a tingling sensation rather than heat. Capsaicin from the chillies is fat soluble, so it moves into the oil and from there onto every ingredient in the pan. Sugar in the sauce raises the temperature at which the sauce sets and helps it caramelise slightly on the chicken, which is what makes it glossy. Cornflour thickens by gelatinising; if it is added to a hard boil the granules swell too fast and clump, so the sauce is stirred in off the boil and given thirty seconds to come together.
Fine dining – professional techniques
- Plating: Spoon the chicken into the middle of a warm plate, fan the green pepper around it and scatter the peanuts on top so they stay in view and stay crunchy.
- Texture contrast: Add a spoon of crisp fried shallots just before serving. They bring a brittle note against the soft chicken.
- Temperature contrast: Serve with cold pickled cucumber on the side. The chill and acidity reset the palate between mouthfuls of chilli.
- Aromatic finish: Grate a little lime zest over the plate. The citrus oils lift the Sichuan pepper and make the heat feel cleaner.
Sensory radar
- Appearance: Glossy dark brown chicken cubes, bright green pepper, translucent onion, whole chillies and scattered peanuts.
- Aroma: Toasted chilli and Sichuan pepper over fried garlic and ginger, with a sweet note from the dark soy.
- Taste: Salty and slightly sweet first, then a warm chilli heat and a tingle on the lips from the Sichuan pepper.
- Texture: Chicken juicy inside with a lightly set surface, pepper still crisp, peanuts brittle.
Pairing
- Jasmine tea: Floral and light, it softens the heat between mouthfuls.
- Light lager: Carbonation and bitterness reset the palate. Serve at 6–8 °C.
- Dry Riesling: Its acidity handles the vinegar in the sauce and its fruit lifts the ginger.
- Homemade limeade: Acidity and fizz work for anyone avoiding alcohol, and children like it with a little less chilli.
Variations
- Chicken breast: Cut into cubes and marinate for ten minutes longer. Leaner and quicker to cook, but it dries out fast, so fry it for ninety seconds only.
- Cashews instead of peanuts: Roast them in the oven for eight minutes and add at the end. The dish becomes milder and loses its most common allergen.
- Vegetarian version: Replace the chicken with 400 g of firm tofu and 200 g of shiitake mushrooms. Increase the cornflour in the marinade by ten grams so the tofu browns rather than crumbles.
Allergens and dietary information
Contains: soy (light and dark soy sauce); peanuts (roasted peanuts, peanut oil); gluten (soy sauce, unless tamari is used) • Gluten: check the soy sauce and the Shaoxing wine • Not suitable for: anyone with a peanut allergy or coeliac disease unless tamari and gluten-free wine are used
Great for
A quick weeknight dinner, anyone who likes heat, batch cooking, a rice bowl for lunch the next day, a shared table with several dishes.
Substitution guide
- Chicken thighs: turkey thigh or pork shoulder cut into cubes. Both need two minutes longer in the pan.
- Dark soy sauce: light soy sauce with a teaspoon of molasses. The colour is similar, the sweetness less rounded.
- Black rice vinegar: balsamic vinegar diluted with an equal part of water. Sweeter and less sharp.
- Shaoxing rice wine: dry sherry. It suppresses the smell of the meat just as well.
- Sichuan pepper: ground black pepper with a pinch of ground coriander seed. The tingle is lost, but the aroma still works.
- Peanut oil: rapeseed or sunflower oil. Both tolerate the heat, though peanut oil adds a faint nutty note.
FAQ
How hot is this dish?
Eight grams of dried chillies give a warm, persistent heat rather than a fierce one. For a milder version use half and remove the seeds before frying.
Why is cornflour used twice?
Half coats the chicken and keeps it juicy; the other half thickens the sauce so it clings to the meat. Using the full amount in the marinade would leave the sauce thin.
Can I use ground Sichuan pepper from a jar?
You can, but the aroma fades within weeks. Whole berries toasted and ground just before use make a noticeable difference to the tingle.
Can the dish be prepared in advance?
Marinate the chicken and mix the sauce up to four hours ahead and keep both in the fridge. Do the stir-frying at the last moment; reheated Kung Pao loses the crunch of the pepper and peanuts.
What if I have no wok?
Use the heaviest pan you own. Fry the chicken in two batches so the pan does not cool down, and keep the vegetables in a separate pan until the final combine.
Is Kung Pao gluten free?
Only if you use tamari instead of soy sauce and check the Shaoxing wine. Cornflour, rice vinegar, sugar, chicken, peanuts and vegetables contain no gluten.
WAGUU Petr advises: cooking for 6 or more?
6–8 people: Stir-fry the chicken in two batches and keep the first warm in the oven at 80 °C. Add the sauce to both batches at the very end. • 10+ people: Work with two pans side by side and divide the ingredients in half. Toast the chillies once in a small pan, then split the flavoured oil between the two pans so the heat is consistent.
Sides and serving
Storage and reheating
Fridge: 3 days • Freezer: 1 month, without the peanuts • Reheating: Warm in a pan over a medium heat for three minutes with a spoon of water, or in the oven at 160 °C for ten minutes. Add fresh peanuts after reheating. The microwave softens the pepper and the nuts.
Author: WAGUU Petr & Team • Published: 8 Oct 2026 • Updated: 10 Oct 2026
More recipes from this article
Guide: 12 most famous Chinese dishes: traditional recipes from Chinese cuisine
Peking duck – celebratory roast duck with crisp skin, thin pancakes and a sweet sauce
Mapo tofu – tofu in a spicy Sichuan sauce with minced meat and Sichuan pepper
Sweet and sour pork – fried pork pieces in the classic sweet and sour sauce
Char siu – Cantonese roast pork with a glossy caramelised crust
Dim sum – small Cantonese dishes, especially steamed dumplings and parcels
Xiaolongbao – delicate Shanghai dumplings filled with pork and hot soup
Chow mein – stir-fried wheat noodles with vegetables, meat or seafood
Yangzhou fried rice – fried rice with egg, prawns, ham and peas
Hot pot – a shared meal cooked in bubbling broth at the table
Dan dan noodles – Sichuan noodles with a spicy sauce and chilli oil
Wonton soup – clear broth with filled wonton dumplings and spring onion
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Why WAGUU?
Recipes on WAGUU are checked for accurate quantities, method and nutrition. In this recipe the amounts match across the ingredient table, the cooking phases, the shopping list and the print view – 900 g of chicken serves six at 150 g each, 30 g of cornflour is split between the marinade and the sauce, and 120 g of peanuts gives 20 g per portion.
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Most common mistakes
- A cool wok – the chicken releases water and steams instead of browning. Heat the wok empty until it just begins to smoke before the oil goes in.
- Burnt chillies – the whole dish turns bitter. Twenty seconds in hot oil is enough; lift them out the moment they darken.
- Sauce added at the wrong moment – either it boils hard and clumps, or it goes in too early and the chicken loses its crust. Add it in the final thirty seconds off the boil.
- Peanuts added early – they soften in the sauce. Fold them in after the pan leaves the heat.