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a plate of the finished kung pao chicken wings
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Kung Pao Chicken Wings Recipe

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Servings: 2

Ingredients

  • 1 Lb of chicken wings
  • Spray oil like PAM, or 2 tablespoons of regular oil

For kung pao sauce:

  • 1 Tablespoon of neutral-flavored oil
  • 1 Tablespoon of Szechuan peppercorns optional
  • 2 Teaspoons of ginger minced
  • 2 Cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 to 10 Chilies de arbol depends on how spicy you like it 2 = mild, 10 = spicy
  • ¼ Cup of water
  • 1 Tablespoon of soy sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 Teaspoon of cornstarch
  • ½ to 1 Teaspoon of dark soy sauce optional, mainly for adding color

For the rest of the dish:

  • ¼ Cup of roasted unsalted peanuts finely chopped
  • 2 to 3 Green onions finely diced

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 425℉/218℃.
  • Cook the chicken wings: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it generously with oil. If you don’t have spray oil then just brush 1 tablespoon of regular oil down on the aluminum foil. Arrange the chicken wings on this sheet and spray them with more oil or simply drizzle 1 additional tablespoon of regular oil over the top of them. Place this in your heated oven to bake. Let the wings bake anywhere from 40 minutes to 1 hour making sure to flip each wing over every 10 minutes. You will know the wings are done when their internal temperature is 165℉/74℃ and they have nice crispy skins.
  • Make the kung pao sauce: As soon as your wings are almost done, you’ll want to start making the kung pao sauce. Get out either a wok or a large walled pan and pour the tablespoon of oil into it. Place this over medium-high heat and toss in the Szechuan peppercorns, ginger, garlic, and chilies de arbol. Sautee these ingredients for 30 seconds then add the remaining ingredients for the kung pao sauce. Stir everything together and let this simmer for a couple of minutes or until it has thickened up into a viscous sauce. Take the wok/pan off the heat and set it aside.
  • Toss the wings in the sauce: Add the cooked wings along with the crushed peanuts and green onion to the wok/pan with the kung pao sauce. Then toss these ingredients until the wings are coated in the sauce.
  • Transfer the kung pao chicken wings to a large plate and serve immediately, enjoy!