Kung Pao Chicken with Toasted Cashew Nuts

Method14 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Debone and skin the two whole chicken breasts, then pat the meat dry with clean kitchen paper. Keep the raw chicken cold until cutting and marinating. Use a separate board and utensils from the later garnish.

   Uses 2 whole chicken breasts (about 700 g before deboning and skinning)

2. 2

   Step 2: Cut the prepared breast meat from step 1 into bite-size pieces. Mix it with the marinade: 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp Chinese wine, ½ tsp salt, ½ tbsp oil, a dash of pepper and 1 tbsp cornflour. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes while completing steps 3–9.

   Finish chilled chicken marinade · 30 minUses Breast meat only, separate from the removed bones and skin · 1 tbsp light soy sauce, for marinade · 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine, for marinade · ½ tsp salt, for marinade · ½ tbsp oil, for marinade · A dash of pepper, for marinade · 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch), for marinade

   
3. 3

   Step 3: For a milder version, use scissors to slit about half of the 15 dried chillies and remove their cores and seeds; leave the rest seeded. Keep all the chilli flesh for step 4. Protect your hands if needed and avoid touching your eyes.

   Uses 15 dried chillies

   
4. 4

   Step 4: Soak all the prepared dried chillies from step 3 in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain, rinse, pat completely dry and cut each into two pieces. Discard the soaking and rinsing water.

   Drain soaked dried chillies · 15 minUses Prepared dried chillies · Hot water, enough to soak the dried chillies · Clean water, for washing produce and safely cleaning the emptied wok

5. 5

   Step 5: Peel and finely chop the 2–3 garlic cloves. Have them ready before heating the wok.

   Uses 2–3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

6. 6

   Step 6: Peel the half large yellow onion and cut it into chunks. Keep it ready with the chopped garlic from step 5.

   Uses ½ large yellow onion, cut into chunks

7. 7

   Step 7: Spread the 80 g roasted unsalted cashews on a toaster-oven tray. Toast gently, watching closely, until lightly golden and crunchy. Cool completely and keep in an airtight container until finishing the dish.

   Uses 80 g roasted unsalted cashews

   
8. 8

   Step 8: Wash the parsley (1 sprig) and spring-onion (1 sprig) sprigs. Slice the spring onion diagonally and cut the parsley into roughly 1 cm pieces. Keep this garnish separate from the raw chicken and have it ready before cooking.

   Uses 1 sprig parsley, for garnish · 1 sprig spring onion, for garnish · Clean water, for washing produce and safely cleaning the emptied wok

9. 9

   Step 9: Mix the sauce in a separate bowl: 1 tbsp Chinese wine, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp black sweet vinegar, 1½ tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp dark soy sauce, ¼ tsp salt, 2 tsp cornflour and 200 ml water. Stir well and keep it ready. Complete all chopping, soaking, toasting and garnish preparation before starting step 10.

   Uses 1 tbsp Chinese rice wine, for sauce · 1 tbsp light soy sauce, for sauce · 1 tbsp black sweet vinegar · 1½ tsp brown sugar, for sauce · 1 tsp sesame oil, for sauce · 2 tsp dark soy sauce, for sauce · ¼ tsp salt, for sauce · 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch), for sauce

10. 10

    Step 10: Heat the 2 tbsp first-frying oil over medium heat in the wok. Add the chilled marinated chicken from step 2 and stir-fry for about 8–10 minutes, checking from 8 minutes, for the initial partial fry. Lift the chicken onto a clean heatproof plate and proceed directly through steps 11–12 to finish cooking it. Do not pause for further preparation or store the partly cooked chicken.

    Check initial chicken fry · 8 minUses 2 tbsp oil, for the first chicken fry · Chilled marinated chicken

    
11. 11

    Step 11: Take the wok off the heat, safely empty the remaining first-frying oil (2 tbsp) and wash the emptied wok; dry it before reheating. Add either the 2 tbsp ready chilli oil or the separate 2 tbsp plain-oil alternative, choosing only one. Over medium heat, add the optional 2 tsp chilli flakes if using, then the prepared yellow onion from step 6 and garlic from step 5. Stir-fry, then add the drained dry chilli pieces from step 4 and fry until fragrant. Continue immediately to step 12.

    Uses Clean water, for washing produce and safely cleaning the emptied wok · 2 tbsp ready chilli oil, or use the separate 2 tbsp plain-oil alternative · 2 tbsp plain cooking oil, only if not using the ready chilli oil · 2 tsp chilli flakes, optional · Prepared yellow-onion chunks · Prepared chopped garlic · Chilli pieces only; soaking and rinsing water discarded

    
12. 12

    Step 12: Return the lifted partly cooked chicken from step 10 to the aromatic pan from step 11. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes, continuing as needed until every piece is fully cooked and the center of the thickest pieces reaches at least 74°C. Then proceed to the sauce in step 13.

    Check fully cooked chicken · 5 minUses Chicken and its clinging marinade only, separate from the emptied frying oil · Aromatic frying pan contents only; wok-cleaning water discarded

13. 13

    Step 13: Stir the sauce from step 9 again and pour it into the fully cooked chicken and aromatic pan from step 12. Stir-fry for 1–2 minutes, checking from 1 minute, until the sauce has thickened and coats the chicken. Add the cooled toasted cashews from step 7 and toss briefly, then serve immediately to keep them crisp.

    Check thickened kung pao sauce · 1 minUses Prepared sweet-sour soy sauce · Fully cooked chicken with fried aromatics · Cooled toasted cashews

14. 14

    Step 14: Transfer the finished chicken and cashews from step 13 to a serving dish. Add the prepared parsley and spring-onion garnish from step 8 and serve immediately, with separately prepared hot jasmine rice if desired.

    Uses Finished kung pao chicken and cashews · Washed chopped garnish only; washing water discarded · Hot ready cooked jasmine rice, optional accompaniment