Air Fryer Kung Pao Chicken Recipe: Modern Twist to Traditional Delight!
Kung Pao chicken traditionally refers to a stir-fried dish made with boneless chicken cubes, chili peppers, and a bunch of vegetables. In modern times, the use of air fryers has increased to make dishes healthier. So, I decided to make Kung Pao chicken, but with a variation.
Here is the air fryer Kung Pao chicken recipe that uses just a bit of oil but the dish comes out as tasty as traditional Kung Pao chicken. As the cooking and preparation process has some tricky steps, I will break them down to make the recipe easier for you. Let’s make this dish together.
Table of Contents
Air Fryer Kung Pao Chicken Recipe Overview
This recipe requires some preparation time as you need to use chicken, peanuts, and other vegetables. Check the following chart for a quick overview.
| Cuisine: Chinese | Difficulty: Medium | ||
| Total Time: 35 minutes | |||
| Serving | Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Calories |
| 2 persons | 20 minutes | 15 minutes | 412 kcal |
Ingredients Needed for the Air Fryer Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
I will use no rare ingredients for this recipe. All the items mentioned on the following list are easily available in any kitchen.
Main Ingredients for the Recipe
- Chicken: Take 1 chicken breast or about 400g of boneless chicken.
- Peanuts: Use about 50g of peanuts. You should use peeled peanuts only.
- Carrot: Dice 100g carrots. The dice should be slightly smaller than the chicken cubes.
- Cucumber: Cut 100g cucumber the same way as the carrot.
- Ginger: 25g of ginger, roughly sliced
- Garlic: 25g of garlic, roughly chopped
- Cornstarch: 1 tsp
- Scallion: 1/2 a cup of chopped scallion
- Cooking Oil: 1 tbsp
Sauces and Seasonings for the Recipe
- Salt: 1 tsp
- Sugar: 1 tsp
- Vinegar: 1 tsp
- Light Soy Sauce: 2 tsp
- Cooking Wine: 1 tsp
- Chicken Powder: 1tsp
- Sichuan Peppercorn: 12-14 Sichuan peppercorns
- Red Chili Pepper: 8-10 red chili pepper. Remove the seeds and cut the chilies into pieces
Air Fryer Kung Pao Chicken Recipe: Step-By-Step Instructions
Preparation is the only part of this dish that can throw some challenges at you. Let me guide you through every step of the preparation and cooking process.
Step 1: Clean the Chicken and Cut It Into Cubes
Take the chicken breast and clean it thoroughly. Cut the chicken breast into thick strips. Then, cut those strips into cubes. Each cube should be roughly about 1 inch.
Step 2: Marinate the Chicken Cubes
Before you can start marinating the chicken, cut the ginger and garlic. You can cut them roughly as the Kung Pao chicken recipe demands some texture. Then, add 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of cooking wine, and 1 tsp of soy sauce to the chicken cubes.
You Can Also Try: Kung Pao Chicken Dumplings Recipe
Put the ginger and garlic slices in the chicken. Also, add 1 tsp of chicken powder. Finally, add 1 tsp of cornstarch and 1 tsp of cooking oil. Mix everything well and let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, you can prepare the vegetables.
Step 3: Peel and Cut the Vegetables
Wash the carrots and cucumbers first. Then, peel and dice them in almost the same size to maintain an even texture. After cutting the vegetables, you should peel some peanuts and cut the red chili peppers. Remove the seeds from the chilies and cut them into 1/4-inch pieces.
Step 4: Put the Marinated Chicken in the Air Fryer
Open the air fryer basket and spread the marinated chicken cubes evenly. If they are too crowded, the taste might not be as good as you expect. Put the Sichuan peppercorns on top of the chicken and scatter some chopped scallions. Don’t forget to drizzle 1 tsp of vinegar on the chicken pieces.
Step 5: Start First-Stage Baking
Close the fryer basket and set the air fryer to 190 degrees. You should cook the chicken for about 10 minutes in this stage. After the first five minutes, pull the basket out and flip the chicken cubes so that they get cooked from all sides.
Step 6: Add the Vegetables and Spices
After ten minutes, take the basket out and add the diced vegetables to the chicken. Also, put the peeled peanuts and cut chili peppers into the basket. Make sure everything is spread evenly. Finally, spray about 5ml of cooking oil on top of the chicken and stir everything once.
Step 7: Bake for the Second Time
Turn the fryer back on and continue cooking the chicken at 190 degrees for five more minutes. After five minutes, the chicken cubes will have a nice color and be ready to serve.
Step 8: Garnish the Kung Pao Chicken and Serve!
Simply sprinkle some chopped scallions on top and serve delicious Kung Pao chicken made in the air fryer. If you get the steps right, I promise it won’t be any less flavorful than traditional stir-fried Kung Pao chicken.
Air Fryer Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Take the chicken breast and clean it thoroughly. Cut the chicken breast into thick strips. Then, cut those strips into cubes. Each cube should be roughly about 1 inch.
- Before you can start marinating the chicken, cut the ginger and garlic. You can cut them roughly as the Kung Pao chicken recipe demands some texture. Then, add 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sugar, 1 tsp of cooking wine, and 1 tsp of soy sauce to the chicken cubes.
- Put the ginger and garlic slices in the chicken. Also, add 1 tsp of chicken powder. Finally, add 1 tsp of cornstarch and 1 tsp of cooking oil. Mix everything well and let the chicken rest for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, you can prepare the vegetables.
- Wash the carrots and cucumbers first. Then, peel and dice them in almost the same size to maintain an even texture. After cutting the vegetables, you should peel some peanuts and cut the red chili peppers. Remove the seeds from the chilies and cut them into 1/4-inch pieces.
- Open the air fryer basket and spread the marinated chicken cubes evenly. If they are too crowded, the taste might not be as good as you expect. Put the Sichuan peppercorns on top of the chicken and scatter some chopped scallions. Don’t forget to drizzle 1 tsp of vinegar on the chicken pieces.
- Close the fryer basket and set the air fryer to 190 degrees. You should cook the chicken for about 10 minutes in this stage. After the first five minutes, pull the basket out and flip the chicken cubes so that they get cooked from all sides.
- After ten minutes, take the basket out and add the diced vegetables to the chicken. Also, put the peeled peanuts and cut chili peppers into the basket. Make sure everything is spread evenly. Finally, spray about 5ml of cooking oil on top of the chicken and stir everything once.
- Turn the fryer back on and continue cooking the chicken at 190 degrees for five more minutes. After five minutes, the chicken cubes will have a nice color and be ready to serve.
- Simply sprinkle some chopped scallions on top and serve delicious Kung Pao chicken made in the air fryer. If you get the steps right, I promise it won’t be any less flavorful than traditional stir-fried Kung Pao chicken.
Nutrition Facts of Air Fryer Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
As we use much less oil than in traditional stir-fried recipes, this air fryer Kung Pao chicken will be much healthier. Check its nutritional values below.
- Total Carbohydrates: 25g
- Protein: 26g
- Total Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Total Dietary Fiber: 4g
- Total Sugar: 7g
- Cholesterol: 74mg
- Sodium: 1774mg
- Potassium: 623g
- Calcium: 922mg
- Iron: 2.3mg
- Vitamin A: 135IU
- Vitamin C: 0.4mg
FAQs
The following answers to commonly asked questions can be helpful to you. Check them out.
What gives Kung Pao chicken its unique flavor profile?
The Kung Pao sauce gives this dish a distinct flavor. This sauce is made by combining soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, and garlic. Additional seasonings may also be used for the sauce.
Are there any common allergens in this dish?
Peanuts are the only common allergens in Kung Pao chicken. Almost all other ingredients are safe to eat for most people. If you are allergic to peanuts, you can skip this ingredient.
Is the air fryer Kung Pao chicken dry?
Not at all. If you don’t spray some cooking oil in the middle of the cooking process, the chicken can dry out. Also, don’t overcook the chicken to prevent them from drying.
Is there any other name for Kung Pao chicken?
Yes. This dish is also pronounced Gong Bao or Kung Po in some areas. In English, you can call it stir-fried chicken chili.
Conclusion
Kung Pao chicken is so yummy that you will want to eat it over and over again. Even though it is traditionally made by stir-frying in a wok, I made it in the air fryer. In this method, you can let the air fryer do the work and come back after a certain time. So, it is convenient in today’s busy lives.
But this air fryer Kung Pao chicken recipe doesn’t compromise with flavor. The aroma from the spices, the saltiness from the sauces, and the heat from the peppers make this dish a lusty item to devour.
