Home-style Gong Bao Chicken/ Kung Po Chicken 宫保鸡丁

Gong Bao Chicken is undoubtedly a popular Chinese dish. I had a hard time deciding which term to use for this recipe. In case you are wondering, Kung Po Chicken is the Cantonese dialect for this dish, while Gong Bao Chicken is the Mandarin pronunciation. Both are legit and refers to the same thing. Gong Bao is a style of cooking, not unlike your sweet sour chicken. You can use this style of cooking on other proteins too, such as prawns or even frog!

Throughout the years, Gong Bao Chicken has been brought to many places and evolved in these countries to suit the local tastes. For example, some Gong Bao Chicken uses tomato sauces, some uses cashew nuts and some even uses red pepper to cook. 

I do not know which version is the authentic Gong Bao Chicken but I am pretty happy with this Malaysian version, whereby cashew nuts are used instead of peanuts. The taste is of a subtle sweet and sour nature with a hint of spice. The Gong Bao Chicken that I am introducing today is adapted for home-cooks, hence the title. 

Home-style Gong Bao Chicken/ Kung Po Chicken 宫保鸡丁 

3 to 4 person serving

Ingredient

300g chicken, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

80 g cashew nut, fried/toasted

1 large onion, cut into wedges and separate the layers
6 slices ginger
5-6 dried chillies, cut into 2 inches and soaked until soft 

1 sprig spring onion, cut into 2 inches

oil for frying

Marinade
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp tapioca starch
1/2 tbsp rice wine
a dash of pepper

Sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp dark soy sauce or to taste
1 tsp black rice vinegar
1 tsp tapioca starch
3 tbsp water

Cooking Instruction

1. Add marinade to diced chicken, mix and marinade for about 10 minutes. 

2. Prepare sauce. Add all ingredients in sauce and give it a good mix.

3. Fry marinated chicken until it is just cooked. Remove chicken and oil from wok. Using the same wok, leave some oil and saute ginger, onion and chillies until fragrant.

4. Add in cooked chicken, followed by sauce mixture. Lastly, add in cashew nut and spring onion. Briefly toss and then plate.

Youtube link here:

Want to try sweet and sour sauce for this chicken? Click here