This Kung Pao Chicken recipe is easy to make at home, so you can enjoy this classic Chinese dish any time you like–even on the busiest of nights. You will love indulging in this version of a popular takeout dish at home.
Suitable for gluten free diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.
Kung Pao Chicken is one of the most popular Chinese takeout dishes. And with this recipe, you can easily make it at home in under 30 minutes. Served over easy Coconut Rice or Noodles, Kung Pao Chicken is comforting, filling, and perfect for a night in.
Table of Contents
What Is Kung Pao Chicken?
Chicken is stir-fried until tender and tossed in a tasty “Kung Pao sauce” made of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and brown sugar that’s a little sweet and a lot of umami. Add in some stir-fried veggies and peanuts for texture, flavor, and color.
Everyone loves Kung Pao Chicken, and your whole family is going to love this easy recipe.
Why Make This Recipe
- Quick – From fridge to table in 30 minutes or less.
- Flavorful – The great flavor of takeout Chinese made right at home.
- Customizable – Keep it sweet, make it spicy, swap in your favorite veggies.
- Dietary – suitable for gluten free diets.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – We’re using chicken breast, but chicken thighs would be tasty as well.
- Corn Starch – Working double duty in this recipe, corn starch helps to crisp the chicken and thicken the sauce.
- Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, and Brown Sugar – These ingredients are the backbone of the “Kung Pao Sauce” that gives this recipe its flavor.
- Red Bell Pepper – Adds a bit of crunch and color. Use other colors too.
- Garlic and Ginger – Classic flavors found in most Asian recipes. Use fresh or buy purees form the store
- Peanuts – Adds great crunch.
- Green Onion – Sliced on top for flavor and color.
How To Make Kung Pao Chicken
- Place chicken, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a bowl, and mix to combine.
- In another small bowl, combine remaining soy sauce, cornstarch, oyster sauce, water, and brown sugar to make the Kung Pao sauce.
- Heat oil in a saucepan and sauté the coated chicken for 6-7 minutes until golden.
- Then toss in the bell pepper, garlic, and ginger and cook about 5 minutes more.
- Add in the Kung Pao sauce and simmer until thickened.
- Next, add the peanuts and green onion and cook for about 4 more minutes.
- Serve over white rice or noodles.
Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
Tips For Success
- Prep all ingredients in advance, so everything is ready when needed.
- Cut chicken into similar-sized pieces for even cooking.
- Cook bell pepper until tender but don’t cook until mushy.
- Use sesame oil for cooking with an authentic Asian flavor.
Variations
- Add Additional Veggies – Red and green bell peppers are the most traditional, but you can add onions, broccoli, or any of your favorite veggies.
- Make it Spicy – Kung Pao chicken is traditionally spicy from Sichuan peppercorns, but they can be difficult to find. Instead, use dried red chilis or red pepper flakes.
Budget-Friendly Tips
- Stock Up on Chicken – Buy chicken on sale or in bulk and freeze extras for later use.
- Double the Veggies – Adding extra veggies is a great way to bulk up a dish when you need to use less meat.
- Serve Over Rice or Noodles – Adding rice and noodles makes it a full meal.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Prep Ahead – You can cube and marinate the chicken overnight in the soy sauce and corn starch, but it’s unnecessary. The dish will be just as tasty without marinating.
- Store – Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze – Follow the handy tips below for how to freeze these; Place into a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat – in a saucepan or the microwave.
Meal Prep
- Make an extra batch or two that you can use to make other meals throughout the week.
- This recipe stores for 3 days, so you can eat it on the day you cook it plus 3 more days.
- Separate leftovers into single portions, place in airtight meal prep containers and let cool completely with the lids off before sealing and storing.
- To vary it up through the week and make different meals, feel free to serve along with noodles, in a salad, stuffed into baked potatoes, rolled into wraps, etc.
FAQs
What Is The Difference Between General Tso’s Chicken and Kung Pao Chicken
General Tso’s Chicken is an Americanized dish based on traditional recipes from Hunan Province. Kung Pao Chicken is a traditional Sichuan dish that’s a little sweet and spicy and contains peanuts.
Do I Have To Cook This In A Wok?
Woks get hot and have a lot of cooking surfaces which make them ideal for stir-frying meat and veggies. While woks are a great tool, a large skillet also works well.
Serving Suggestions
More Recipes You May Like
Weight Watchers Points
There are 9 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
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Did you make this recipe? Then I would love to hear how it turned out. Please leave a comment and star rating below. And I really appreciate you sharing this recipe with your family and friends. Enjoy every mouthful 😊🍲 – Bintu
Get The Kung Pao Chicken Recipe:
Kung Pao Chicken
A quick and easy Asian dish goes great with rice or noodles
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Servings: 4
Calories: 409kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454g) chicken breasts boneless, skinless and diced
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ⅓ cup (75ml) soy sauce divided
- ½ cup (118ml) water
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup (125g) peanuts
- 4 green onions chopped
Instructions
- Place chicken, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a bowl, and mix to combine.
- In another small bowl, combine remaining soy sauce, cornstarch, oyster sauce, water, and brown sugar to make the Kung Pao sauce.
- Heat oil in a saucepan and sauté the coated chicken for 6-7 minutes until golden.
- Then toss in the bell pepper, garlic, and ginger and cook about 5 minutes, until the bell pepper is just softened.
- Add in the Kung Pao sauce, bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Next, add the peanuts and green onion and cook for about 4 more minutes.
- Serve the kung pao chicken over rice or noodles.
Notes
Tips For Success
- Prep all ingredients in advance, so everything is ready when needed.
- Cut chicken into similar-sized pieces for even cooking.
- Cook the bell pepper until tender but don’t cook until mushy.
- Use sesame oil for cooking for an authentic Asian flavor.
Variations
- Add Additional Veggies – Red and green bell peppers are the most traditional, but you can add onions, broccoli, or any of your favorite veggies.
- Make it Spicy – Kung Pao chicken is traditionally spicy from Sichuan peppercorns, but they can be difficult to find. Instead, use dried red chilis or red pepper flakes.
Budget-Friendly Tips
- Stock Up on Chicken – Buy chicken on sale or in bulk and freeze extras for later use.
- Double the Veggies – Adding extra veggies is a great way to bulk up a dish when you need to use less meat.
- Serve Over Rice or Noodles – Adding rice and noodles makes it a full meal.
Make Ahead And Storage
Prep Ahead – You can cube and marinate the chicken overnight in the soy sauce and corn starch, but it’s unnecessary. The dish will be just as tasty without marinating. Store – Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freeze – Follow the handy tips below for how to freeze these;- Place into a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Defrost overnight in the fridge.
- Reheat in a saucepan or the microwave.
Meal Prep
- Make an extra batch or two that you can use with other meals throughout the week.
- This recipe stores for 3 days so you can eat it on the day you cook it plus 3 more days.
- Separate leftovers in single portions, place in airtight meal prep containers and let cool completely with the lids off before sealing and storing.
- To vary it up through the week and make different meals, feel free to serve along with rice, noodles, on salads, stuffed into baked potatoes, rolled into wraps, etc.
Weight Watchers Points
There are 9 Blue Plan SmartPoints in a serving of this.Nutrition
Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1346mg | Potassium: 715mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 1085IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg
Jacqueline Meldrum
Love that sauce. It sounds so yummy and you could really vary the dish too.
Danielle Wolter
Kung pao chicken is one of my all time fav take out dishes. Love the spiciness and simplicity of it. This sounds delicious!
Deirdre
Hubby spends a fortune on Kung Pao chicken takeaway (and it doesn’t look like a good one) so I’m super excited (and so are my pockets) to try this!
Kate
SO many gorgeous flavours packed into that sauce, just delicious. My kinda food!
Allyssa
This is my family new favorite! Thanks a lot for your recipe! super loved it!