Kung Pao Chicken

A quick and easy Asian dish goes great with rice or noodles

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 7

Cook Time: 20

Servings:

Calories: 409kcal

Author: Bintu Hardy | Budget Delicious

Equipment

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