Kung pao chicken with peanuts: You stir-fry 600 g of chicken in 5 minutes

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Marinate the chicken

   20 min

   Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and cut into cubes about 1.5 cm across. Toss in a bowl with 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp potato starch until each piece has a thin coating. Let stand for 15 minutes.

2. Cook the rice

   15 min

   Meanwhile, cook the rice according to the package directions, then let it rest, covered, to finish steaming.

3. Prepare the sauce and vegetables

   In a cup, stir together 3 tbsp soy sauce, the vinegar, sugar, 1 tsp potato starch, and water until the sugar dissolves. Slice the garlic, cut the ginger into thin strips, cut the bell pepper into roughly 1.5 cm squares, and slice the scallions, keeping the white and green parts separate. Break the dried chilies into 2–3 pieces each. For less heat, shake out the seeds.

4. Stir-fry the chicken

   5 min

   Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok or large skillet. Spread the chicken in a single layer and cook over high heat for about 5 minutes, until golden on all sides and cooked through. Transfer to a plate.

5. Stir-fry the chilies and vegetables

   3 min

   Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and add the chilies. Cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant and slightly darkened. Add the garlic, ginger, and white parts of the scallions, then add the bell pepper after half a minute. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes.

6. Add the sauce

   2 min

   Return the chicken to the pan. Stir the sauce in the cup, then pour it into the pan. Stir for about a minute, until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken. Stir in the peanuts and scallion greens, then remove the pan from the heat.

7. Serve

   Serve the kung pao chicken immediately with warm rice. The whole chilies give the dish its heat; if you prefer not to eat them, set them aside on the edge of your plate.

Tip: Cook the dried chilies only until fragrant and slightly darkened; if they turn black, they will make the whole dish bitter. For less heat, break the chilies open and shake out the seeds before cooking.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Šťavnaté kuracie kung pao s arašidmi: 600 g pŕs opečiete len za 5 minút