Why This Recipe Will Win You Over

• Gut-Healthy Goodness: Rich in fiber and antioxidants, this stir fry recipe for gut health is as nourishing as it is delicious.
• Quick and Simple: A go-to for those seeking healthy dinner ideas with courgette—ready in under an hour.
• Bold Flavors: The combination of tender chicken, crisp courgette, and a savory sauce infused with garlic and ginger delivers an irresistible punch of flavor.
• Customizable: From tofu to shrimp, this recipe adapts easily, making it one of the most versatile low-calorie zucchini recipes.

The Secret Behind This Chicken Zucchini Stir Fry

The magic lies in the preparation. Salting the zucchini draws out its bitterness and preserves its delightful crunch. When paired with tender chicken marinated in a flavorful sauce, this crunchy courgette stir fry recipe transforms simple ingredients into a vibrant meal.

The Nutritional Powerhouses

• Zucchini (Courgette): A cornerstone of courgette and chicken recipes, zucchini is packed with carotenoids that support eye health, strong bones, and immunity. It’s also great for managing type 2 diabetes, aligning perfectly with the benefits of eating zucchini for diabetes.
• Chicken: A lean, protein-rich ingredient that complements zucchini for a wholesome, satisfying meal.

Ingredients for Chicken Zucchini Stir Fry

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare the Zucchini:
   • Slice zucchini lengthwise into quarters, remove seeds, and cut into 5–6 cm strips.
   • Toss with salt and let it rest for 20–30 minutes. This crucial step enhances the flavor and texture—one of the best ways to remove bitterness from courgette.
2. Marinate the Chicken:
   • Thinly slice the chicken.
   • In a bowl, combine soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, and cooking oil. Coat the chicken and let it marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Prep the Aromatics:
   • Mince garlic and ginger.
4. Cook:
   • Heat a wok or skillet with cooking oil.
   • Sauté garlic and ginger until aromatic.
   • Add marinated chicken, cooking until browned and fully cooked.
   • Rinse and squeeze the salted zucchini to remove excess moisture, then stir fry with the chicken for 3–5 minutes.
5. Serve:
   • Pair with steamed rice or noodles for a complete meal. 请慢用 qǐng màn yòng!

Personalize Your Dish

• Swap chicken for tofu or shrimp to create family-friendly zucchini recipes.
• Toss in colorful vegetables like bell peppers or carrots for added texture.
• Opt for gluten-free soy sauce for a gluten-free easy Asian stir fry recipe.

Why This Dish is a Hit

This chicken and zucchini stir fry for picky eaters blends bold flavors and thoughtful preparation. Even the most skeptical eaters will find themselves savoring every bite.

Perfect Pairings

• Steamed Jasmine Rice: To soak up every bit of the savory sauce.
• Hot & Sour Soup: A tangy side to balance the meal.
• Vegetable Spring Rolls: A crunchy, satisfying appetizer.

Expert Tips for Stir Fry Success

1. Use a hot wok for even, quick cooking.
2. Avoid overcrowding the pan—cook in batches if needed.
3. Prep all ingredients ahead for a stress-free experience.

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Pork Belly and Yellow Zucchini Stir Fry
• Sweet Bean Sauce Chicken
• Authentic Kung Pao Chicken

This dish is proof that a little creativity in the kitchen can transform everyday ingredients into something extraordinary. Try this easy chicken courgette stir fry recipe today, and share how it inspires new zucchini lovers in your home!

Chicken Zucchini Stir Fry: A Gut-Healthy Recipe to Win Over Even the Pickiest Eaters

Recipe by LinCourse: MainCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Quick and healthy Chicken Courgette Stir Fry recipe packed with flavor and crunch. Perfect for gut health, low in calories, and ready in under an hour. Great for family dinners!

Ingredients

• 2-3 x big courgette, or you can use 6 x baby courgette if you like the taste better

• 3 pieces of chicken thigh fillets

• 2-3 cloves of garlic

• 1-2g of fresh ginger (you can skip ginger if you don’t like the taste)

• 2 tbs light soy sauce

• 1 tsp of sasame oil (can skip if you don’t have any)

• ½ tsp of sugar

• 2 tsp of corn starch

Directions

• Slice zucchini (courgette) in quarters and remove the seeds
• Further slice the courgette strips into halves then cut them into 5-6cm long
• Put them in a big container, add 1-2 tsp of salt, rub and mix well (this step is the key to remove the bitterness and keep the zucchini (courgette) crunchy through the cooking process)
• Leave the salted courgette for at least 20-30 mins
• Slice chicken thigh fillets into thin strips and put them in a bowl
• Add 1 tsp of sesame oil if you have (skip if you don’t), add ½ tsp of sugar, 2 tsp of corn starch, 2 tbs of light soy sauce and a tsp of cooking oil, mix well. Let the strips marinate for roughly 20 mins
• Mince 2-3 cloves of garlic and 2g fresh ginger, set it aside
• After 20-30 mins, there should be quite a bit of liquid coming out of the salted zucchini (courgette), wash them thoroughly under running water and squeeze the excess water
• Heat up your cooking pan/wok, add a tablespoon of cooking oil, let it heat up, put the minced garlic and fresh ginger mix in, and let it cook until fragrant
• Add the marinated chicken in and stir fry until browned and cooked through
• Add in the zucchini strips (courgette) and let it all cook for a further 3-5 mins
• Plate and serve

The post Chicken Zucchini Stir Fry: A Gut-Healthy Recipe to Win Over Even the Pickiest Eaters appeared first on Lin's Chinese Kitchen.

The recipe I am going to share in this post is simple, refreshing, and easy to prepare. It can be enjoyed both hot and cold depending on your preference. If you like scallions and ginger, definitely give this a try. You won’t be disappointed!

Scallion and Ginger Roasted Poussin Recipe

Recipe by LinCourse: MainCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

2

hours 

This authentic Chinese recipe shows you how to easily make a poussin dish with scallions and ginger that’s perfect for both oven and air fryer cooking.

Ingredients

• Poussin 500g

• Vegetable oil 3 tbsp

• White ground pepper 1 tsp

• Salt 3g

• Ginger 60g

• Scallion 100g

• Chinese cooking wine 1 tsp

• Lee Kum Kee Seasoned Soy Sauce for Seafood 2 tsp

• Sesame oil 1 tsp

• Fresh chili 1

• Fresh coriander for garnishing

Directions

• Julienne cut 100g scallions and slice 60g gingers.
• Mix 3g salt, 1tsp white ground pepper, and 1 tsp Chinese cooking wine together.
• Gently massage the fresh poussin with the mix, and rub ⅓ of the scallions on the poussin.
• Let it marinate for 30 mins.
• Take a piece of foil paper, and brush some vegetable oil on it.
• Place the sliced ginger at the bottom, and lay some julienne cut scallions on the top.
• Place the marinated poussin on top.
• Lay some more scallions on top of the poussin.
• Take another piece of foil paper and tightly wrap the poussin.
• Use a toothpick to poke a few holes on the top.
• Gently place it in a tray.
• I used my Ninja air fryer to cook it by setting it to 180℃ for 1 hour and 40 mins.
• Take it out, remove the top layer of foil paper and scallions, and put it back on 160℃ for another 10-15 mins.
• Finely chop one chile and fresh coriander.
• Check the poussin is thoroughly cooked before plating.
• Mix 2 tsp Lee Kum Kee seasoned soy sauce for seafood or light soy sauce with 1 tsp of sesame oil and the finely chopped fresh chili, drizzle on top of the poussin.
• Heat up the rest of the vegetable oil in a cooking pot, and pour it over the poussin.
• If you like coriander, add some leaves for garnishing. It will also give this dish a bit of a kick in the flavor. Otherwise, serve.

The meat is tender with a light refreshing taste, and completely hassle-free. If you don’t want to eat it hot, you could also serve it cold with some salad. Enjoy！ 请慢用 (qǐng màn yòng)!

Try It Yourself!

And there you have it! This is how you can make an easy and delicious poussin dish with scallions and ginger. It’s the perfect Chinese dish to stick in the air fryer if you don’t want to fuss around too much. Give it a go and show off your work by posting on Instagram and tagging us @linschinesekitchen.

The post Scallion and Ginger Roasted Poussin Recipe appeared first on Lin's Chinese Kitchen.

In this article, we will walk you through the simple steps you need to follow to create your own Diguo Chicken. This eye-catching and tasty traditional Chinese dish would definitely be a showstopper on your dinner table during the holiday season.
I don’t have a big-enough Chinese wok, so I used my ProCook 28cm shallow cast-iron casserole. If you have a 35 cm Chinese wok, you could fit in more naans on the side (which my husband and I fought tooth and nail over ;p).

Ground Pot Chicken (Di Guo Ji) with Pot-stick Naan Recipe

Recipe by LinCourse: MainCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Medium

Servings

3

servings

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

50

minutes

This recipe shows you how to make an authentic ground pot chicken dish also known as di guo ji, a Chinese classic packed with flavour.

Ingredients

• Guinea fowl 1.05kg (you may replace this with a whole chicken)

• All-purpose plain flour 160g

• Room temperature water 90g

• Salt 2g

• Bell pepper x 2

• Spring onions x 2

• Fresh garlic 7 cloves

• Fresh ginger sliced 10g

• Chili pepper x 1 (I added only one, feel free to replace bell pepper with chili peppers if you are a spicy food lover)

• Star anise x 1

• Bay leaf x 1

• Sichuan peppercorn 2 tbsp

• Dried shiitake mushrooms x 9

• Light soy 2 tbsp

• Dark soy 1 tbsp

• Oyster sauce 2 tbsp

• Salt to taste

• Lager beer 1 cup

• Hot water 1.5 cups

• Chinese 13 spices ¼ tsp

• Brown sugar 1 tbsp

Directions

• Mix 160g plain flour with 2g salt, pour in 90g room temperature water in 3 batches, mix well and thread the dough. Cover with lid or cling film for 10 mins.
• Wash the dried shiitake mushrooms and soak them in a bowl of fresh water for at least 30 mins.
• Cut fresh ginger into slices, cut spring onions in 3 equal sections put them together with the 2 fresh garlic cloves and set them aside.
• Cut the bell peppers and chili pepper into small pieces, put them together with 5 crushed fresh garlic cloves, and set them aside.
• Take the dough, and thread it again until the surface is smooth. Cover with a lid or cling film. Let it rest for 20 mins.
• During this time, let’s prepare our meat. We used a medium-sized Guinea fowl purchased from Sainsbury’s but you can replace it with a whole chicken. Chop it into small pieces.
• Cut the soaked mushrooms into small slices. Filter and save the mushroom juice.
• Heat up the cooking pot first, and add 4 tbsp of vegetable oil.
• Wait for the oil to heat up and add our Sichuan peppercorn, bay leave, and star anise to fry with medium-high heat until nicely browned.
• Take them out and add sliced ginger, chopped spring onion, and garlic in the oil to fry until lightly browned.
• Add the chopped Guinea fowl/chicken in with 1 tbsp brown sugar, and stir fry until nicely browned.
• Add 2 tbsp light soy, 1 tbsp dark soy, and 2 tbsp oyster sauce and keep stir-frying until the color is darkened evenly.
• Add the sliced mushrooms in, add 1 cup lager beer, 1.5 cups hot water, and 1 cup mushroom juice we have saved earlier.
• Stir and mix well and let it boil for 5 mins. Add the 5 cloves of crushed garlic. Mix well. Cover with lid, reduce heat to medium-low, and stew for 30 – 40 mins.
• Meanwhile, take our well-rested dough out, divide it into 9-10 evenly distributed balls, and soak them in a bowl of fresh water. This is important (Do Not Touch Them Again until ready to use).
• When the time is up, open the lid and make sure you still have enough liquid in your cooking pot.
• Take the soaked dough ball out one by one, and stretch evenly with your hands until it is a thin piece. Gently place it on the side of your wok/cooking pot, with at least of it soaked in the liquid. Unfortunately, my cast iron cooking pot didn’t give me much wiggle room so mine naans are pretty much all swimming in there with just their “head” hanging on the side of the pot.
• Turn the heat to medium or medium-high, cover with its lid and let it cook for another 15 mins.
• Open the lid, add the peppers in, and let them cook for another 2 – 3 mins.
• Ready to serve!
• The meat is succulent and tender, the pot-stick naan is full of flavour and chewy, it is beautiful to the eye and a great mixture of tastes to satisfy your taste buds. Let us know what you think in the comment section below. Enjoy your meal (您慢用 nín màn yòng)!

The post Ground Pot Chicken (Di Guo Ji) with Pot-stick Naan Recipe appeared first on Lin's Chinese Kitchen.

The chicken in this dish is tender and saucy, which is perfect when paired with rice. My fondest memory of eating this dish is in one of those iconic “hole in the wall” restaurants in Guilin when I was in college. 

To achieve the best taste and texture, it is best to choose skin on and bone on chicken thighs. However, I happen to have a box of chicken thigh fillets from our local Sainsbury’s, so that’s what I went with. Let’s prepare this dish!

Ingredients for Chinese Braised Chicken

To make Huang Men Ji, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Brown cane sugar 1 tbsp
• Chicken thigh fillet 500g
• Chinese cooking wine ½ tsp
• Sliced fresh ginger 19g
• Garlic 25g
• Light soy 1 tbsp
• Dark soy 1 tbsp
• Oyster sauce 1 tbsp
• Bean paste sauce 1 tbsp
• Dried Shiitake Mushroom 11
• Potato medium/large 2
• Sweet pepper (small) 4

How to Make Chinese Braised Chicken with Bell Peppers

This Huang Men Ji recipe is fairly simple and efficient to make. You’ll need to follow these steps:

1. For prep, soak the dried Shiitake mushrooms in one cup of water for 20 minutes, and peel 2 medium-to-large potatoes and cut them into big chunks. Then, cut the mushrooms into quarters and leave the juice aside for later use. Finally, cut the sweet peppers into roughly 2x2cm chunks.
2. Slice the garlic and ginger and set them aside in a container. Cut the chicken thighs into big chunks.
3. Add 2 slices of fresh ginger, diced chicken thighs, ½ tsp of Chinese cooking wine, and tap water in a cooking pot, and bring it to a boil. Then, drain the water and put the boiled chicken thighs aside to air dry.
4. Heat up a pan and add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Add 1 tbsp brown cane sugar (you could also choose to use crystal sugar if you have any) in the oil, then stir until melted and darkened with low heat.
5. Add the diced chicken thighs to the pan (pad dry the chicken thighs before putting them in if needed with some paper towels). Stir fry until nicely browned.
6. Add the rest of the sliced ginger, sliced garlic, 1 tbsp light soy, 1 tbsp dark soy, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, and 1 tbsp Chinese bean paste sauce. Then stir and mix well.
7. Add the mushroom juice we set aside earlier, and freshwater until all the ingredients in the pan are covered (roughly 150ml in total).
8. Cover the lid, bring it to boil, reduce the heat and let it stew for 15 – 20 mins.
9. Taste to see if you need more salt. Add diced potatoes and mushrooms in and cook for further 10 mins.
10. Open the lid, to thicken the sauce. Add the sliced sweet pepper in, stir with low heat for 2 mins, and plate.
11. Serve with rice, don’t forget to have your rice soaked in the sauce, have a big spoon full of rice, chicken, potato, and pepper. Enjoy, 请慢用 (qǐng màn yòng )!

Try It Yourself!

And that’s how you can make a delicious and flavourful authentic Chinese braised chicken dish! If you like Chinese chicken, be sure to check out the rest of our chicken recipes.

Did you make this recipe? Be sure to share the result on Instagram and tag us @linschinesekitchen.

Chinese Bean Paste Braised Chicken (Huang Men Ji) Recipe

Recipe by LinCourse: Stir FryCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

3

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

This recipe will show you how to make authentic Huang Men Ji, a delicious Chinese bean paste braised chicken dish.

Ingredients

• Brown cane sugar 1 tbsp

• Chicken thigh fillet 500g

• Chinese cooking wine ½ tsp

• Sliced fresh ginger 19g

• Garlic 25g

• Light soy 1 tbsp

• Dark soy 1 tbsp

• Oyster sauce 1 tbsp

• Bean paste sauce 1 tbsp

• Dried Shiitake Mushroom 11

• Potato medium/large 2

• Sweet pepper (small) 4

Directions

• Soak the dried Shiitake mushrooms with a cup of water for 20 mins.
• Cut the mushrooms into quarters. Leave the juice aside for later use.
• Peel 2 medium to large potatoes, cut them into big chunks.
• Cut the sweet peppers into roughly 2x2cm chunks.
• Slice the garlic and ginger, set them aside in a container.
• Cut the chicken thighs into big chunks.
• Add 2 slices of fresh ginger, diced chicken thighs, ½ tsp of Chinese cooking wine, and tap water in a cooking pot, bring it to boil.
• Drain the water, put the boiled chicken thighs aside to air dry.
• Heat up a pan, add 2 tbsp of vegetable oil.
• Add 1 tbsp brown cane sugar (you could also choose to use crystal sugar if you have any) in the oil, stir until melted and darkened with low heat.
• Add the diced chicken thighs to the pan (pad dry the chicken thighs before putting them in if needed with some paper towel).
• Stir fry until nicely browned.
• Add the rest of the sliced ginger, sliced garlic, 1 tbsp light soy, 1 tbsp dark soy, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp Chinese bean paste sauce, stir and mix well.
• Add the mushroom juice we have preserved before, and freshwater until covering all the ingredients that are in the pan (roughly 150ml in total).
• Cover the lid, bring it to boil, reduce the heat and let it stew for 15 – 20 mins.
• Taste to see if you need more salt.
• Add diced potatoes and mushrooms in and cook for further 10 mins.
• Open the lid, to thicken the sauce.
• Add the sliced sweet pepper in, stir with low heat for 2 mins, and plate.
• Serve with rice, don’t forget to have your rice soaked in the sauce, have a big spoon full of rice, chicken, potato, and pepper. Enjoy, 请慢用 (qǐng màn yòng )!

The post Chinese Bean Paste Braised Chicken (Huang Men Ji) Recipe appeared first on Lin's Chinese Kitchen.

What is Jiangbao Chicken

Similar to Peking Duck (北京烤鸭 běi jīng kǎo yā) sauce and Jingjiang Pork (京酱肉丝 jīng jiàng ròu sī), this dish carries a distinct sweet flavour that’s hard to resist. It’s made with jiangbao sauce, a sweet bean paste flavouring that’s as iconic as it gets in the north of China.

Despite having the word “bean” in the name, it’s not primarily made out of soybeans. Rather, the central ingredient of this condiment is wheat. Some tend to liken jiangbao sauce to hoisin sauce but they’re completely different. Hoisin sauce is lighter, both in terms of flavour and colour. It’s also more heavily based on fermented soybeans than jiangbao sauce.

Origin of Jiangbao Chicken

The creator of this dish may be unknown, but people do believe this dish originated in Beijing. A similar dish was cooked with pork but, by chance, people discovered that juicy chicken thighs coated with sweet bean paste sauce plus refreshing cucumber cubes brought this dish to the next level. Right there was the birth of Jiangbao Chicken.

Jiangbao Chicken Ingredients

Sweet bean sauce chicken is a fairly simple dish to make and requires a few simple ingredients.

• Chicken thighs (duh!) – About 500g should be enough to feed 2-3 people
• Cucumber – It’s one of the best pairings for both jiangbao sauce and chicken
• Ginger, garlic and spring onion – These three are staples in Chinese cuisine so, naturally, they’re a part of what gives jiangbao chicken rich flavour
• Salt, Chinese cooking wine, corn starch, and water – These ingredients mixed together are used to make a simple marinate for the chicken thighs
• Sweet bean paste, oyster sauce, and Peking duck sauce – To make a full and authentic jiangbao sauce, you need these three ingredients

How to Make Jiangbao Chicken

Two of the key elements of this dish are marinating the chicken to create that juicy texture and mixing the sauce.

1. Dice the chicken into about 3cm sized cubes, then mix with the marinate ingredients and set aside for 15 minutes
2. Finely chop you garlic, ginger and spring onions, then dice the cucumber into about the same size as the chicken
3. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a container and set aside
4. Fire up a wok or pan with some vegetable oil and stir-fry the chicken until visibly cooked. Then remove from the chicken from the pan and drain the oil
5. Add another bit of oil to the pan and throw in the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry for a couple of minutes
6. Reduce heat to low and mix in the jiangbao sauce. Keep stirring until thickened
7. Increase the heat to medium, put the cooked chicken in and mix well to ensure every piece is coated
8. Throw in the cucumber and stir-fry for about 20 seconds before serving with rice

Who Can Enjoy Jiangbao Chicken?

Jiangbao chicken is a great alternative for people who can’t eat any spicy food. Also if you are a fan of Jingjiang Pork and Peking Duck, this will most definitely be your jam too. Easy to cook and infused with Beijing flavour! Enjoy! (请慢用 qǐng màn yòng)

Sweet Bean Sauce (Jiangbao) Chicken Recipe

Recipe by LinCourse: Main, Stir-fryCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Super Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

This authentic Chinese recipe shows you how to make a sweet and flavourful sweet bean sauce chicken stir-fry, also called jiangbao chicken.

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs 500g

• Cucumber 175g

• Ginger 4g

• Garlic 6g

• Spring onion 19g

• Salt 2g

• Chinese cooking wine ¼ tsp

• Corn starch 1 tbsp

• Water 2 tsp

• Sauce

• Bean paste ½ tbsp

• Oyster sauce ½ tbsp

• Peking Duck sauce 2 tbsp

Directions

• Dice the chicken thighs into roughly 3cm cubes.
• Add ¼ tsp Chinese cooking wine, 2g salt, 1 tbsp corn starch and 2 tsp water to the diced chicken thighs, massage well and set it aside to marinate for 15 mins.
• Finely cut 4g ginger and 6g garlic together with 19g spring onions, I used my hand blender for this step (such a life-saver!).
• Dice 175g cucumber into 2-3 cm cubes, similar size or slightly smaller than the chicken thighs.
• Add ½ tbsp bean paste, ½ tbsp oyster sauce and 2 tbsp Peking Duck sauce in a container, mix well, set it aside.
• Heat up a cooking wok, add 5 tbsp vegetable oil, wait for the oil to heat up.
• Add the marinated chicken thighs in, and quickly stir until they are visibly cooked.
• Use a sieve to drain the excess oil, leave the chicken thighs in a container.
• Add 1 tbsp oil in a clean wok, wait for it to heat up.
• Add the blended/finely chopped spring onion, garlic and ginger mix, stir fry.
• Reduce the heat to low, gently pour in the mixed sauce, keep stirring to thicken the sauce.
• Increase the heat, put the cooked chicken thighs into the sauce, stir to make sure every chicken cube is coated with sauce evenly.
• Add the diced cucumber, mix well and cook for 20 secs.
• Plate and serve with rice.

Try It Yourself!

And there you have it! This is how you can make authentic Chinese sweet bean sauce or jiangbao chicken. If you give the recipe a try, we’d love to see it on Instagram! Be sure to tag us at @linschinesekitchen.

The post Sweet Bean Sauce (Jiangbao) Chicken Recipe appeared first on Lin's Chinese Kitchen.

What are the Origins of Kung Pao Chicken?

It is believed that Kung Pao Chicken was created by the Sichuan governor Ding Baozhen in Qing Dynasty. He was a seasoned chef himself and loved eating peanuts and chicken and of course spicy food! When he was working in Shandong, he asked his private chef to alter a local dish called Jiang Pao Chicken (Beanpaste Stir-Fried Chicken 酱爆鸡丁 jiàng bào jī dīng) into a spicy dish cooked with diced chicken, red chillies, and peanuts. This dish was widely spread when he was relocated to Sichuan Province as its governor. 宫保 Gong Bao was the name of his job position, so to commemorate his work during his tenure, people named this dish Gong Bao Ji Ding which later became the famous Kung Pao Chicken in western countries.

Why Make Authentic Kung Pao Chicken?

Many overseas Chinese people including myself, often find that it is hard to find authentic Kung Pao Chicken in the local Chinese restaurants. It seems that they all have their own interpretation of how this dish should taste like. After a long head aching search quest, I finally decided to DIY it at home. And both I and my husband Yanni were quite pleased with the result. We both agree that this version is the closest we have ever tasted here compared to what we used to have in China. So for you all who have tasted the real thing and longing for more.

Now, on to the recipe!

Authentic Kung Pao Chicken (Gong Bao Ji Ding) Recipe

Recipe by LinCourse: MainCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

This authentic recipe shows you how to make a Chinese restaurant favourite, Kung Pao Chicken, known in China as Gong Bao Ji Ding.

Ingredients

• Main Ingredients

• Large chicken breast x 2 (390g)

• Large leek x 1

• Raw peanuts 56g

• Sichuan Red Oil Bean Paste Sauce 1+½ tbsp

• Marinate sauce

• Chinese cooking wine ¼ tsp

• Light soy 2 tsp

• Egg white ½ of a medium-sized egg

• Corn starch ½ tbsp

• Sesame oil ¼ tsp

• Sichuan peppercorn powder 4 shakes

• Sauce

• Chinese dark rice vinegar 2 tbsp

• Sugar 2 tbsp

• Oyster sauce ½ tbsp

• Chinese cooking wine ¼ tsp

• Water 3 tbsp

• Minced garlic x 3 cloves

• Corn starch 1 tbsp

Directions

• To make the chicken breasts juicy we need to marinate them for 20 mins. Dice the chicken breasts.
• Add Chinese cooking wine ¼ tsp, light soy 2 tsp, egg white ½ of a medium-sized egg, corn starch ½ tbsp, sesame oil ¼ tsp, Sichuan peppercorn powder 4 shakes to a big container, add the diced chicken breasts in, gently massage the chicken for 2 mins. Set it aside.
• While we are marinating our chicken, let’s fry the raw peanuts. Set the heat to medium, fry until the peanuts are nicely browned. Over frying will result in a dark colour as well as a bitter taste. If you are not sure, feel free to start with low heat and increase gradually.
• After done, take them out and let them cool.
• Wash and cut the leek into similar sizes as your diced chicken breasts.
• Take a small container, add Chinese dark rice vinegar x 2 tbsp, Sugar x 2 tbsp, Oyster sauce x ½ tbsp, Chinese cooking wine ¼ tsp, water x 3 tbsp, minced garlic x 3 cloves, corn starch x 1 tbsp, mix well and set it aside.
• Heat up your wok and add 2 tsp vegetable oil.
• Stir fry the diced chicken breasts until they are nicely browned.
• Take the chicken breasts out and set them aside.
• Add 1 tsp of vegetable oil to the wok.
• While the oil is still cool, add 1 + ½ tbsp red oil bean paste then keep stirring until you can see visible red oil spreading. (Keep the heat at a lower setting if it is your first time cooking Chinese food.)
• Add in the chopped leek gently and stir fry for a few minutes, until softened.
• Add the stir-fried diced chicken breasts and mix well.
• Add the fried peanuts.
• Gently mix the sauce again and pour in your wok, mix well with the rest of the ingredients. Turn heat to maximum.
• Keep stirring until the sauce is thickened and coated nicely on the rest of the ingredients in the wok.
• Plate and serve.
• Hopefully, the taste of this dish will remind you of your time spent in China. Enjoy! 您慢用(nín màn yòng).

Try It Yourself!

And there you have it! You now know how to make real Chinese Kung Pao Chicken! Give the recipe a go and show us on Instagram how it turned out by tagging us. Be sure to also leave us a comment and if you’re not sure about something, ask any questions below.

The post Authentic Kung Pao Chicken (Gong Bao Ji Ding) Recipe appeared first on Lin's Chinese Kitchen.

Of course, one of the things that I love about Luandun (乱炖 luàn dùn) is, once you know how to make it, it’s very easy to create your own version of this dish depending on your cooking whims and the ingredients that are available in your household.

Origins of Luandun

One of the most popular northeastern cities, where this dish originates, is Harbin. It’s one of the major cities in the northeast region, and I always have very fond memories of the city’s winter because of the mesmerizing Ice and Snow Festival. The whole city turns into a magical world when the sun goes down and the lights are on. They have truly embraced the winter spirit and created their own ice kingdom to welcome travellers from all over the world. Besides the incredible winter scenery, local Luandun restaurants are another reason people visit the city every year during the festive seasons. Here are a few restaurant suggestions: 

1. Shanhetun Iron Pan Stew (Min’an Branch) – 山河屯铁锅炖（民安店）

Address: Min’an Street No. 29, Daoli District, Harbin, Heilongjiang

Phone: +86 451 5882 6688

2. Gao Jia Xiao Yuan (Xiangfang Branch) – 高家小院（香坊店）

Address: Xiangfu Road No.67, Xiangfang District, Harbin, Heilongjiang

Phone: +86 451 51035799

3. Bai Yi Da Di Guo (Qunli Branch) – 百一大地锅（群力店）

Address: No.518, Diwudadao Street, Qunli, Harbin, Heilongjiang

Phone: +86 451-51501891

How to Make Authentic Luandun

Luandun can be made in a variety of ways. Some might say it’s enough to cobble together a bunch of ingredients along with some glass noodles. The recipe we created for you in this article is chicken-based and to make it, you’ll need the ingredients in the photo below.

Now, let’s dive into the recipe!

Authentic Northeast Chinese Luandun (Chicken Stew) Recipe

Recipe by LinCourse: Main, StewCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

This recipe shows you how to make a delicious authentic Northeast Chinese Luandun chicken stew that’s hearty and healthy.

Ingredients

• 500g chicken thigh fillet

• 4 x small-medium potatoes (300g)

• 4 x medium tomatoes

• 1 x bell pepper

• 1 x medium or large onion

• 5 x cloves garlic

• 6 pieces of Chinese leaf

• 200g stringless green beans

• A hand full of sweet potato glass noodles

• 1 x tbsp bean paste

• 1 x tbsp tomato paste (optional)

• 1 x tsp sugar

• ¼ cumin powder

• A pinch of ground white pepper

• 2 x tsp light soy sauce

• Salt to taste

Directions

• Soak the glass noodles in warm water for at least 30 minutes or until they are soft. Chop 3 tomatoes, onions, and garlic into small pieces for the soup base. Put them in a bowl and set them aside.
• Cut the Chinese leaf into thin slices and the green beans, and potatoes into small chunks.
• Cut the bell pepper into small pieces and slice the remaining tomato into thin pieces. This is mostly for garnishing. Place them on a plate and set them aside.
• Cut your chicken thigh fillets into big chunks.
• Let’s make the soup base first. Heat up 1 tsp of vegetable oil in your saucepan. Add the soup base ingredients in with two shakes of salt and let it cook until the ingredients are soft. Add 2.5 cups of cold water and bring to a boil. Take a hand blender to blend it until it is smooth (careful not to burn yourself).
• Prepare a big enough pan and add 1 tsp of vegetable oil with 1 tbsp of bean paste. Gently heat it up. Add your chicken thighs in and stir fry them until all are nicely browned.
• Add your green beans and potatoes in and keep stir-frying for 4 -5 minutes. Give the vegetables a nice oil and bean paste coat.
• Add the soup in. It should cover all the ingredients. Add 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp light soy sauce, ¼ tsp cumin powder, and a pinch of ground white pepper. You can also add 1 tbsp tomato paste if you have some, but it’s optional. Stir well.
• Add the softened glass noodles into the mix. If you bought the broad glass noodles, make sure they are completely soaked and soft before adding them to the stew.
• Put on the lid and let it stew for 20 minutes on medium-low heat. Monitor during this process to make sure your food doesn’t dry up and burn.
• Open the lid and gently lay on the tomato slices and small pieces of bell pepper as well as your sliced Chinese leaf. Put the lid on for a further 5 minutes.
• Garnish with some spring onion and white sesame seeds. Serve.
• I like to eat this with freshly cooked rice and cold kimchi. The taste is absolutely heavenly! We hope you enjoy it! 您慢用(nín màn yòng).

Try It Yourself!

And there you have it! Now you know how to make an authentic Northeast Chinese Luandun stew. Give it a go and let us know how it went by leaving us a comment below. If you do make this recipe, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag us @linschinesekitchen.

The post Authentic Northeast Chinese Luandun (Chicken Stew) Recipe appeared first on Lin's Chinese Kitchen.