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.
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Very tasty and good directions!
The best!!! I followed the recipe to a “T” except for tripling the sauce, and adding sliced red peppers. Seriously, the very best Kung Pao Chicken I have had, including restaurants. Served over the recommended “fluffy” rice. FAMILY LOVED IT!! By the way, this is my first review, that’s how good this is!!
Based on all the reviews, I have to wonder what I missed?? Followed the recipes and while it was good, it needed more flavor and sauce. Added broccoli and some zucchini. Will make it again and doctor it.
Made this tonight, absolutely exquisite.
This is SO delicious and easy to make! I love mine extra spicy so I added diced jalapeno and other vegetables I had on hand. Thank you for such a fabulous recipe.
Wow! This was delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and was very pleased with the result! Thank you so much for sharing!
I’ve been trying other kung pao chicken recipes and nothing turns out quite right until I found yours.
I and my husband are a fan of Kung Pao Chicken. We always order this dish every time we go out for Chinese food. Finally I’ve tried this last week and my husband said ” oh this is good”. 🙂
Just made it and it is wonderful! A friend of mine from China told me the first rule of Chinese cooking was cook what you have. I did that hear with the vegetables. Added 2 carrots, 2 bunches of broccoli. I was out of ginger so left it out ☹ but otherwise followed the recipe. It is wonderful!
Love this recipe! Absolutely delicious. I made one small tweak-I added more chili paste. I have a pretty dull sense of smell, so adding a bit extra really put this over the edge for me. I was honestly skeptical of the marinade-I’ve never made an Asian marinade before, and the few ingredients just sounded kind of odd to me, but I was 100% wrong. When I was taking the chicken out of the marinade, it smelled absolutely wonderful.
I’m going to preface my one negative comment with THIS IS A GREAT RECIPE! But, if I could give this a 4.9 I would, because this doesn’t really taste like Kung Pao chicken I’ve had in the past. I would more call it a very good stir fry. This is definitely not a sweet dish, but it’s maybe a touch sweeter than I feel Kung Pao should be? BUT! As that preface says, it really is delicious and I fully intend to make it again. Thank you for this!
Things I’d like to try: I’m not the biggest peanut fan so I have two ideas- 1) less peanuts. I think they are wonderful in this dish, but I maybe wanted 1/2-3/4 the amount of peanuts in it; or 2) maybe a touch of peanut butter in the sauce? Maybe put in 1/2 the peanuts and MAX a 1/4 cup (probably less-1/8 cup? Tablespoon?) peanut butter. The second one I’m particularly curious what you (or anyone) thinks about this idea
Sorry for the maybe slightly disjointed review, but thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Cheers,
David
Absolutely delicious!! Thank you!