Kung Pao Ground Chicken – Closet Cooking

A quick and easy kung pao chicken with ground chicken, bell peppers, peanuts, chilies and sichuan peppercorns!

Kung pao chicken is a classic Chinese takeout dish that typically contains chicken with chili peppers for heat and sichuan peppercorns for their mouth numbing properties. This is a slightly different take on the dish swapping out pieces of chicken for ground chicken and it’s super easy to make. It is as easy to make this dish as cooking the ground chicken and any veggies (such as bell peppers), before adding the mixture of the sauces ingredients and cooking for a minute or two! The sauce contains sichuan peppercorns, red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, broth, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, chinkiang, sugar, and cornstarch. All said and done, the chicken kung pao takes less time to make than it takes to cook the rice to serve it with!

Kung Pao Ground Chicken

Prep Time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Servings: 4

A quick and easy kung pao chicken with ground chicken, bell peppers, peanuts, chilies and sichuan peppercorns!

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ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 pound chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon sichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground (optional)
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced/grated
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced/grated
• 1/4 cup chicken broth (link) (or water)
• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (or soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon chinkiang (Chinese black vinegar) (or balsamic vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon sugar (white or brown or palm or coconut)
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 2 green onions, sliced

directions

1. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook, breaking it apart as it cooks.
2. Add the bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the mixture of the sichuan peppercorns, red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, broth, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, chinkiang, sugar, and cornstarch, mix and cook until the sauce thickens a bit, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat, mix in the peanuts, toasted sesame oil, and green onions and enjoy!

Option: Replace the light and dark soy sauce with soy sauce if you cannot find them.
Tip: Start cooking the rice just before starting this recipe and they will be done at the same time!

Nutrition Facts: Calories 219, Fat 12g (Saturated 1g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 83mg, Sodium 553mg, Carbs 9g (Fiber 1g, Sugars 3g), Protein 29g

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