If you’re craving not-fried chicken that’s tasty and don’t mind a bit of heat, then kung pao chicken might just hit the spot.
Kung pao is actually a classic hot-and-sour Sichuanese sauce. It works great with stir-fries — whether it’s seafood, pork, vegetables or, of course, chicken. Kung pao chicken is one of the most popular Chinese dishes featuring stir-fried chicken, peanuts and vegetables.
Traditionally, kung pao chicken (or whatever meat you choose) is made with specialty Asian ingredients, such as Chinese black vinegar and rice wine, Sichuan peppercorns, and whole dried red chillies. To infuse the oil with the desired flavour intensity and level of spiciness, the spices are fried in the oil over high heat.
However, since some ingredients could be difficult to find, you can just replace them with the closest items you can find in your pantry or neighbourhood supermarket. What’s crucial is for you to achieve that perfect combination of spicy sweetness and sourness that’s part of the appeal of traditional kung pao chicken.
A Winning Restaurant-Quality Recipe
This simple and easy-to-make dish is one of the most popular chicken breast recipes. Served traditionally on Chinese menus, kung pao chicken is great for lunch and dinner, especially when paired with a steaming bowl or plateful of warm white rice.
But to cook restaurant-quality kung pao chicken, you need more than just a great recipe like the one below.
To get that incredible flavour and texture, opt for fresh free-range chicken that you can shop for in-person or order conveniently from your neighbourhood online butcher in Brighton, Victoria.
Easy Ingredient Swaps
Kung pao chicken is no doubt one of the best-known recipes for chicken breasts, but that shouldn’t stop you from cooking with kung pao using other types of meat. You can even use baked tofu in place of meat if you want to prepare a vegetarian version of this dish.
You don’t have to limit the veggies you use to just scallions or green onions and red bell peppers either. In fact, we tweaked the original recipe a little by adding more vegetable ingredients. You can even add whatever ingredients you have on hand like carrots, baby broccoli, mushrooms, snow peas and zucchini.
And if you’re not too keen on the spice, you can always take out the Sichuan peppercorns and whole dried red chillies before serving. You can even omit the chillies if you want a milder version or have certain gut sensitivities.
Time to Shop for Ingredients
To get the best results, make sure you use free-range chicken in this kung pao recipe.
Visit the Church Street Butcher in Brighton for highquality free-range chicken, beef, pork, lamb, and other sustainably sourced fresh produce.
You can also order online and get our free delivery service (for orders above $150) in Brighton and neighbouring Bayside suburbs.
