with Spiralised Asian Vegetable Salad
I am an avid lover of Asian cuisine, it stems from my childhood years growing up in Hong Kong, and when I’m stuck for ideas on a busy day, it’s usually a Stir-Fry I turn to for a quick and easy meal. However, my favourite “to go to” recipe lately has been Kung Pao Chicken, a spicy recipe originating from the Szechuan province of China, which is comforting, filling and is packed with aromatic flavours. Also known as Gong Bao or Kung Po chicken, the main components of this tasty dish is chicken, Szechuan peppers, as well as Shaoxing wine and peanuts or cashew nuts.
The dish is believed to be named after Ding Baozhen (1820–1886), a late Qing Dynasty official, and governor of Sichuan (formally Szechuan) Province. His title was Gongbao, and thus the name “Kung Pao” chicken is derived from this title. (Wikipedia) NB: During the Cultural Revolution, the dish’s name became politically incorrect because of its association with Ding. The dish was renamed “Fast-fried chicken cubes” (Hongbao Jiding) or “chicken cubes with seared chiles” (Hula Jiding) until its political rehabilitation in the 1980s under Deng Xiaoping’s reforms
My simplified and healthy version today still uses the mandatory Szechuan peppers, but I’ve omitted the nuts and Shaoxing wine, mainly as I didn’t have any on hand when I made this dish, and to cut back on calories to make it Weight Watchers friendly. I don’t profess to call this an authentic version of the classic dish, but it has the main spice and ingredient elements of chicken, Szechuan peppers, coriander and chilli peppers, which still makes it a very flavoursome bowl of food.
For those on the Weight Watchers diet, this comes in at a VERY low 5 Smart Points per serving, including the side salad of spiralised vegetables too. For those following the 5:2 fast diet, which I still do for one day a week, the total calorie count is only 281 calories, making it a perfect main meal choice for fast days. You can make it for a special Friday night “take away at home” meal, and if calories and dieting are not an issue, then serve it with a big bowl of steamed jasmine rice for a very filling and tasty alternative to a greasy commercial take-away meal, as well as being considerably cheaper on the purse strings too!
I hope you enjoy this Chinese recipe as much as we do at Chez Lavender and Lovage, and if you don’t have a spiraliser, them you can serve the Asian side salad by using a vegetable peeler to make ribbons of carrot and courgettes. (I used a simple hand-held spiraliser by OXO, which is easy to store as it is small, is easy to clean and does the job perfectly) Karen
Healthy Kung Pao Chicken
Print recipe
| Serves | 4 |
| Prep time | 2 hours, 20 minutes |
| Cook time | 25 minutes |
| Total time | 2 hours, 45 minutes |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish, Salad |
| Misc | Serve Cold, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Casual Party |
| Region | Chinese |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 600g skinless, boneless chicken breast
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
- Fry-Light low-calorie spray
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1" (2.5cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons cornflour
- 1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- 6 to 8 spring onions, trimmed and sliced
- 3 carrots, spiralised or peeled into ribbons with a potato peeler
- 2 courgettes, spiralised or peeled into ribbons with a potato peeler
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- fresh coriander leaves
Note
A healthy version of this classic Szechuan chicken dish, which is served with a spiralised vegetable salad. This low-fat version is adapted from a Weight Watchers magazine recipe and is only 5 Smart points per generous serving. Also called Gong Bao or Kung Po, this dish always contains Szechuan peppers and is fragrantly hot rather than spicy hot.
Directions
| Step 1 | Dice the chicken and place it in a dish; mix together 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of the rice wine vinegar and pour it over the chicken pieces. Mix to make sure all the pieces are coated, cover with cling film and allow to marinate in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours, or even overnight. |
| Step 2 | Toast the Szechuan peppers in a dry frying pan until they release their aroma, then crush them with a pestle and mortar. |
| Step 3 | Spray a large wok with the Fry-Light low calorie spray and fry the chicken pieces over a medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and the ginger and cook for a further 2 minutes. |
| Step 4 | Whisk the remaining soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of therice wine vinegar together with the hoisin sauce, cornflour, chilli flakes and Szechuan pepper, then add to the wok. Cook for 2 minutes until the sauce has thickened, before adding the spring onions. |
| Step 5 | Toss the spiralised (or ribbons of) carrot and courgette together in a bowl, then whisk the sesame oil with the remaining 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar and drizzle it over the vegetables. Add half of the coriander leaves and toss to mix. |
| Step 6 | Garnish the Kung Pao chicken with the remaining coriander leaves and serve immediately with the vegetable salad and extra soy sauce to taste. |
Other healthy recipes on Lavender and Lovage:
Spinach, Lentil & Sweet Potato Curry (244 Calories)
Weight Watchers Diet Cauliflower cheese
Chutney Chicken and Vegetable Parcels
Healthy Three Cheese Macaroni Cheese Gratin
Sarah | Boo Roo and Tigger Too says
This sounds delicious and so much more cost effective than ordering a Chinese takeaway – yum, yum
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Sarah! Much better than a take away and healthier too!
karen Crossan says
WOW….I love all these flavours and the fact it’s healthy even better, thank you for sharing.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Karen – it’s full on flavour and low in calories!
Lesley says
Can I use anything else instead of szechuan peppercorns not sure if I have seen them here n Spain.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Yes – that will be fine Lesley!
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com says
Karen, this is a beautiful dish! And so much healthier than high-fat takeaway. I’m tempted now to buy a spiralizer.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Jean, this little OXO Spiraliser is one of the cheapest but also easy to use too!
Gingey Bites says
Yummy this looks really tasty! 🙂 Bookmarked!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Gingey Bites! I hope you enjoy it!
Jo says
Hong Kong is such a wonderful place. First place I tried Kung Pao Chicken. I am fasting today on C9 cleanse and so want something tasty tomorrow, this is perfect. I am so looking forward to it.
Clare says
Hi Karen,
I made this tonight (my second 5:2 night of the week) and it was scrumptious!
Thanks also for recommending the OXO spiraliser – it is a fantastic little gadget.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Clare, so glad you enjoyed it as much we did when I last made it, and isn’t the little OXO spiraliser GREAT too?! Karen
Rache; says
Whoo!! A meal with less calories. As I suffer from stomach problems, I eat less spicy and low calorie food. This will definitely be on my plate today. Thanks Karen!
Karen Burns-Booth says
I am glad you like this recipe!
le says
kung po chicken is one of my favs, will keep in mind to use spiralised veg instead of rice!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks! Rice is also good when not counting the calories!
Pamela says
Karen,
I’m thinking of doing the 5:2 diet. Looking at all your yummy recipes I think I can do it. Being in the USA I have to look up some of your ingredients to see what we call them.
For example, what is a courgette? Oh, a zucchini!
I also looked up spring onion. Thought I had it right. A scallion is the same as a green onion but a spring onion has a larger bulb and a stronger flavor …but then there was this note at the end of the article that said “There is often confusion about whether or not green onions and spring onions are the same thing, and this might stem from the fact that green onions are called spring onions in other countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom.”
It also suggested one should not substitute a spring onion for a green onion (scallion) as the flavor is stronger.
You can see a picture of a USA green onion (scallion) vs spring onion here:
https://www.thekitchn.com/whats-the-difference-between-spring-onions-scallions-and-green-onions-word-of-mouth-217111
Jennifer says
Ha h a I love your recipes… I was standing in the kitchen with a couple of chicken breasts going what can I make to go with a Vietnamese salad and this recipie turned up…. no I didn’t marinade for. 12 hours more like 45 mins but it stilll tasted fab.. all your research pays off. Thanks
Rupert says
Really enjoyed this. Thanks so much for this one. I am going to work my way through some of your other receipts. I’m doing the fast 800 and having something fresh/delicious like this is great.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks so much for leaving these comments and I am delighted that this recipe was well recieved! Karen
Karen Burns-Booth says
I am so pleased you enjoyed this Rupert! Karen