Learn how to make authentic Kung Pao Chicken! Tender chicken breast is stir-fried with the most flavorful Kung Pao Sauce. Serve with fluffy Jasmine rice, for a fast, easy weeknight dinner!
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Skip Takeout Tonight With This Kung Pao Chicken Recipe!
The first time I had authentic Kung Pao Chicken was on a trip to China with my husband. Slightly spicy, savory, and complex with a hint of tang, it was nothing like the versions I had here in the States! So while there, we went on a quest to recreate it- taking two different cooking classes, first in Shanghai and later in a small village near Guangxi, learning the art of perfect Kung Pao Chicken to share with you here.
The secret to authentic Kung Pao chicken is in the Kung Pao sauce! The addition of Szechuan peppercorns, black vinegar, and white pepper all elevate.
What is Kung Pao Chicken?
Kung Pao chicken is a spicy Chinese dish made with cubes of chicken, peanuts, chili peppers, green onions, and Sichuan peppercorns. It originated from the Sichuan Province of southwestern China, migrating throughout China; regional variations are typically less spicy than the Sichuan version.
Kung Pao Chicken Ingredients
- Chicken breast: Or use chicken thighs. Cut into 3/4-inch, bite-sized pieces.
- Kung Pao Sauce: Dark soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar (or rice wine vinegar), sugar, water, and white pepper.
- Cornstarch: Creates a crispy coating for the chicken and helps the sauce stick to the chicken.
- Soy sauce: We use both light soy sauce and dark soy sauce for umami depth and richness.
- Chinese cooking wine: Shaoxing wine adds a sweet, nutty, spicy, and dry taste to enhance complexity. It also adds a subtle sharp bite!
- Sesame oil: use in the marinade for nutty, rich depth.
- Peanut oil: The peanut oil is used in the stir fry to elevate the overall flavor.
- Garlic and ginger: For deeply aromatic flavor.
- Dried red Chinese chilies: Look for Chinese chilies, Tianjin (or Tian Tsin) chilies, or milder chiles de Arbol. In a pinch, you can always use red pepper flakes. Do not use dried Thai red chiles—they are twice as hot!
- Celery: Optional, but adds a crisp, savory taste.
- Szechuan peppercorns: These are essential to making authentic Kung Pao chicken.
- Green onions: For fresh, aromatic flavor.
- Roasted peanuts: For a nutty, crunchy flavor and texture.
How to Make Kung Pao Chicken
1. Marinate the chicken. Add chicken cubes to a medium bowl. Sprinkle in cornstarch and salt, then add soy sauce, Chinese wine, and sesame oil. Toss. This is called velveting the chicken.
2. Make the Kung Pao Sauce. Whisk together dark soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, sugar, water, and white pepper in a small bowl. Make sure the sugar is absorbed thoroughly into the mixture.
3. Mise en place: Chop the garlic, ginger and scallions and place near the stove with all of the remaining ingredients.
4. Stir fry: Turn your hood fan on. Bring a large wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add peanut oil. Once hot, stir in garlic, ginger, and red chilies, stirring constantly for 30-45 seconds. Don’t breathe it in! Add the chicken with all of the marinade and stir until all of the pink is gone, about 3 minutes.
Add celery (optional). Reduce heat to medium and add the Kung Pao sauce, scraping the bowl to get all of the sugar, and bring it to a simmer. Add scallions and stir 1-2 minutes. Let the sauce thicken and allow the chicken to cook through. Stir in the toasted peanuts.
5. Season. Taste and adjust for salt and spice. Add more black vinegar or sugar if needed.
6. Serve. Serve over rice or in lettuce wraps.
Can I make this recipe for Kung Pao Chicken in advance?
Kung Pao Chicken can either be prepped ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days before stir-frying, or stir fry it ahead, and reheat in a wok or saucepan.
Best Kung Pao Chicken Recipe Tips
- Add vegetables. Add stir-fried veggies, like mushrooms, red bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, celery, broccoli, or zucchini. Stir-fry them first until tender-crisp, with salt and pepper. Add to the wok in the end to avoid an overly watery dish.
- Adjust heat to your preference. Use the right chiles. Chinese chilies, chiles Japones, or Tianjin (or Tian Tsin) chilies are great options for heat. Thai red chiles are twice as hot! Removing the seeds reduces heat. If preferred, use milder chiles de Arbol. Or skip the chilies and season with red pepper flakes. Taste and adjust for heat as you go.
- Imitate your own peanut oil. If you don’t have peanut oil, heat your wok with 2-3 tablespoons avocado oil over medium heat. Add a 1/2 cup of peanuts and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the peanuts and save for the end. You’ll end up with an infused oil with a deep peanut flavor.
- Make it vegan. Make Kung Pao Tofu by subbing tofu for the chicken. Make Crispy Tofu and then follow the same steps for the chicken.
How to Serve Chicken Kung Pao
Serve with fluffy Jasmine rice, or for a low-carb version, over cauliflower rice.
Chicken Kung Pao Storage Directions
Store leftovers up to 4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in a sauce pan, wok or microwave.
FAQs
General Tso’s chicken is made with crispy deep-fried chicken, whereas Kung Pao chicken is wok-fried with less oil.
Kung Pao Chicken is balanced with salty, sour, sweet and spicy notes.
It is typically moderately spicy, but you can adjust to your heat preferences.
Hope you enjoy our Kung Pao Chicken recipe! Let us know what you think in the comments!
xoxo
More Chinese Recipes to Try!
Chicken Kung Pao
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4-6
- Category: chicken recipe, chinese, dinner idea, stir fry recipe,
- Method: stir fry
- Cuisine: Chinese
Description
Learn how to make authentic Kung Pao Chicken! Tender chicken breast is stir-fried with the most flavorful Kung Pao Sauce. Serve with fluffy Jasmine rice, for a fast, easy weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (or sub chicken thigh)
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce or sub regular soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Kung Pao Sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar (or sub with rice wine vinegar)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/8– 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Stir fry ingredients
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil- the peanut sauce elevates! See notes.
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- 5– 15 dried red Chinese chilies, halved and seeds removed (SEE NOTES, dont use Thai Chilies)
- optional: 1 cup celery, sliced thin
- 1/2–1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, more to taste
- 5 green onions, cut into 1-inch slices (slice white parts in half, lengthwise)
- 1/2–1 cup roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken. Cut the chicken into ¾-inch cubes and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle in the cornstarch, salt, soy sauce, Chinese wine, and sesame oil and give a good toss.
- Make the Kung Pao Sauce. In a small bowl, whisk the dark soy sauce, Chinese black vinegar, sugar, water and white pepper. Make sure sugar gets mixed in.
- Mise en place: Chop the garlic, ginger, and scallions and place them near the stove with all the remaining ingredients.
- Stir fry: Turn your hood fan on. Heat a wok or large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the peanut oil, and when hot, stir in the garlic, ginger, dried chiles, and Szechuan peppercorns, stirring constantly for for 30-45 seconds. Don’t breathe it in! Add the chicken and its marinade, stirring often until all the pink is gone, abut 3 minutes. Add celery if using. Lower heat to medium, pour in the kung pao sauce, scraping the bowl (to get all the sugar), and bring it to a simmer, add the scallions while stirring for 1-2 mintues. Let the sauce thicken, and the chicken cook through. Stir in the peanuts.
- Season: Taste and adjust salt and spice levels to your liking. Add more black vinegar or sugar if you like.
- Serve over rice, or in lettuce wraps.
Notes
Chilies: Be aware! Dried Thai red chiles are twice as hot. Seek out Chiles Japones, Chinese chilies, Tianjin (or Tian Tsin) chilies, or sub-milder chiles de Arbol for subtle heat if you can’t find dried Chinese chilies. You can always skip the chilies and season with red pepper flakes to taste.
Peanut Oil TIP: If you don’t have peanut oil, heat up your wok with 2-3 tablespoons oil over medium heat, add 1/2 cup peanuts, and cook until fragrant and deeply golden, 5-ish minutes. This will infuse the oil with great peanut flavor. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the peanuts to save for the end.
Veggies: Feel free to add stir-fried veggies to the king pao chicken—mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots, cabbage, celery, zucchini. I recommend stir-frying them first until tender-crisp (season with salt and pepper), setting them aside, then folding them in the end; otherwise, they can make the kung pao chicken overly watery.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 ounces
- Calories: 368
- Sugar: 11 g
- Sodium: 762.6 mg
- Fat: 17.3 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.8 g
- Fiber: 2.2 g
- Protein: 36.1 g
- Cholesterol: 99.3 mg
Ohhh, this is delicious! You also made the instructions very easy to follow. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Glad you gave it a try Sue! Thanks for the review and rating. 🙂
This was delicious! When do you recommend putting the peppercorns in? I realized I hadn’t added them after I’d mixed in the green onions. I’m just wondering if they should go in with the chiles. Thanks!
Yes, Melissa with the chiles! Sorry about that it is added to the recipe now.
The moment I saw this recipe in the weekly email I was hooked! We made this last night and it was the perfect post-holiday meal served with rice and steamed broccoli. We didn’t have black vinegar, or the Shaoxing (replaced with a 1:2 mix of mirin and rice wine vinegar, but it still turned out delicious. It was more delicious than some of the take-out we’ve had recently and will make it into our rotation!
Perfect Ashley, so happy you enjoyed this!
This is so good and comes together quickly. The perfect weeknight meal. Our family cooks almost exclusively feasting at home recipes at this point because every single one is packed with flavor! This one did not disappoint.
So nice to hear this Kaitlyn! Really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review and rating.
We really enjoyed the flavors of your Kung Pao Chicken. It was easy to make with clear instructions and tasted quite authentic. Our teenage boys devoured it. Will make it again.
Wonderful! So glad to hear this.
Just like to mention I made your kung pao chicken recipe-adults and kids both loved it! Very tasty and easy! It paired well with fried rice.
Happy new year Sylvia .. to you and yours. Also, whilst travelling OS for 2 months I gave your site to some very enthused vegetarians keen to try your recipes.
💞
I am so happy you enjoyed this Jules. Happy New Year to you too! Thanks for sharing the blog- always appreciated!