The Best Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
Kung pao chicken is the answer to quick weeknight chicken dinners! The sauce is the perfect blend of sweet, savory, spicy and sour. Serve it with plain rice and steamed broccoli for a wholesome meal.
My kung pao chicken recipe comes together very quickly and is made entirely in one pan. It’s a meal prep friendly dish so feel free to whip up a large batch to enjoy over the week. Authentic kung pao chicken does not feature any vegetables. Feel free to customise it by adding broccoli, bell peppers or mushrooms for added goodness.
Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
If kung pao chicken is your go-to takeout dish, you’ll be glad to know that it’s incredibly easy to make at home. It requires a few ingredients that are specific to Sichuan cuisine but I’ve shared easily available substitute ingredients here.
Kung Pao Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs.
- Aromatics: Ginger, garlic and scallions/green onions.
- Dried red chilies: Use mild whole dried red chilies if available. Different chilies can have different heat levels, so taste it beforehand.
- Peanuts: Roasted peanuts are delicious in kung pao chicken. Roasted cashews can be used too.
- Cooking oil: Neutral flavored cooking oil like canola, sunflower or avocado oil.
- Cornstarch: Used to coat the chicken before frying.
Kung Pao Chicken Sauce
Kung pao sauce is the perfect blend of sweet, sour and savory. The dish is generally served dry but it can be thickened with cornstarch slurry for extra sauce.
- Soy sauce: Both light and dark soy sauces are used. The dark soy sauce adds a rich color to the dish.
- Hoisin sauce: This adds a deep umami flavor. Oyster sauce can be used as a substitute.
- Vinegar: Chinese black vinegar is the best choice for kung pao chicken.
- Chinese cooking wine: Shaoxing or shao-hsing wine adds complex and sweet flavor to the dish.
- Sugar: Sugar helps balance the acidity in the rest of the sauce.
How to Make Kung Pao Chicken
Prep
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and transfer to a bowl. Toss the pieces with 1/2 tsp pepper powder and 1 tbsp soy sauce. Next add in 1 tbsp cooking oil and mix well. Finally coat the pieces with 2 tbsp cornstarch and set it aside for 15-30 minutes.
- Mince the ginger and garlic. Cut the white part of the scallions/green onions into 2-inch pieces. Cut the chilies in half and remove all the seeds.
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set it aside.
Cooking
- Heat half cup of cooking oil in a wok on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the marinated chicken until browned and cooked through. Set it aside.
- Retain 3 tbsp oil in the wok and reduce the heat to low. Stir fry the minced ginger and garlic for 1 minute. Next stir fry the dried red chilies for 30 seconds. Next add in the scallions/green onions and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add back the fried chicken and stir fry for a minute. Pour in the sauce mix and stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until stightly thickened.
- Add 1/4 cup roasted peanuts/cashews and mix well. Serve hot with plain rice, fried rice or noodles.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO ON YOUTUBE
Substitutes
No dried red chilies?
Finish the dish with your fav chili oil (along with the solid chili bits). Adjust the quantity to your liking.
No scallions/green onions?
1 regular onion can also be used.
Can’t use nuts?
You can skip them altogether. The dish will still taste pretty good.
No Chinese cooking wine?
Dry cooking sherry, rice wine or mirin can be used.
More Chinese Chicken Recipes
Kung Pao Chicken
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb/450g chicken breast or thighs (boneless, skinless)
- 4 garlic clove
- 0.5 inch ginger
- 6-10 dried red chilies (note 1)
- 1/4 cup peanuts (roasted)
- 1/2 cup cooking oil
Marinade
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp pepper powder (black/white)
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 0.5 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1.5 tbsp vinegar (note 2)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 0.5 tbsp cooking wine (note 3)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and transfer to a bowl. Toss the pieces with pepper powder and soy sauce. Next add in cooking oil and mix well. Finally coat the pieces with cornstarch and set it aside for 15-30 minutes.
- Mince the ginger and garlic. Cut the white part of the scallions/green onions into 2-inch pieces. Cut the chilies in half and remove all the seeds.
- Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set it aside.
Cooking
- Heat half cup of cooking oil in a wok on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the marinated chicken until browned and cooked through. Set it aside.
- Retain 3 tbsp oil in the wok and reduce the heat to low. Stir fry the minced ginger and garlic for 1 minute. Next stir fry the dried red chilies for 30 seconds. Next add in the scallions/green onions and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add back the fried chicken and stir fry for a minute. Pour in the sauce mix and stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until slightly thickened.
- Add 1/4 cup roasted peanuts/cashews and mix well. Serve hot with plain rice, fried rice or noodles.
NOTES
- Use whole long dried red chilies. They are usually available in Asian or Indian supermarkets. Be sure to deseed them to prevent the dish from getting too hot.
- Chinese black vinegar is the best option for this dish. Dry cooking sherry, rice vinegar or mirin can be used as substitutes.
- Chinese cooking wine called shaoxing or shao-hsing adds a wonderful flavor to the dish. Skip if unavailable.
