This Kung Pao Chicken recipe includes stir-fried chicken, peanuts, and green onion in a delicious sweet and spicy kung pao sauce, served over hot cooked rice. It’s my copycat attempt at my favorite Chinese take-out dish!
If you’re interested in more take-out style creations from my website, try my Mongolian Beef, General Tso’s Chicken, or Sweet and Sour Chicken.
I can’t say that any of my Chinese-inspired recipes are authentic, so check out Red House Spice or China Sichuan if you’re looking for really authentic Chinese food recipes!
Why I love this recipe:
- Restaurant Quality – Kung Pao Chicken is my favorite thing to order at Chinese resturants in America, and I think this recipe is a big winner!
- Adaptable – The great part about cooking from home is adding and using ingredients you have on hand, and like! I often throw in more veggies, like zucchini, mushrooms, snow peas, carrots and baby broccoli.
- The Sauces – we’ve got two flavor enhancers at play here: the chicken marinade, and the sauce. Both help to give the dish a big boost of Kung Pao sauce flavor and taste.
How to make Kung Pao Chicken:
Make Marinade and Sauce: In two separate bowls, make the chicken marinade and the sauce ingredients. Set the sauce aside. Add the chicken to the chicken marinade and set aside.
Sauté Peanuts: Add 1 tablespoon of oil to wok or frying pan and heat to medium. Add red pepper flakes and peanuts and stir-fry until peanuts are golden (about 2 minutes). Remove peanuts and pepper flakes to a bowl.
Cook Chicken: Add 1 Tablespoon of oil to the pan and bring heat to medium-high. Use a slotted spoon to scoop half of the chicken (allowing excess marinade to drip off) into the hot pan, in a single layer. Cook chicken for 1-2 minutes on each side, flipping only once, until golden (chicken does not need to be completely cooked through).
Make Stir-Fry: Add ginger, bell peppers or other vegetables, green onion and peanuts to the pan. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add the Sauce: Stir, and cook for a few minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and the sauce begin to slightly thicken.
Serve: Remove from heat and serve with hot cooked rice.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: The kung pao sauce and marinade can be prepped ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in the fridge. You can leave the chicken in the marinade for up to 4 hours.
To Freeze: While it’s best served fresh, this easy kung pao chicken can be frozen after it’s cooled. Place in a freezer safe bag or container and place in freezer for up to 2 months. Allow to thaw completely in refrigerator before heating to serve.
Recipe Variations:
- Veggies: Add your favorite veggies like mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, snow peas and zucchini.
- Szechuan Peppers: Add them to cook with the sauce for an extra kick, just be sure to take them out before serving or else it will be very spicy. You can leave them out if you can’t find them, or if you want it more mild.
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Recipe
Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts , cut into small pieces
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more to increase spiciness)
- 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 red bell pepper , chopped
- 6 whole dried Szechuan Peppers , optional
For the Marinade
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 large egg white
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
For the Sauce:
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoon chili paste with garlic (or use sriracha hot sauce mixed a little minced garlic)
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3-4 cups hot cooked rice , for serving
Instructions
- In two separate bowls, make the chicken marinade and the sauce ingredients. Set the sauce aside. Add the chicken to the chicken marinade and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to a wok or frying pan and heat to medium. Add red pepper flakes and peanuts and stir-fry until peanuts are golden (about 2 minutes). Remove peanuts and pepper flakes to a bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan and bring heat to medium-high. Use a slotted spoon to scoop half of the chicken (allowing excess marinade to drip off) into the hot pan, in a single layer.
- Cook chicken for 1-2 minutes on each side, flipping only once, until golden (chicken does not need to be completely cooked through).
- Remove chicken to the bowl with the peanuts. Repeat with cooking remaining chicken. Return peanuts and chicken to the pan. Add dried chilies, ginger, bell peppers or other vegetables and green onion. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the sauce. Stir, and cook for a few minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and the sauce begin to slightly thicken.
- Remove from heat and serve with hot cooked rice.
Notes
Nutrition
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*I first shared this recipe in April 2013. Updated July 2018 and February 2022.
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Recipe adapted from Williams Sonoma Cookbook.
This post contains affiliate links.
FYI, just want to clarify that Szechuan peppers (the small chili peppers) are completely different than Sichuan peppercorns, which are not chiles at all. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sichuan_pepper
How much Ginger
I’d love to try it but our son has peanut allergy. Do you have a recommendation for a substitute?
I would just leave out the peanuts (or use cashews, if he’s not allergic).
I don’t know what I did wrong 🙁 maybe I used the wrong pan because all the juice came out of the chicken so that when I added the sauce it never thickened and it was a lot of liquid in the pan 🙁
One of my favourite recipes ever! Far better than most takeaways! An absolute must for people to try!
This is a great recipe, easy to follow and its a crowd pleaser!!
Perfect! What more can I say? This is delicious better than take out. .
Peanut oil rather than olive oil…
Yes, peanut oil for sure – if you don’t have use vegetable or canola before your resort to olive oil as really it should be a non resort.
I made this today. I didn’t have a red bell pepper, so put in broccoli. It was great!! My husband loved it. It is in his top ten list!! Thank you.
Delicious! I only added red pepper flakes as i did not have paste or Siracusa. I also cut up the peanuts and added garlic. Will make again!
This was easy and delicious.