Kung Pao Pheasant

kung pao recipe
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Kung Pao pheasant is one of my absolute favorite dishes whenever I want to make Chinese food. I think it’s the combination of texture and flavor: Hot, fried chiles, silky chicken, crunchy peanuts. What’s not to love?

I did a little research and learned that, along time ago, this dish was often made with wild Chinese pheasants — the bird is originally from China, not North America — so that gave me a good reason to learn this recipe.

I never found a recipe I really like until I read Fuchsia Dunlop’s Land of Plenty: A Treasury of Authentic Sichuan Cooking. Kung Pao Chicken is originally from Sichuan, and it is supposed to be loaded with chiles and that crazy spice, Sichuan peppercorns, which make your mouth a little numb.

Kung pao pheasant in a bowl.
5 from 6 votes

Kung Pao Pheasant

This recipe is designed for pheasant or chicken, but any white meat will do: turkey, quail, partridge, rabbit, grouse, even pork loin.
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 4 people
Author: Hank Shaw
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients 

SAUCE

  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar or rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon potato starch or 1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 2 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock

MARINADE

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
  • 2 teaspoons potato starch or 2 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon water

PHEASANT

  • Skinless breasts from 2 pheasants
  • 5 garlic cloves, sliced thin
  • A 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 tablespoons)
  • 5 to 6 green onions, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 to 10 dried hot chiles (Sichuan, cayenne, etc)
  • 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons chicken fat, lard or peanut oil
  • 3/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts

Instructions 

  • Whisk all the ingredients for the sauce together and set aside.
  • Whisk together all the ingredients for the marinade in a medium bowl. Cut the pheasant breasts into small chunks of about 1/2 inch across and mix in with the marinade ingredients. Set aside for 20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, slice the garlic cloves into slivers, mince the ginger as fine as you can and cut the green onions into 1/2-inch pieces. Break the dried chiles into 1/2-inch pieces and shake out as many seeds as you can.
  • Set a wok over high heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken fat, lard or peanut oil and heat this until you see the faintest wisp of smoke. Add the Sichuan peppercorns and the dried chiles and stir-fry 15 seconds.
  • Add the pheasant and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the bell pepper, garlic, ginger and green onions and stir fry another 30 seconds.
  • Stir the sauce well and pour it into the wok. Add the peanuts and toss to combine. Bring to a rapid boil and stir fry for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Serve immediately over white rice with a beer.

Notes

This dish cannot be doubled. If you want to serve more people, make separate batches. Overloading the wok with a double batch will lower the heat too much and you'll steam and not sear everything. 

Nutrition

Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 821mg | Potassium: 309mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 481IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!