Kung Pow Chicken (lean)

0/4

Work top to bottom — prep ahead while timers run

Gather everything first, then follow the steps

Protein· 2

  • 130 g chicken breast (diced)130g
  • 10 g peanuts (1 tbsp)10g

Carbs· 1

  • 4 g cornstarch (1 tsp)(staple)4g

Vegetables· 4

  • 6 g red chili (cut into pieces)6g
  • 8 g garlic (minced)8g
  • 6 g ginger (minced)6g
  • 15 g spring onion (cut into segments)15g

Sauces· 2

  • 12 g light soy sauce (2 tsp)12g
  • 6 g rice vinegar (1 tsp)6g

Spices· 1

  • 3 g sugar (½ tsp)(staple)3g

Fats & oils· 1

  • 5 g cooking oil (1 tsp)(staple)5g

  1. Toss the diced chicken with half the soy sauce and the cornstarch, marinate 5 min; separately stir the remaining soy, rice vinegar, sugar and 2 tbsp water into a sauce.

    Why? The cornstarch coats the lean breast in a thin slurry that locks in moisture and keeps it silky — dry, overcooked breast is the usual pitfall, and this step prevents it.

    Tip: Mix the sauce ahead — once the wok is hot everything moves in seconds, and fumbling means overcooked chicken.

    Next up:In a dry non-stick pan, toast the peanuts over low heat for 1 min until lightly fragrant, then set aside.

  2. 1 min · hands-free

    In a dry non-stick pan, toast the peanuts over low heat for 1 min until lightly fragrant, then set aside.

    Why? Dry-toasting instead of deep-frying the peanuts saves a whole spoon of oil's worth of calories while making them taste nuttier — and crunchy peanuts are non-negotiable in kung pow.
    Watch out: Peanuts burn quickly — pull them off the heat the moment they smell toasty; once they darken they turn bitter.
    01:00

    Next up:Heat 1 tsp oil in the pan and sear the chicken over medium-high heat for 2 min until golden on the surface, then remove.

  3. 2 min · hands-free

    Heat 1 tsp oil in the pan and sear the chicken over medium-high heat for 2 min until golden on the surface, then remove.

    Why? Just 1 tsp of oil over high heat is enough to brown and seal the chicken, skipping the traditional oil-blanching that soaks up far more fat.

    Tip: Spread the chicken in one layer, not piled up, so each piece touches the pan and browns.

    02:00

    Next up:In the same pan, sizzle the garlic, ginger and red chili, return the chicken with the sauce, toss 1 min until it thickens, then fold in the spring onion and peanuts.

  4. 1 min · hands-free

    In the same pan, sizzle the garlic, ginger and red chili, return the chicken with the sauce, toss 1 min until it thickens, then fold in the spring onion and peanuts.

    Why? The cornstarch in the sauce thickens on contact with heat and clings the sweet-sour-savoury flavour tightly to the chicken, so the glaze does the work instead of extra sugar and oil.

    Tip: Add the spring onion and peanuts at the very end and barely cook them, to keep the onion fresh and the peanuts crunchy.

    01:00