chicken:

1 lb. chicken, cubed
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black or sichuan pepper

  • mix in a small bowl and set aside

sauce:

2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. black or balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. rice wine
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground ginger

  • stir in small bowl and set aside

3 tbsp. neutral oil
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or 1/4 cup small dried chilies)

  • combine oil and chilies over medium heat in wok or large pot
  • cook until sizzling and browned, about 15 seconds, then push to side of pan
  • add chicken, spread out to a single layer, and cook for 3-5 minutes, until browned on the bottom

1/2 cup peanuts
4 scallions, sliced

  • flip chicken, add peanuts and scallions, and cook for 2 minutes
  • add sauce and stir until sauce thickens

source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1023351-easy-kung-pao-chicken

11/04/2025: trying yet another kung pao recipe — finally like this one enough to call it kung pao and confirm it. much simpler than most, based on a very simple nytimes recipe, with a few additions from the comments (adding peanuts, scallions, rice wine, garlic, and ginger).