Tender chicken stir-fried in a sweet and savory sauce with bell peppers, scallions, peanuts and dried chilis. This quick and easy kung pao chicken is ready in 30 minutes and it's better-than-takeout! A great main for the family to enjoy!
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My Kung Pao Chicken features tender chicken, red bell peppers, dried red chilis, scallions, and roasted peanuts in a savory and sweet sauce! The ground Sichuan peppercorn also adds a mouth-tingling taste to dish but it's not spicy.
This is a popular Chinese dish originating from Sichuan, China. You can find it served at many Chinese restaurants or takeout places. It's best served with steamed rice, and I share more pairing suggestions below.
I love this Asian dish because the chicken is super tender, and the sauce is perfectly balanced with sweet and umami flavors!
You'll also love this chicken recipe because it's:
- simply made in 30-minutes in one-pan!
- restaurant-quality.
- great for the family including kids as my recipe isn't spicy (but you can make it spicy if you wish).
- fantastic for meal preparation.
- contains both protein and fibre!
- gluten-free adaptable by using substitutes below.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs: or substitute with chicken breast.
- Red Bell Pepper: or substitute with green, yellow or orange bell pepper.
- Green Onions: or substitute with 1 small onion or 2 diced shallots large diced.
- Roasted Peanuts: Unsalted peanuts are recommended. Or substitute with salted peanuts or roasted cashews. If you're allergic to nuts, omit them.
- Dried Whole Sichuan Red Chilis: or substitute with other dried red chilis of your choice or fresh red chilis but reduce the amount to half.
- Neutral Cooking Oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil or coconut oil.
Chicken Marinade
- Water: cold or room temperature.
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch.
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you're gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Baking Soda: do not skip this as it will make the chicken super tender.
- Neutral Cooking Oil: like avocado oil, canola oil or see above for more examples.
Sauce
- White Granulated Sugar: or substitute with cane sugar or honey.
- Water: cold or room temperature.
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you're gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Oyster Sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir-fry sauce. If you're gluten-free, substitute with a gluten-free version.
- Rice Vinegar: or substitute with Chinese black vinegar, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Dark Soy Sauce: this is darker and thicker than regular soy sauce. Or substitute with mushroom soy sauce. If you're gluten-free, substitute with a gluten-free dark soy sauce.
- Cornstarch: or substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch.
- Ground Sichuan Peppercorn (optional): or substitute with 1 tablespoon of Sichuan Peppercorns.
- Garlic
- Ginger
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check online stores, like Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Use chicken thighs for a tender and juicy texture as it contains more fat and it's more forgiving if you overcook it.
- Marinate the chicken for 15-30 minutes for moist chicken but don't marinate past that or it can cause the chicken to break down and change in taste.
- Don't skip the baking soda or cornstarch in the marinade as they both make the meat moist and tender.
- Prepare ingredients in advance as the cooking process is fast!
- Shallow fry the chicken in oil until golden on the edges for extra flavor!
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make kung pao chicken:
- Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch cubes and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Marinate diced chicken with the marinade ingredients as listed above for 15-30 minutes at most. Do not over marinate.
- In a small bowl or cup, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above until sugar has dissolved and set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry marinated chicken until cooked and golden, about 5-6 minutes in total. Remove the chicken and leave the residual oil in the pan for the next step.
- Stir-fry dried red chilis, green onions and peanuts for 15 seconds. Toss in red bell peppers and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Toss in cooked chicken, followed by the sauce. Stir fry for 30 seconds until chicken is evenly coated in sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Storage & Reheating
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing kung pao chicken as the vegetables and nuts will become soggy.
Pairing Suggestions
Kung pao chicken serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, or fried rice
- chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, soup noodles
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Mongolian Beef, Bang Bang Shrimp, Shrimp Omelet, Soy Garlic Tofu, and more!
FAQ
Can I make this in advance?
Kung Pao Chicken can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat until hot.
Is it spicy?
My version isn't spicy, but it contains ground Sichuan peppercorn, which causes a tongue-numbing sensation but it's not spicy. If you don't like this sensation, omit this ingredient.
If you want to make this dish spicy, feel free to add 1 teaspoon red chili flakes to the sauce.
Am I supposed to eat the dried red chilis?
This is up to you but the dried red chilis are intended for aroma and seasoning the dish. If want to eat the chilis, I recommend first soaking them in boiling water until hydrated, then strain before stir-frying.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Kung Pao Chicken
Tender chicken stir-fried in a sweet and savory sauce with bell peppers, scallions, peanuts and dried chilies. This quick and easy kung pao chicken is ready in 30 minutes and it's better-than-takeout! A great main for the family to enjoy! Recipe Updated: May 5, 2025. Note: My version is not spicy but it has a numbing sensation due to the ground sichuan peppercorn. If you don't like this sensation, omit it completely. If you want to make this spicy, add 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes to the sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast
- ½ cup red bell pepper large diced
- 5 green onions chopped into ½-inch-long pieces
- ¼ cup roasted peanuts unsalted (or sub with salted peanuts or roasted cashews)
- 10 whole dried Sichuan red chilies
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Chicken Marinade
- 3 tablespoon water room temperature / cold
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or tapioca starch / potato starch
- 1 teaspoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Sauce
- 2 tablespoon white granulated sugar or cane sugar
- 2 tablespoon water room temperature / cold
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian stir-fry sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or Chinese black vinegar / apple cider vinegar
- ½ tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch or potato starch / tapioca starch
- ½ teaspoon ground sichuan peppercorn optional
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger thinly sliced
Instructions
- Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch cubes and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Marinate diced chicken with the marinade ingredients as listed above for 15-30 minutes at most. Do not over marinate.
- In a small bowl or cup, combine the sauce ingredients as listed above until sugar has dissolved and set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Fry marinated chicken until cooked and golden, about 5-6 minutes in total. Remove the chicken and leave the residual oil in the pan for the next step.
- Stir-fry dried red chilis, green onions and peanuts for 15 seconds. Toss in red bell peppers and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Toss in cooked chicken, followed by the sauce. Stir fry for 30 seconds until chicken is evenly coated in sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Storage & Reheating
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing kung pao chicken as the vegetables and nuts will become soggy.
Enjoyed my recipe?Please leave a 5 star review (be kind)! Tag me on social media @christieathome as I'd love to see your creations!
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Nutrition
Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 877mg | Potassium: 824mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1840IU | Vitamin C: 189mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 3mg
Rina Bruccoleri caringi
Good receipe. My family enjoyed it. I placed Chili peppers instead of the recommended one in the receipe and it was food. I added more soy sauce then recommended.
Easy and amazing recipe.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and glad the whole family enjoyed it!
Will
Better than any Chinese carry out place
christieathome
Thank you so much Will! I am so glad you enjoyed my recipe 🙂