Simple Kung Pao Hen – Barefeet within the Kitchen

Roasted peanuts, ginger, garlic, and spicy purple chilies give this simple kung pao hen a kick that makes it fairly distinctive.

Kung Pao hen is savory and candy with as a lot spiciness as you would possibly want. The peanuts present a further nutty taste that basically brings all of it collectively.

My husband and children devoured their servings, peppers and all. I merely left the peppers on my plate and the stir fry was the right stage of warmth for my style.

I discovered this recipe for the best-ever kung pao chicken over ten years in the past and it’s been a household favourite for all of those years. I’ve discovered to double this recipe since I first began making it.

The recipe under is already doubled from the unique. Should you’ve made it up to now and like a smaller recipe, use the slider within the recipe card to cut back the serving dimension to three.

Simple Kung Pao Hen

My favourite flavors nowadays are present in Asian meals and I’m at all times on the lookout for extra stir fry concepts. I by no means can resist the ready-made freezer meals at Dealer Joe’s and their Kung Pao Hen and Orange Hen have each been staples in our freezer for a few years.

That stated, it was nicely previous time for me to attempt my hand at genuine kung pao hen, so I used to be thrilled to seek out this simple recipe. Whereas the ingredient listing is a little bit lengthy at first look, like most stir-fry recipes the dish comes collectively in a short time.

The components on this recipe could also be a little bit totally different from what you’re used to, however they’re all very simple to seek out in an Asian market or on-line. I sometimes store within the shops (as a result of I like to see the variability in individual!) but when there isn’t a close-by possibility or if you would like a visible earlier than buying, I’ve linked to a couple related merchandise right here.

Kung Pao Hen Components

There are a number of components in Kung Pao Hen which can be adaptable to what you may need readily available. Black soy sauce is thick and nearly syrupy and simply the teaspoon of it on this recipe does make a distinction. Nevertheless, I’ve made this with out it once I didn’t have it readily available, and it’s nonetheless scrumptious with common soy sauce.

I don’t sometimes use Chinese black vinegar, as a result of with solely ¼ teaspoon within the recipe, it isn’t one thing I’m prone to buy only for this recipe. I exploit balsamic vinegar, which is the really helpful substitution and it really works nice.

Kung Pao Sauce

There are two elements to the sauce that makes up a Kung Pao stir fry. First, you’ll marinate the hen in a mixture of rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and oil.

Whenever you’re able to cook dinner the hen, you’ll want the next components for the sauce:

• low sodium soy sauce
• darkish or black soy sauce (see observe above)
• sugar
• Chinese language black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• water
• cornstarch

What Peppers Are Utilized in Kung Pao Hen?

The dried purple chiles used listed here are very small, about one inch in dimension. (Don’t mistake them for the dried Mexican purple chiles used here.) My choice right here is dried Thai chili peppers and so they are typically very spicy.

I’ve additionally used these dried Szechuan Chinese red chili peppers. They’re considerably milder and the ensuing dish may have no noticeable warmth in any respect. It boils down to private choice right here.

Is Kung Pao Hen Spicy?

The spiciness of Kung Pao Hen is in your arms now. Whereas the peppers will be spicy at occasions, the recipe is well tailored for kind of warmth.

My household enjoys an excellent bit of warmth, so once I can discover them, Thai chili peppers are my first selection. Each methods of creating this kung pao hen are scrumptious and we by no means have any leftovers.

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initially revealed 12/19/12 – recipe notes and images up to date 5/1/23

recipe tailored from and with due to Rasa Malaysia (That is an superior web site stuffed with simple genuine Chinese language recipes. Test it out!)