Today, we’re cooking Kung Pao Chicken,
a mouthwatering staple of Chinese American cuisine
that encapsulates the resilient story of Chinese immigrants in America
with every bite.
We’ll get to the story later,
But first, my dad will show us
how a Chinese chef prepares the star of the show, the chicken.
Let's start off by cutting the chicken breast.
We’ll cut the chicken first into strips,
then into 1-inch cubes.
The Chinese name refers to small pieces.
Cut about this size, see?
Like the size of a small candy.
Shirley from Patreon asked,
"What type of chicken is best suited for this dish?"
Restaurants generally use chicken thigh.
If you want to make it more flavorful, use chicken thigh.
Yeah, chicken thigh is more flavorful.
I had originally wanted to use chicken thighs today, too.
Why didn't you?
Kat prefers chicken breast,
and so does Mommy Lau.
He usually makes this with chicken thigh,
but he knew that you guys like chicken breast better.
Mommy, you like chicken breast better too?
Me too.
Always!
Some say Kung Pao Chicken came about
because someone almost drowned.
Also known as gung bou gai ding in Cantonese,
some credit the dish to Ding Baozhen,
who, as a kid, fell into water and almost drowned.
Luckily, a stranger was there to save his life.
And decades later,
Ding became a hotshot official of the Sichuan province.
Forever indebted, Ding paid a visit to the man who saved his life.
During this fateful visit,
the man introduced Ding to a life-changing dish
of juicy marinated cubes of chicken with chilis and aromatics.
Ding loved the dish so much
that he served it to everyone he knew back in Sichuan,
which quickly caught fire throughout China
and the rest of the world.
Next, my dad’s gonna share the secret to creating the perfect marinade.
After it's all cut up,
we're going to marinate it.
Let's just push the chicken to the side.
For the marinade, we’ll add 1/2 a tsp of salt,
1 tsp of sugar, 1 tbsp of oyster sauce,
1 tbsp of light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp of dark soy sauce,
and 1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine.
Do you have to use Shaoxing wine?
No, when you use cooking wine,
you can use any cooking wine you like.
I like to add cooking wine to make the chicken more fragrant.
We’ll also add 1/2 a tsp of white pepper,
1 tbsp of cornstarch, and 1 tbsp of water.
Mix the marinade and the water.
After it's all mixed up,
mix it into the chicken.
Use chopsticks to mix it well.
Set it aside and let it marinate.
We have all of these ingredients listed on our blog at madewithlau.com
along with step-by-step instructions and video clips
to guide you as you make the recipe at home.
Let's cut these other ingredients.
This is broccoli, but I only want to use the stems.
We'll set the florets aside to cook in a different dish.
First of all, the broccoli stems.
Peel off the outer layer.
After you peel it, it won't be tough.
Then, cut it into small pieces.
Restaurants don't typically use this,
instead they'll dice water chestnuts,
or dice canned bamboo shoots, canned water chestnuts.
I prefer broccoli stems.
We’ll cut the broccoli stems first lengthwise,
then rotate to dice into small pieces.
This is celery.
Small pieces again.
Why are you trimming the edges?
To make it nicer, and the edges are tough.
We're using about 5 oz of celery.
We’ll first cut the celery in half lengthwise,
line them up,
then dice them into small pieces.
Small pieces again.
This is about 3-4 oz of carrot.
We’ll do the same process here,
cutting the carrot first lengthwise into strips,
then rotate to dice.
This is a green pepper.
For the bell peppers, we’ll cut off a section.
Then same steps as before,
cut lengthwise into strips,
then rotate to dice.
My dad also uses red bell peppers here for a pop of color
but that’s optional.
Cathy from Patreon asked,
"Since it's summer,
can you add veggies like zucchini, squash, green beans?"
Those are rather soft,
so it's possible, but eat it quickly!
Don't blanch them first, just stir-fry them directly.
Cook them quick.
5 shallots.
For the shallots, we’ll use a cleaver to smash them.
What's the purpose of smashing them?
It brings the flavor out.
When you stir-fry these, the shallot flavor will really come out.
Mince 3-4 cloves of garlic.
For the garlic, we’ll peel, smash, and mince them.
Whole dried chili peppers.
How many?
4 dried chili peppers.
If you prefer it milder, then don't use as much.
People asked what kind of chilis you use.
If you like it spicy, use Chao Tian peppers.
It depends on how spicy you like it.
The smaller the pepper, the spicier.
Can you use chili flakes?
You could,
but chili flakes will result in a less fragrant stir-fry.
When you stir-fry dried chili peppers, it's very aromatic.
Don't forget, I also add chili sauce.
Let's make the sauce too.
For the stir-fry sauce, we’ll add 1 tsp of sugar,
1/2 a tsp of salt, 1 tbsp of oyster sauce,
1 tbsp of light soy sauce, 1/2 tsp of dark soy sauce,
and 1 tbsp of cooking wine, and also...
This is ground bean sauce.
Do you know why we need ground bean sauce for Kung Pao Chicken?
If you only use oyster sauce and light soy sauce,
it won't taste quite like this.
Restaurants usually have this all cooked up with ground bean sauce.
They don't need to add it while cooking.
The sauce is ready in a container,
and they just have to scoop it in while they stir-fry.
If you don't have this, then just skip it.
It's not a big deal.
1 tsp of ground bean sauce.
I have two types of chili sauces.
This is store-bought Guilin Chili Sauce.
This one is homemade chili sauce.
Today, I'm going to use my homemade chili sauce, just 1 tsp.
If you want it spicier, then add more.
That's basically everything.
Mix it well.
"How would you make this lower sodium?"
"Skip the salt and add less oyster sauce,
just use less of everything."
Let's also make the cornstarch slurry.
1/2 tbsp of cornstarch.
We might not use all the slurry, so let's just start with 1/2 tbsp.
2 tbsp of water.
We’ll use this slurry to thicken our sauce later.
Now, it’s time to break out the wok for our next step.
All of our ingredients are ready!
Let's start frying the peanuts!
Turn the stove on.
Don't fry the peanuts over super high heat!
If your heat is too high, you'll burn the peanuts.
For this amount of peanuts, I'll use a tbsp of oil.
This is corn oil.
Don't let the oil get too hot.
Add the peanuts.
With the oil hot but not rippling,
we’ll add the peanuts.
Some people like peanuts with the skins on, some people don't.
We typically use the peanuts with the skins on.
The peanut skins are nutritious.
This slotted spatula can help drain the oil off.
I can scoop the peanuts like this.
Lightly fry the peanuts on low heat.
If your heat is higher than this, your peanuts will burn.
After around 2 minutes of frying the peanuts on low,
they’re ready to come out.
The peanuts are ready now.
Don't fry them too much.
They'll become even more fragrant after sitting for a bit.
They'll get crunchier after cooling down.
They're not crunchy yet.
If you can't have peanuts, then don't add them.
You can add cashews or almonds.
Here’s a wild fact—
until recently, it was legally impossible
for Chinese Americans to recreate
the Sichuan version of Kung Pao Chicken.
Why?
Well, the popular Sichuan version features Sichuan peppercorns.
Peppercorns are dried berries which belong to the citrus family.
And in the 1960s,
the U.S. became deathly afraid of Chinese citrus,
because they believed they harbored a fungal disease
that could ravage the American citrus industry.
Despite little evidence
that Sichuan peppercorns carried this disease,
the U.S. included them in a Chinese citrus import ban
that lasted almost 40 years, until 2005.
But during this ban, do you think we just stopped eating Kung Pao Chicken?
No.
In true Chinese immigrant fashion, we adapted.
With a strong Cantonese influence,
Kung Pao Chicken evolved into a sweeter and less spicy dish.
The Chinese American versions adapt to what we have on hand,
with other meat options like beef or pork,
seasonal vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini,
and topped with roasted peanuts.
This fits the legacy of the earliest Chinese immigrants,
who had to innovate in order to survive.
And thanks to their resilience,
we get to enjoy dishes like Kung Pao Chicken all around the world.
After frying the peanuts,
while the wok still has oil in it,
add a bit more oil and start cooking the chicken.
Higher heat.
We’ll heat up the oil until it’s rippling.
Then stir the chicken before adding it into the wok.
Cook the chicken first.
Is this high heat?
Yes, high heat.
Do you flip it right away?
It'll start out sticking to the wok.
When the bottom layer cooks,
look, it'll stop sticking.
Don't overcook it here.
If you overcook it, it won't be as tender.
We’ll cook the chicken for 40-50 seconds,
gently flipping occasionally to cook all sides of each piece,
then it can come out.
The chicken is ready now.
Scoop it up.
The temperature should be about 350° F (177° C).
Add some water to the wok.
We're going to quickly boil the vegetables.
In restaurants, this is called blanching.
To the same wok, we’ll add roughly 4 cups of water
and cover with a lid to bring it to a boil.
Add 1/2 tsp of salt.
Make the vegetables more vibrant.
When the water is boiling, we can start to add the veggies.
Add the vegetables, starting with the carrot.
The carrots are harder, right?
We’ll boil the carrots for 30-40 seconds,
then we can add the celery and broccoli stems.
Add the rest.
What about the peppers?
The peppers don't need to cook as long.
After roughly a minute and a half of cooking these,
we can add the bell peppers.
Let's add the rest of the red and green peppers.
If you want the vegetables softer, cook them for longer.
For a more crisp texture, take them out now.
The celery is bright green.
The broccoli stems are nice and crisp.
Ready!
This dish emphasizes that nice crunchy texture.
We’ll let everything cook for another minute.
You can give it a taste.
Make sure the broccoli stems are soft enough.
Good!
Turn the heat off.
Take these out.
Now, we can remove and drain the veggies.
If you're cooking this right away,
you don't have to shock the vegetables in cold water.
Let's clean the wok and start cooking.
Now with a clean and dry wok,
we’ll turn the heat to high.
All right, let's start by adding oil.
1 tbsp.
Then we’ll add the aromatics one after the other.
Dried chili peppers.
Fry them up a bit.
Release their flavor.
Pull the chili peppers up to the side.
Add the shallots.
My dad turns the heat off here to avoid burning the aromatics.
Garlic.
Bring the heat back up.
After the garlic is fragrant or about 30 seconds,
we’ll add the chicken back in.
Add the chicken.
After a quick stir, we’ll add in the veggies.
Vegetables.
Now, we’ll stir fry everything on high heat for 30 seconds.
Pour the sauce in as well.
Then we’ll stir to mix in the sauce.
Susan from Patreon asked,
"Can you use Daddy Lau's chili oil for this?"
Yes! Add some of the chili flakes from the chili oil too,
then it'll be really tasty.
You might only get a hint of the flavor using just oil,
but the dish will be much more aromatic if you include the chili oil solids.
Add a bit of water.
After mixing the sauce in for about 30 seconds,
we’ll add about 3-4 tbsp of water.
What's the water for?
It helps the chickens absorb the sauce and stay juicy.
If you don't add water, it will be really dry.
All right, next.
Give it a taste, see if it's flavorful enough.
Now we can have a taste test of our sauce
and add more seasoning if needed.
I also wanted to make a special shoutout to thank all of our
wonderful Patreon supporters for helping bring this video to life.
If you enjoy our videos and are interested in supporting us directly,
head on over to patreon.com/madewithlau to learn more!
Now, we're going to add the cornstarch slurry.
We’ll turn the heat to low and stir the slurry before adding it.
Do you lower the heat to add the cornstarch slurry?
Yes, that's right.
Everything is cooked through by now.
If you have it at high heat, it'll dry out.
Did you turn off the heat completely before adding the slurry?
Once everything is cooked through,
we don't have to keep cooking it too much.
Sesame oil.
Finally, we’ll add a teaspoon of sesame oil and mix it in.
This dish shouldn't be too dry, it should have some sauce.
Then it's tasty.
Now we’re ready to plate.
Hi, Maya!
Mui Mui, look at the peanuts!
Lastly, we’ll sprinkle the fried peanuts on top.
Inauthentic:
a word I hate,
a seemingly harmless insult for dishes like Kung Pao Chicken.
Chinese American food often gets shade
for not being “real Chinese food”.
But to me, it’s not any less authentic than food from mainland China.
If you know anything about the struggles of Chinese immigrants,
Chinese American food is a testament
to how resilient we had to be
to create a home in America.
And even if you’re not Chinese—
let’s say you’ve only ever eaten
at a family’s Chinese restaurant in the Midwest.
Sure, it might taste different from what you’d get in Sichuan or Guangzhou.
But that shouldn’t make your experience any less authentic or real
just because you didn’t eat that meal in China.
What IS authentic and real
is that you enjoyed your meal
and that the people serving you
put their hearts into making it for you.
To me, that's a genuine experience.
It’s not our place to gate-keep Chinese cuisine
and judge what’s authentic or not.
I prefer the word “traditional”,
something we try to preserve
while encouraging creativity
within your own constraints at home.
My dad’s recipe is an example
of a Cantonese home-style version of this dish.
And just like everything he cooks for us,
it’s an authentic expression of his love and care for his family.
Cheers!
Mui Mui, do you want to eat some?
Mm, that's good!
I want lots.
Lots!
Love it!
Kat, I seldom hear you say, "Can I have more?"
Mhm!
There's a pound of chicken in here!
I love Kung Pao Chicken!
I love peanuts!
Hello, friends!
Kung Pao Chicken is complete!
I hope you all enjoy it.
Hong Doy, this is spicy, do you want some?
Kung Pao Chicken!
Yeah!
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