Kung Pao chicken Kung Pao chicken Kung Pao chicken (), also transcribed as Gong Bao or Kung Po, is a spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish made with chicken, peanuts, vegetables (traditionally leek only), and chili peppers. The classic dish in Sichuan cuisine originated in the Sichuan Province of south-western China and includes Sichuan peppercorns. Although the dish is found throughout China, there are regional variations that are typically less spicy than the Sichuan serving. Kung Pao chicken is also a staple of westernized Chinese cuisine. The dish is believed to be named after Ding Baozhen (1820–1886), a late Qing Dynasty official and governor of
Chili pepper Chili pepper The chili pepper (also chile, chile pepper, chilie pepper, or chilli from Nahuatl "chīlli" () is the fruit of plants belonging to the members of the family Solanaceae. About thirty species exist as shrubs with brightly colored, mostly spicy, fruits. Chili peppers are widely used in many cuisines to add spiciness to dishes. The substances that give chili peppers their pungency when ingested or applied topically are capsaicin and related capsaicinoids. Cultivars grown in North America and Europe are believed to all derive from "Capsicum annuum", and have white, yellow, red or purple to black fruits. In 2016,