Kung Pao chicken
Western style Kung Pao chicken
Chinese name
Simplified:	宮保鸡丁 / 宫爆鸡丁
Traditional:	宮保雞丁 / 宮爆雞丁
Hanyu Pinyin:	gōng bǎo jī dīng / gōng báo jī dīng
Cantonese:	gung1 bou2 gai1 ding1

Kung Pao chicken (also spelled Kung Po chicken) is a classic dish in Sichuan cuisine, originating in the Sichuan Province of central-western China. The dish is named after Ding Baozhen (1820–1886), a late Qing Dynasty official. Born in Guizhou, Ding served as head of Shandong province and later as governor of Sichuan province. His title was Gōng Bǎo (宮保), or palatial guardian.[1]. The name "Kung Pao" chicken is derived from this title. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 660 KB) Description: Kung Pao Chicken, Chinese food dish Medium: Color photograph Location: London, UK Date: January 24, 2006 Author: Alexander Marks (Bungopolis) Camera: Canon PowerShot S2 License: Public domain File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link... Simplified Chinese characters (Simplified Chinese: 简体字; Traditional Chinese: 簡體字; pinyin: jiǎntǐzì; also called 简化字/簡化字, jiǎnhuàzì) are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Traditional Chinese characters are one of two standard character sets of printed contemporary Chinese written language. ... Pinyin is a system of romanization (phonemic notation and transcription to Roman script) for Standard Mandarin, where pin means spell and yin means sound. The most common variant of pinyin in use is called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: , Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n), also known as scheme... Cantonese (Traditional Chinese: 粵語; Simplified Chinese: 粤语]], Cantonese: Yuet6yue5; Mandarin pinyin: YuèyÇ”, lit. ... Szechuan cuisine is a style of cookery originating in the Sichuan province of western China which has an international reputation for being spicy and flavorful. ... (Chinese: 四川; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ssu-ch`uan; Postal Pinyin: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in central-western China with its capital at Chengdu. ... Ding Baozhen is a former governor of Sichuan province, China. ... The Qing Dynasty (Chinese: ; Pinyin: QÄ«ng cháo; Wade-Giles: Ching chao; Manchu: daicing gurun), occasionally known as the Manchu Dynasty, is a Chinese term for the Empire of the Great Qing (Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: dàqÄ«ngguó), founded by the Manchu clan Aisin Gioro, in what... (Simplified Chinese: 贵州; Traditional Chinese: è²´å·ž; pinyin: Gùizhōu; Wade-Giles: Kuei-chou; also spelled Kweichow) is a province of the Peoples Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. ...   (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: Shāndōng; Wade-Giles: Shan-tung) is a coastal province of eastern Peoples Republic of China. ... (Chinese: 四川; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Ssu-ch`uan; Postal Pinyin: Szechwan and Szechuan) is a province in central-western China with its capital at Chengdu. ...

The dish exists in both traditional Sichuan and Westernized versions; the latter is more popular in the United States and Canada.

Westernized version

The Westernized version, usually called "Kung Pao chicken," commonly consists of diced marinated chicken stir-fried with skinless unsalted roasted peanuts, red bell peppers, sherry or rice wine, hoisin sauce, and chili peppers. Although chicken is traditionally used, seafood items such as shrimp or scallops, or other meats such as beef or pork, are sometimes used in place of the chicken (although typically only a single meat or seafood is used). It can also be prepared with tofu instead of meat. Trinomial name Gallus gallus domesticus A chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is a type of domesticated bird which is often raised as a type of poultry. ... Peanuts was a syndicated daily comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950 to the day after Schulzs death, February 13, 2000. ... Binomial name Capsicum annuum L. Bell pepper is a Cultivar Group of the species Capsicum annuum, as are the jalapeño and pimento. ... Hoisin sauce (Chinese: 海鮮醬; Simplified Chinese: 海鲜酱; Cantonese IPA: ; Jyutping: hoi2 sin1 zeong3; Mandarin Pinyin: hǎixiānjiàng; literally seafood sauce), also called Chinese barbecue sauce and suckling pig sauce, is a Chinese dipping sauce for dishes including Peking Duck, spring rolls and barbecued pork. ... The chili pepper, chile pepper, or chilli pepper, or simply chilli, chili or chile, is the fruit of the plant Capsicum from the nightshade family, Solanaceae. ... Superfamilies Alpheoidea Atyoidea Bresilioidea Campylonotoidea Crangonoidea Galatheacaridoidea Nematocarcinoidea Oplophoroidea Palaemonoidea Pandaloidea Pasiphaeoidea Procaridoidea Processoidea Psalidopodoidea Stylodactyloidea True shrimp are small, swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. ... Genera See text. ... Tofu, also called doufu (often in Chinese recipes) or bean curd (literal translation), is a food of Chinese origin, made by coagulating soy milk, and then pressing the resulting curds into blocks. ...

A good westernized version of Kung Pao chicken should not be too oily. The sauce, a contrasting blend of fire and sweetness, should cling to the pieces of chicken and season the vegetables, but not coat the peanuts; there should be no pool of sauce on the bottom of the plate. The hot peppers provide the palate-scorching fire, a hint of sugar and a bit of wine bring out the freshness of whatever vegetables are tossed in. The savory soy sauce ties it all together. Soy sauce (US) or soya sauce is a fermented sauce made from soybeans (soya beans), roasted grain, water and salt. ...

In order to prepare Western-style Kung Pao chicken, bits of diced raw chicken are marinated, then dusted with cornstarch, and then a Chinese wok is heated on a high flame, without oil, until it is quite hot. A swish of the ladle spreads a couple of teaspoons of peanut oil, then the chicken is flash fried in the hot oil to bring out the flavor of very slightly charred or grilled meat, but not so long that it loses its juices or tenderness. Next, grated garlic and the vegetables are added, followed by Chinese rice wine, along with a sweet sauce. A tiny drizzle of sesame oil provides the tang, peanuts are added, and the dish is ready in about one and a half minutes, from the time the oil first hits the wok. Cooking in a wok The wok is a versatile round-bottomed cooking vessel (see cooking utensil) originating in China. ... Jiu (Chinese: é…’; Pinyin: jiÇ”) is the Chinese word that refers to all alcoholic beverages. ... Binomial name Sesamum indicum Sesame (Sesamum indicum)is a crop grown primarily for its seeds. ... Binomial name Arachis hypogaea L. The peanut, or groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is a species in the legume family Fabaceae native to South America. ...

Kung Pao chicken is a very popular staple of North American Sichuan-style Chinese restaurants, and many recommend using it as a measure of the skills of a chef.

Whereas the original Chinese version of the dish includes Sichuan peppercorns as an integral ingredient, the Western version does not. From 1968 until 2005 it was illegal to import Sichuan peppercorns into the United States. They were viewed as potential carriers of citrus canker, a tree disease that can potentially harm citrus crops. The ban has now been lifted in light of new processing methods. However, the 37-year ban resulted in a distinct American version of the recipe that does not incorporate Sichuan peppercorns. Sichuan pepper (or Szechuan pepper) is the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum (most commonly Zanthoxylum piperitum, Zanthoxylum simulans, and Zanthoxylum sancho), widely grown and consumed in Asia as a spice. ... Binomial name Xanthomonas axonopodis (Hasse, 1915) Synonyms Citrus canker is a disease affecting citrus species that is caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas axonopodis. ...

Kung Pao Chicken has found popularity among hackers, in whose cultural jargon it is known as "laser chicken". This term probably originates with regard to the spicy hot taste and red sauce, humorously likened to a laser beam[2]. Hackers are sometimes portrayed as mysterious and strange. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... // Experiment using a (likely argon) laser. ...

Sichuan version

Gōng bǎo jī dīng, the original Sichuan version of Kung Pao, uses chicken (鸡; jī in Chinese) as its primary ingredient. In this vastly different version, diced chicken is typically mixed with a pre-prepared marinade. The wok is seasoned and then the chilis and Sichuan peppercorns are flash fried to add fragrance to the oil. Then the chicken is stir fried and vegetables, along with peanuts, are added. Shaoxing wine is used to enhance flavor in the marinade. Sichuan pepper (or Szechuan pepper) is the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum (most commonly Zanthoxylum piperitum, Zanthoxylum simulans, and Zanthoxylum sancho), widely grown and consumed in Asia as a spice. ... Shaoxing jiu, a famous huangjiu Huangjiu (黄酒; pinyin: huáng jiÇ”, lit. ...

Fresh, moist, unroasted peanuts are often used instead of roasted peanuts. In such situations, the peanuts are dropped into the hot oil on the bottom of the wok first, then deep fried until golden brown before the other ingredients are added.

In Sichuan, or when preparing authentic gōng bǎo jī dīng, only Sichuan-style chilis such as cháo tiān jiāo (朝天椒) or qī xīng jiāo (七星椒) are used. Smaller, thinner Sichuanese varieties may also be used.

The most important component of the dish is handfuls of the Sichuan peppercorns(花椒; pinyin: huā jiāo). It is these peppercorns that give authentic gōng bǎo jī dīng its distinctive numbing flavor. Use of má là wèi xíng (痲辣味型), or hot and numbing flavor, is a typical element of Sichuan cooking. Sichuan peppercorns, along with red chilis, are the key components of má là wèi xíng. Sichuan pepper (or Szechuan pepper) is the outer pod of the tiny fruit of a number of species in the genus Zanthoxylum (most commonly Zanthoxylum piperitum, Zanthoxylum simulans, and Zanthoxylum sancho), widely grown and consumed in Asia as a spice. ...

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Kung Pao Chicken