What does Kung Pao mean in Kung Pao Chicken? How long should Kung Pao Chicken be marinated?

How can we make the meat of Kung Pao Chicken tasty, tender and smooth? People often fail to grasp the marinating time, which results in too long marinating time, excessive loss of water and nutrients, and the meat is particularly unpalatable. The following is some common sense in this regard, which I hope will be helpful to you.

Contents of this article

1. What does Kung Pao in Kung Pao Chicken mean?

2. How long should Kung Pao Chicken be marinated?

3. What kind of vinegar is best for Kung Pao Chicken?

What does Kung Pao mean in Kung Pao Chicken?

Gong Bao refers to Ding Baozhen.

Ding Baozhen is the inventor of the dish Kung Pao Chicken, and Kung Bao is the name of his honorary title when he served in Shandong during the Qing Dynasty. He was known as "Ding Gongbao", so the dish he created is called Kung Pao Chicken. In the dish, Kung Bao probably refers to peanuts, because Kung Pao Chicken is simply spicy stir-fried diced chicken with peanuts.

How long to marinate Kung Pao Chicken

It is generally recommended to marinate for 5-10 minutes.

When making Kung Pao Chicken, the chicken needs to be marinated. This not only removes the fishy smell, but also makes the meat tasty, tender, and smooth. However, some people often fail to grasp the marinating time, which leads to excessive loss of water and nutrients, and aging of the meat. Generally speaking, it only takes 5-10 minutes to marinate. You can mix salt, five-spice powder, and oyster sauce together and marinate evenly.

What is the best vinegar for Kung Pao Chicken?

White vinegar or aged vinegar will do.

There is no strict rule on which type of vinegar is best for Kung Pao Chicken. Generally speaking, white vinegar or aged vinegar is used. White vinegar has a higher acidity and a stronger flavor, which is suitable for heavier cooking methods.

Moreover, white vinegar has no color, so it will not destroy the original color of the Kung Pao Chicken after making it, and can make the color of the Kung Pao Chicken look more vivid.

The acidity of aged vinegar is relatively lower, but the aroma will be much stronger, and it can give the Kung Pao Chicken a certain color, so the Kung Pao Chicken produced will be relatively more fragrant and sour.