Hunan Chicken is a hot & Spicy Chinese style stir fry where boneless chicken cubes are cooked with sauces and vegetables. Here is how to make Hunan Chicken Recipe.
This chicken dish is one of my most loved recipes just like Chilli Chicken, Schezwan Fried Rice and Hakka Noodles Recipe. Do try
Hunan chicken is a famous Chinese recipe made with chicken and vegetables tossed in a spicy and savoury sauce.
It is also very popular in Chinese American Restaurants around the world.
If you have been to Hunan Express or Panda Express in the US, it’s quite a possibility that you ordered this favourite takeout dish along with their Kung Pao Chicken, Mongolian Chicken or Orange Chicken.
Hunan chicken recipe calls for a lot of vegetables like broccoli, carrot, scallion, peppers and mushroom.
You can choose to use vegetables as per your preference.
The authentic Hunan chicken is hot and spicy and very flavourful.
Let’s give this recipe a try and get the party started.
What is Hunan Chicken?
Hunan chicken is stir-fried chicken with vegetables mixed with a light spicy sauce.
Hunan-style chicken is usually made with black bean sauce or oyster sauce and has vegetables.
It originated in Hunan province of China.
You can replace chicken with beef, pork or even shrimp in this recipe.
Hunan Chicken is
- Budget-Friendly
- Ready under 30 minutes
- Nutritious
Hunan Chicken Ingredients
Chilli Oil: Chilli oil is made of vegetable oil infused with chilli peppers. It adds a beautiful, vibrant red colour to the dish and heat from the infused chillies.
It renders smoky flavour and nutty texture to the dish.
Garlic and Ginger: Ginger and garlic are the main ingredients in Chinese cuisine. Using fresh ingredients adds the best flavour to the dish
Sichuan Peppercorn: Sichuan peppercorn is found in the Sichuan region of China and is an important ingredient of Sichuan cuisine.
These add heat to the dish. They are not very hot but add the amount of heat required in the Hunan Chicken.
Dry Red Chillies: Dry red chillies add the vibrant red/orange colour along with heat to the Hunan chicken.
Chicken Breast: I prefer chicken breast while making Hunan chicken as it cooks quickly and the chicken remains tender. It is also easy to slice it thinly.
Chilli Paste: You can add or skip chilli paste depending on how spicy you like your Hunan chicken. If you prefer more heat, add a little chilli paste.
Black Bean Sauce: Black bean sauce adds a unique strong flavour to a dish
Vegetables: I have used broccoli and bell pepper. You can use any vegetable that you like, such as carrots, beans, zucchini, corn, mushroom and bamboo shoots.
Chinese Cooking wine: It is also known as mijiu and is one of the few most important things in Chinese cooking.
Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is made from fermented rice and adds a mildly sweet flavour to the dish.
Sesame Oil: Sesame oil is an important ingredient in Chinese cooking and adds a nutty flavour.
Scallion Greens: Use the greens from scallion to garnish the Hunan chicken once it is done to add some crunch.
Toasted Sesame Seeds: Sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds before serving to add nutty texture to the dish.
How to cut Chicken Breast in thin pieces?
To cut the chicken breast in thin pieces, keep your knife at 45 Degrees angle and cut the chicken at this angle.
Cutting the chicken against the grains with making sure it turns out juicy and flavourful.
Here is a nice article which talks about cutting the chicken in a detailed manner. Do check it out.
Hunan Chicken vs Szechuan Chicken
Hunan cuisine is also known as Xiang cuisine. Food from Xiang River, Western Hunan province and Dongting Lake comes under Hunan cuisine.
Hunan chicken is simple, spicy and oily.
Whereas Szechuan or Szechwan or Sichuan chicken originated in Sichuan province, southwestern China.
Sichuan peppercorn is used to make it, which adds a distinctive aromatic citrusy taste to it.
Szechuan chicken is sweet and spicy.
Although both dishes are made using chilli peppers and garlic, Hunan chicken is usually hotter than Szechuan chicken.
Hunan Chicken Vs General Tso Chicken
Hunan chicken is a stir-fried chicken dish, which calls for vegetables and a light, spicy sauce made with oyster sauce.
Whereas General Tso’s Chicken is battered, fried crispy chicken tossed in a sweet and spicy sauce, with no vegetables.
Hunan Chicken vs Kung Pao Chicken
The sauce of Hunan chicken is light as compared to Kung Pao Chicken which is starchy and syrupy.
The chicken in Kung Pao Chicken is fried until crisp whereas, in Hunan Chicken, it is just sauteed.
What to serve with Hunan Chicken?
You can serve it with stir-fried green beans, jasmine rice, plain rice, fried rice, garlic noodles, shrimp noodles or hakka noodles.
Saucy Hunan Style Chicken?
To make a saucy version of this, mix 1 tsp cornflour in 1/2 cup chicken broth and add it at the end of cooking.
Cook for another 2-3 minutes and serve.
Slow Cooker Hunan Chicken
To make Hunan Chicken in a slow cooker, heat oil in a skillet and saute the chicken slices until they are browned from both the sides.
Now add all the ingredients including the browned chicken in a slow cooker.
Close the lid and cook on slow for 4 hours.
You might also like
How to make Hunan Chicken Step by Step
Heat chilli oil and vegetable oil in a wok.
Once the oil is hot, add garlic, ginger, Sichuan peppercorns, dry red chillies and white part of scallion and saute for a minute.
Toss the chicken with cornflour.
Add cornflour coated chicken in the pan and fry on high heat for 4-5 minutes.
Add chilli paste, black bean sauce, broccoli and red pepper and cook for a minute.
Now add Chinese cooking wine, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well.
Add sesame oil and garnish the chicken with scallion greens and toasted sesame seeds.
Hunan Chicken Recipe
Hunan Chicken Recipe
Hunan Chicken is a hot & Spicy Chinese style stir fry where boneless chicken cubes are cooked with sauces and vegetables. Here is how to make Hunan Chicken Recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Chilli Oil
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 8-10 clove Garlic Chopped
- 1 tsp Ginger Finely Chopped
- 5-6 Sichuan Peppercorns
- 5-6 Dry Red Chillies
- 1/4 cup White Part of Scallion Thinly Sliced
- 300 g Boneless Chicken Breast Thinly Sliced
- 1 tsp Cornflour
- 1 tbsp Chilli Paste
- 1 tbsp Black Bean Sauce
- 1 cup Broccoli Cut into small florets
- 1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper Cubed
- 2 tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine
- 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 tbsp Scallion Greens Chopped
- 1 tsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
Instructions
Heat chilli oil and vegetable oil in a wok.
Once the oil is hot, add garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, dry red chillies and white part of scallion and saute for a minute.
Toss the chicken with cornflour.
Add cornflour coated chicken in the pan and fry on high heat for 4-5 minutes.
Add chilli paste, black bean sauce, broccoli and red pepper and cook for a minute.
Now add Chinese cooking wine, vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well.
Add sesame oil and garnish the chicken with scallion greens and toasted sesame seeds.
Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Adjust the amount of chilli according to your taste preference.
Add your choice of vegetables to make this recipe.
Are you making this recipe? I LOVE to see your creations so snap a photo and tag Whiskaffair on Instagram with the hashtag #Whiskaffair and please give a star rating below ★. You can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for more such easy recipes.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!