Kung Pao Chicken – a Chinese take-out classic that’s bold, saucy, and downright addictive. This dish is all about big flavors: tender chicken pieces tossed in a tangy sauce with a kick of spice, a hint of sweetness, and the crunch of roasted peanuts. It’s the ultimate balance of savory, sweet, sour, and spicy. It’s fast, easy, and tastes 1000x better than takeout.
Our #1 Tip: Don’t crowd your pan. Cook your chicken in batches, if needed. This step is crucial for replicating authentic restaurant-style Kung Pao Chicken. A proper sear locks in the marinade’s flavor and creates a slightly caramelized surface, which enhances the dish’s overall taste.
What’s In Kung Pao Chicken:
- Proteins: Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Pantry Staples: Cornstarch, granulated sugar, peanuts
- Spices & Seasonings: Red chili paste, chiles de árbol, ginger paste, roasted garlic paste
- Oils, Sauces & Vinegars: Dry sherry, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar
- Fresh Produce: Red bell pepper, green bell pepper, green onions
Ingredient Substitutions
- Instead of dry sherry: Substitute dry white wine.
- Instead of ginger and garlic pastes: Substitute finely minced fresh ginger and garlic.
- Instead of red chili paste: Substitute crushed red pepper flakes mixed with a little tomato paste.
- Instead of chiles de árbol: Substitute cayenne pepper or a pinch of red pepper flakes.
How to Serve Kung Pao Chicken
For a simple option, try serving the chicken with brown rice or noodles, which are perfect for soaking up the flavorful sauce.
If you’re looking for something with a little more crunch, consider adding stir-fried vegetables such as green beans or snow peas. And if you want to balance out the heat of the dish, a refreshing tomato cucumber salad would do just the trick.
If you’re looking for a couple more Chinese takeout-inspired chicken dishes, be sure to try these two. Both this crockpot orange chicken and this firecracker chicken recipe are bursting with tangy flavors and super easy to make!
The Best Way to Store This Chicken Dish
Leftovers? No problem—Kung Pao Chicken stores like a champ.
- Fridge: Transfer the cooled chicken to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days.
- Freezer: This dish is freezer-friendly! Store in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Just make sure to let it cool completely before freezing.
Reheating Tips
- Stovetop: Reheat in a skillet or wok over medium heat, adding a splash of water if needed to loosen up the sauce. Stir until heated through.
- Microwave: For quick reheating, pop it in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish, covered, and heat in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until piping hot.
Pro Tip: If you know you’ll have leftovers, save the peanuts separately and toss them in just before serving again—they’ll stay nice and crunchy!
Next time you’re tempted to order from your favorite Chinese takeout restaurant, you might want to think twice.
With this simple and delicious Kung Pao chicken recipe, you can make your own flavorful dish, right from the comfort of home.
This will definitely hit the spot, and it’s even better than takeout. It’s also fantastic over fried rice.
What Is Kung Pao Chicken?
Kung Pao chicken is a popular Chinese stir-fry dish made with diced chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and a spicy sauce. The dish originated in the Sichuan Province of China and is known for its bold flavors and spiciness.
Kung Pao Vs General Tso Chicken
Kung Pao chicken is similar to General Tso’s chicken in terms of its origins and ingredients; however, the two dishes have distinct flavors. Kung Pao chicken is typically spicier and has a more complex flavor profile than General Tso’s due to the addition of Sichuan peppers and certain other spices.
Kung Pao Chicken Recipe FAQs
Kung Pao sauce is made from a blend of soy sauce, sesame oil, sherry, garlic, ginger, vinegar, sugar, and chili peppers.
Kung Pao and Szechuan cuisine are both spicy Chinese dishes; however, they have distinct flavors. Kung Pao is typically spicier than Szechuan due to the addition of Sichuan peppers. Additionally, Kung Pao usually includes peanuts or cashews for an added crunch factor.
Kung Pao Chicken can be very spicy, depending on the number of chili peppers and Sichuan peppers added. To reduce the spiciness level, you can increase the amount of sugar or adjust other ingredients in your recipe.
Homemade Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces (and patted dry with a paper towel)
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry, divided in half (you can substitute with apple cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar)
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided into 1 tablespoon and 3 tablespoons
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil, divided into thirds (plus more as needed)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water, divided in half
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste, or finely minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon roasted garlic paste, or finely minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoon red chili paste, divided
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into chunks
- 3 green onions, plus more for garnish if desired
- 8 to 10 chiles de arbol
- ½ cup peanuts
Instructions
- Cut chicken into 1-inch chunks and pat dry with a paper towel
- Whisk together 1 tablespoon dry sherry, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil,½ teaspoon red chili paste, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water to make a slurry. Whisk until the marinade is thoroughly combined. This will be your chicken marinade.
- Add the chicken pieces to the marinade and toss to combine. Set aside in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon dry sherry, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, sugar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, rice vinegar, ginger paste, garlic paste, 1 teaspoon red chili paste, and remaining cornstarch/water slurry. This will be your sauce mixture.
- Drain the marinating chicken pieces and discard the liquid.
- Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of sesame oil in a large skillet over high heat.
- Add the marinaded chicken pieces and saute until browned on all sides. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Remove the stems and seeds from the bell peppers and discard them. Cut the bell peppers into 1-inch chunks.
- Discard the white parts of the green onions and slice into 1-inch sections.
- Add 1 more tablespoon of sesame oil to the skillet. Add the bell peppers and dried chile peppers. Saute for 1 minute.
- Pour the sauce mixture into the skillet with the vegetables and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Add the cooked chicken pieces, green onions, and peanuts to the pan. Saute to warm all ingredients through.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- The cornstarch slurry is used to thicken up the sauce.
Nutrition
Comments
Gloria says
This is really good and the sauce tastes better than take out!
Jennifer says
Where does the sugar come in? Or am I missing it? Thanks 😊
Layne Kangas says
It’s in the first step of making the sauce. Enjoy! 🙂
Dot says
Excellent. I didn’t have the sichuan peppercorns and it still turned out amazing. My husband and his dad were scrambling to the fridge after work to get the leftovers which wasn’t much at all. I purchased the sichuan peppercorns off Amazon and I am making the recipe exactly as written. I am willing to bet the recipe is even better! Doubt there will be any leftovers this time. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
Dot says
Excellent. I didn’t have the sichuan peppercorns and it still turned out amazing. My husband and my son were scrambling to the fridge after work to get the leftovers which wasn’t much at all. I purchased the sichuan peppercorns off Amazon and I am making the recipe exactly as written. I am willing to bet the recipe is even better! Doubt there will be any leftovers this time. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
Dot says
Excellent. I didn’t have the sichuan peppercorns and it still turned out amazing. My husband and my son were scrambling to the fridge after work to get the leftovers which wasn’t much at all. I purchased the sichuan peppercorns off Amazon and I am making the recipe exactly as written. I am willing to bet the recipe is even better! Doubt there will be any leftovers this time. Thanks so much for sharing your recipe.
*Meant to say my husband and my son
Jeannette Shields says
When I look for the dry sherry in the wine aisle at the grocery store, will it say specifically “dry sherry “ and what color is this (ex., white wine is white and red wine is red)? I have no experience in wine. Thank you for this help. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe!
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Jeannette – dry sherry will likely be by the vinegar/condiment aisle in your grocery store, not the wine aisle. Enjoy!