Name: Quick & Easy Kung Pao Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1.25 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (diced (skinless boneless)); 2 tsp regular soy sauce; 2 tsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine (or dry sherry wine); 1 tsp Vegetable oil; 1 tsp cornstarch; 1 tbsp garlic (minced); 1 1/2 tbsp regular soy sauce; 1 tbsp dark soy sauce; 1 tbsp rice vinegar ((sub with Chinese black vinegar or white vinegar)); 2 tsp white granulated sugar; 1 tbsp water; 1 tbsp Shaoxing Cooking Wine (or dry sherry wine); 1/2 tbsp cornstarch; ½ tsp Sichuan red chili flakes (or Sichuan peppercorns (1/2 tsp = mild, 1 tsp = spicy)); 1 tbsp vegetable oil (as needed); 10 dried red chilies; 1/4 cup roasted peanuts (shells and skin removed); 1 white onion (diced); 2 stalks green onion (finely chopped); 1 green bell pepper (diced); 1 red bell pepper (diced)

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Kung Pao Chicken. Tender chicken stir fried in a savoury, sweet, spicy kung pao sauce with bell peppers, onions, peanuts and dried chilies.

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What is Kung Pao Chicken?
Ingredients
How to make Kung Pao Chicken
Storage & Reheating
Expert Tips
FAQ
Other recipes you may like!
📖 Recipe
💬 Reviews

What is Kung Pao Chicken?

Kung Pao Chicken is a popular Chinese dish that originates from the Sichuan province in China. It's a delicious, flavorful chicken stir fry dish featuring tender chicken, onions, bell peppers, dried red chilies, peanuts stir fried in a savory sauce. Kung Pao Sauce typically consists of regular and dark soy sauce, sugar, water, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch and Sichuan red pepper flakes or peppercorns. You can find this delicious Chinese food served at many Chinese restaurants or Chinese takeout places. It's a great main dish and served best with steamed rice to make it complete. Perfect for a busy weeknight meal.

I love making Kung Pao Chicken when I have fresh chicken thighs and bell peppers in my fridge. It's such a tasty chicken stir fry dish that comes together if you prepare accordingly.

Ingredients

Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.

Note: Your Asian grocery store will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.

Boneless skinless chicken thighs

Chicken Marinade:

Regular Soy Sauce
Shaoxing wine or sub with dry sherry
Neutral oil
Cornstarch

Sauce:

Garlic
Regular soy sauce
Dark soy sauce
Rice vinegar: or sub with Chinese black vinegar
White granulated sugar
Cold water
Shaoxing wine or sub with dry sherry
Cornstarch
Sichuan red chili flakes

Stir Fry:

Neutral oil
Dried red chilies
Roasted peanuts with skin removed
Onion
Green onion
Green bell pepper
Red bell pepper

How to make Kung Pao Chicken

Marinate Chicken

Slice chicken thigh into cubes, about 8 cubes per thigh. Marinate cubed chicken with marinade ingredients for 10 minutes as you prepare stir fry ingredients.

Create Sauce

In a bowl, mix sauce ingredients until well combined. Set aside.

Stir Fry Chicken

In a hot wok set over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil followed by marinated chicken. Quickly spread the chicken apart and let it fry on both sides until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove and transfer chicken to a plate.

Stir Fry Aromatics & Vegetables

In the same wok over medium high heat, add more oil if needed. Add dried red chilies, peanuts, white onions, and green onions. Stir fry for 1 minute. Toss in bell peppers and stir fry for 1 minute.

Toss in Chicken & Sauce

Add cooked chicken and toss with other ingredients. Pour sauce overtop tossing everything together. Cook for 30 seconds - 1 minute. Remove off heat to serve and enjoy.

Storage & Reheating

This dish will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes or reheat on the stovetop in a pan on medium heat until hot.

Expert Tips

Below are tips on making my authentic kung pao chicken recipe:

Prepare ingredients ahead of time! The cooking process is super quick, less than 10 minutes. So marinate the chicken, premix the sauce and prepare the stir fry ingredients ahead of time.
Use chicken thigh for maximum tenderness! Chicken thigh contains more fat than breast giving it a tender juicy texture. It’s also more forgiving if you happened to overcook it.
Slice peppers and white onion into same size. The ingredients will evenly cook if you cut them to the same size.

FAQ

Here are frequently asked questions about this kung pao chicken recipe:

Can I use Chicken Breast?

Yes, but monitor the cooking time closely. Chicken breast tends to dry out faster than thigh due to lack of fat.

Are you supposed to eat the peppers in Kung Pao chicken?

In reference to the dried red chili peppers, you may eat them if you wish but they're meant to give aroma and flavor to the dish as opposed to eating them.

Is kung pao very spicy?

Kung pao chicken has a fairly mild kick that you can taste as the dish contains dried Sichuan red chili peppers and Sichuan chili flakes.

Other recipes you may like!

📖 Recipe

Quick & Easy Kung Pao Chicken

christieathome

Kung Pao Chicken. Tender chicken stir fried in a savoury, sweet, spicy kung pao sauce with bell peppers, onions, peanuts and dried chilies. An aromatic and popular Chinese dish that has been a classic for good reason! Great as a main dish and ready in 30 minutes

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 10

Total Time 30

Course dinner, lunch

Cuisine Chinese

Servings

Calories per serving 425 kcal