Kung Pao chicken is a Sichuan stir-fry of velvet-marinated diced chicken, dried chillies, Sichuan peppercorns, and roasted peanuts in a balanced hot-sour-sweet-salty sauce. The numbing heat of Sichuan pepper (málà) distinguishes it from other regional stir-fries.
The sauce balance
The defining characteristic is the interplay of four flavours simultaneously: hot (chilli), numbing (Sichuan pepper), sour (rice vinegar), sweet (sugar or Shaoxing wine). None should dominate; adjusting one requires adjusting the others.
Velveting the chicken
Diced thigh or breast is marinated in egg white, cornstarch, soy sauce, and Shaoxing wine, then blanched briefly in oil or water before the stir-fry. This pre-cook is velveting — it seals the protein, keeps the chicken tender during the high-heat wok stage.