Kung Pao Chicken with Coriander Lime Rice

This beloved Chinese dish packs a punch of flavor and heat! Originating from the Sichuan province, this classic dish is known for its spicy, tangy, and slightly sweet profile. This recipe has a lot of gravy and is perfect to enjoy with jasmine rice, sticky rice, fried rice or even garlic rice. It has all elements of taste spicy, tangy, sour, slightly sweet and umami 🙂

Kung Pao Chicken

For the chicken Marinade
600 gms chicken, cut into 1″ cubes
1/8 tsp baking soda – to tenderise
1 tsp corn flour – to coat the chicken
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp water

For the sauce
2/3 cup soy sauce (low sodium)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 ½ Tbsp rice vinegar
½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Chicken stock (low sodium)
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp sriracha sauce (as per preference)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green pepper diced
½ cup diced onion
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ tsp ginger minced
5-6 dry red chillies cut into ½ inch pieces
1 tbsp cornstarch (to thicken sauce)
½ cup toasted cashews/peanuts
Green onion, cut into ½ cm pieces separating white for cooking and greens for garnish.
½ tbsp Sichuan peppers toasted and ground (optional)

Let’s prepare:

Marinate the chicken in soda, corn flour salt and water and cover and set aside.

Prepare the sauce by whisking all sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside.

Next, place the vegetable oil in a large wide skillet over medium heat. Add the dry red chillies in the oil and sauté till darkened, remove on a plate.

Next, add the nuts and fry until golden, remove onto a plate. Next, add the chicken to the pan and allow it to cook until halfway done, about 4 minutes, and browned all over. Remove on a plate.

Add more oil if required to the same skillet, then add the spring onion (white portion), minced garlic and ginger to the pan, and sauté for 1 more minute. Add bell peppers, and onion to the pan and sauté the vegetables to soften. Don’t overcook it, it should retain its crunch.

Pour the sauce into the skillet and allow it to boil for a few minutes and reduce a bit. Add the chillies and chicken back into the skillet and simmer to allow the chicken to cook fully. To thicken the gravy, add some cornstarch slurry (made by mixing cornflour with a few tbsp of water). Let this boil for at least 3-4 minutes. Add green onions and the nuts to garnish. Drizzle some sesame oil and toasted crushed Sichuan peppers – optional). Serve warm.

Notes: If you want to serve it with noodles, add boiled noodles into the sauce and skip the 3 tbsp corn flour. The noodles will thicken the sauce. This would be good with rice noodles too.

Cilantro Lime Rice

2 cups long-grain white rice (soaked for 15 mins, washed and drained)
4 cups chicken broth (or veg stock)
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro/ coriander leaves

Combine the rice, chicken broth, and salt in a large pot.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover with lid then reduce heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat, but keep the lid on. Let stand with the lid on for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and add lime juice, zest, and chopped cilantro. Fluff with a fork and serve warm!