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Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁)

Name: Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁)
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 1 lb chicken breast, diced; 8 dried red chilies; 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns; 1/2 cup roasted peanuts; 3 scallions, sliced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine; 1 tbsp black vinegar; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tbsp cornstarch; 1 tsp sesame oil

Kung Pao Chicken (宫保鸡丁) reads umami 6.3, salinity 4.8 and sourness 4.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Chinese main, about 25 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 7.1 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.2 / 10
Sour & Bright — 4.6 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.2 / 10
Rich & Fat — 5.6 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.9 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.3 · Salinity 4.8 · Sourness 4.6 · Nutty 4.5 · Sweetness 4.2 · Allium 4.2 · Richness 3.6 · Funk & Ferment 3.2 · Heat 3.1 · Warm Spice 2.6 · Herbaceous 2.5 · Floral 1.1 · Bitterness 1.1 · Earthy 0.8

What's in it (13)

1 lb chicken breast, diced
8 dried red chilies
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
3 scallions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp black vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil

Time & effort: about 25 min (15 min active) · effort: easy

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 67.7 kcal, 10.7 g protein, 1.4 g fat, 3.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Marinate diced chicken in soy sauce, wine, and cornstarch.
Stir-fry dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns in hot oil until fragrant, then add chicken and cook through.
Toss in garlic, ginger, scallions, and peanuts, then finish with a sweet-sour sauce of soy, vinegar, and sugar.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Crispy Peanut Tofu with Sweet Chili Sauce — Thai
Fish-Fragrant Eggplant (鱼香茄子) — Chinese
Spicy Peanut Noodles with Chicken — Chinese-American
Fish-Fragrant Aubergine (Yu Xiang Qie Zi) — Chinese · Sichuan
Gyoza (餃子) — Japanese

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, sourness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.