Kung Pao Chicken & Rice Bowls

Name: Kung Pao Chicken & Rice Bowls
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Sichuan/Chinese
Ingredients: 3.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 2 tbsp cornstarch; 0.33 cup soy sauce; 8 whole dried red chilies; 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns; 6 cloves garlic cloves; 2 tbsp fresh ginger; 1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts; 3 tbsp black vinegar or rice vinegar; 2 tbsp sugar; 0.75 cup chicken broth; 6 whole scallions; 3 cups jasmine rice; 3 tbsp vegetable oil

Braised chicken thighs in a tangy soy-vinegar kung pao sauce with peanuts and scallions over rice

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 25 min
Serves 8
Difficulty: easy

Chicken thigh chunks braise directly in a tangy soy-vinegar-chili kung pao sauce with garlic and ginger until tender and glossy, served over rice with roasted peanuts and scallions scattered on fresh at the table for crunch.

Why crews like it: All the sweet-tangy-savory kung pao flavor the crew already loves, minus the flash-wok timing pressure—this one simmers, holds, and reheats like a real braise. Peanuts added fresh at the end keep the crunch nobody expects from a healthy dinner.

789Cal

50gProtein

66gCarbs

35gFat

Ingredients

3.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tbsp cornstarch
0.33 cup soy sauce
8 whole dried red chilies
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
6 cloves garlic cloves
2 tbsp fresh ginger
1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
3 tbsp black vinegar or rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
0.75 cup chicken broth
6 whole scallions
3 cups jasmine rice
3 tbsp vegetable oil

Instructions

Cook the rice: Rinse and cook jasmine rice per package directions; fluff and hold covered while the braise comes together.
Brown the chicken: Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high. Add chicken chunks and brown 5–6 minutes until golden outside—it will finish cooking in the braise.
Bloom chilies and aromatics: Push chicken to one side, add remaining oil, dried chilies, and Sichuan peppercorns; stir 30 seconds until fragrant and the oil turns red. Add garlic and ginger, stir 20 seconds more.
Braise in the sauce: Whisk soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, and broth; pour over the chicken. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 12–15 minutes until chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened and turned glossy.
Finish with peanuts and scallions: Off heat, stir in peanuts and scallions right before serving so they stay crunchy, not soft. Serve over rice.

Tonight's spread

Steamed jasmine rice.
Quick cucumber salad with rice vinegar.

Hall tips

The dried chilies are for aroma, not necessarily for eating—warn the crew not to bite into them whole.
Cashews work as a substitute if peanuts aren't on hand.
This braises hands-off—no need to watch it every second the way a wok stir-fry demands.

Meal prep

This braises hands-off once it's going—stir occasionally but there's no wok-timing pressure. Add peanuts only at serving so they stay crunchy. Station: Brown the chicken first for flavor, then let the sauce actually simmer—this is a braise, not a flash stir-fry. Station: Add peanuts and scallions fresh at serving, not during cooking, so they don't go soft sitting in the sauce. Station: If a call interrupts mid-simmer, cover and hold on low—kung pao only gets better with extra time.

Leftovers

Reheats beautifully on the stove or microwave—braised thighs don't turn rubbery the way stir-fried breast can.
Chop into fried rice with leftover jasmine rice.

Large skillet or wok
Rice pot