Kung Pao Chicken is one of my favorite Chinese takeout recipes to make at home, ready in just 35 minutes. It’s also make-ahead friendly and reheats pretty well.
It’s made with tender chicken, salty peanuts, sichuan dried chilies, and lots of aromatics tossed in THE BEST stir fry sauce! Adjust the heat level to your liking and serve over steamed jasmine rice for a delicious meal at home.
I’m not really into spicy food, but I always make an exception for Kung Pao Chicken, and today I’m sharing my homemade recipe for it!
It includes ingredients like tender marinated chicken, toasted peanuts, Sichuan chili peppers and green bell peppers, and plenty of aromatics in an easy stir fry sauce, which has a balance of savory with a touch of sweetness and tanginess.
What makes authentic kung pao chicken spicy is the combination of dried Sichuan chili peppers, sichuan peppercorns, and chili oil.
Sichuan spice is known to have a mouth numbing effect (in a good way!), but it really depends on how much you add. My kung pao chicken recipe is on the milder side when it comes to spice level, but definitely feel free to adjust to taste.
If you have everything prepped and ready to go, much like Beef Chow Fun and Black Pepper Chicken, you can have a delicious dinner on the table in no time!
Why I love a good homemade kung pao chicken:
- So much flavor. From the flavorful heat and delicious sauce, this dish is just phenomenal.
- A 30-ish minute meal. And even quicker if you prep everything ahead!
- Budget-friendly. It’s often more cost-effective and more delicious to make it at home.
- Customizable. Make it as spicy or as mild as you like!
Jump to:
Ingredient Notes
You may notice that kung pao chicken has a long list of ingredients, but if you have everything prepped and ready to go, it’s a breeze. Three key Chinese ingredients bring the signature heat and depth: Sichuan dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and chili oil. More below.
- Dried Sichuan chilies: They usually come whole, so I like to cut them into smaller pieces with kitchen shears. There’s no need to pre-soak them.
- Sichuan peppercorn powder: It gives that signature spicy, delicious mouth-numbing heat. Adjust to your liking.
- Chili oil: My favorite is the Lee Kum Kee brand. A drizzle is all you need.
- Salted peanuts: This is a signature ingredient in kung pao chicken. Adds a nice crunchy element.
- Scallions, garlic and ginger: The aromatic trio of Asian cuisine. For the scallions, separate the white and green parts.
- Green bell peppers: Diced. Adds a nice crunch and color to the dish.
- Chicken thighs: Cut into smaller chunks. Dark meat is juicier and has more flavor, but if you prefer chicken breast, that works too.
- Cornstarch: Used in the marinade for the chicken, giving it a nice brown crust as it sears. It’s also used to thicken the stir fry sauce.
- Light soy sauce and dark soy sauce: Both have a savory umami taste! Dark soy sauce is used primarily for a bolder color.
- Granulated sugar: To balance all the salty and spicy flavors.
- White vinegar: Adds a nice tang to balance out the salty and spicy notes.
- Chicken broth (low sodium) and chicken bouillon: For the sauce. The bouillon gives the broth extra flavor.
- Shaoxing wine: For depth of flavor and a bit of sweetness. Substitute with dry sherry if needed.
- Vegetable oil for cooking, salt and pepper to taste
Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card down below.
Step-by-Step Tutorial
The making of this dish is all in the prep work. As long as you’ve diced and chopped, everything else is easy. Let me show you how I make it!
Step 1 | Marinate chicken and make sauce
Marinate chicken: In a bowl, combine the chicken with all of the marinade ingredients (see recipe card down below for the full list). Make sure everything is completely coated, and let it marinate for 15-20 minutes while you prep the rest.
For the stir fry sauce: In a bowl, mix all of the sauce ingredients (also listed below) until evenly combined. Set aside.
Step 2 | Cook chicken and aromatics
Heat a large wok or deep skillet over high heat. Toss in the peanuts to toast for just a few seconds until toasted. Remove and set aside.
While the wok is still very hot, add a few generous drizzles of oil and stir fry the marinated chicken until golden brown and fully cooked through. Remove from the pan.
Add more oil, then stir fry the green bell peppers for just 30-40 seconds. Next, add the ginger, garlic, and the white parts of the scallions along with half of the dried chili peppers. Cook for few seconds until fragrant, making sure it doesn’t burn.
Step 3 | Bring everything together
Return the chicken and toasted peanuts into the pan, plus the remaining dried chili peppers and the peppercorn powder to taste. Give everything a good stir.
Pour in the prepared sauce and stir for a few seconds until everything is nicely incorporated and the sauce is thickened. Finish with a drizzle of chili oil to taste.
Adjust the level of spiciness: At this point, if you want it more spicy, just add more of the chili oil or peppercorn powder.
Garnish your kung pao chicken with the green parts of the scallions. Enjoy over rice or your favorite sides!
Tips for Success
- Have everything prepped and ready to go. Stir fries move quickly, especially over high heat!
- I’d recommend using a carbon steel wok. If you don’t have a wok, use a large cast iron skillet or sauté pan.
- The aromatics and veggies only need a few seconds on the wok because of the high heat, otherwise they can burn.
- I always adjust the spice level towards the end. You can always add heat, but you can’t take it away.
Prep Ahead Tips
This dish is best served hot off the wok, but it also reheats very well. So feel free to make it up to 3 days ahead and reheat in the microwave oven for lunch for the week.
To save time during weeknights, you can prep the ingredients ahead and store overnight. Here’s how:
- Marinate the chicken for up to 2 days.
- Dice and chop all the veggies and aromatics.
- Make the stir fry sauce, but don’t add the cornstarch yet. You can add and dissolve it when ready to cook. This will help with the sauce’s consistency.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
Kung pao chicken is already so flavorful on its own, so all I need is a simple side of rice to absorb all that saucy goodness. But if you want something more, try these sides:
More Chinese family-style recipes to try:
- Char Siu Pork (Chinese BBQ Pork)
- Chinese BBQ Ribs
- Honey Walnut Shrimp
- Sweet and Sour Pork
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Try zucchini, red bell peppers, carrots, or celery.
If you can’t find it, you can use other spicy peppers like jalapeños or other similar red chilies.
Yes, but how spicy is totally up to you. Feel free to adjust the heat to taste by adding fewer chili peppers, less sichuan peppercorn powder, or chili oil. The sauce in itself is savory, sweet, and tangy, which helps to balance the heat.
While this dish is traditionally made with peanuts, you can also use cashews for similar crunch and taste. If you can’t eat nuts, feel free to omit them.
I’d love to hear from you! If you loved my recipe, please consider leaving a 5-star rating and a comment down below. Sign up for my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest
Kung Pao Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade:
- 1 pound boneless chicken thighs - diced
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt - or a pinch of table salt
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine - or dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch - dissolved with 1 tablespoon of water
Stir fry sauce:
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
For the rest of the stir fry
- ½ cup salted peanuts
- Vegetable oil - for cooking
- 1 medium green bell pepper - diced
- 2 scallion sliced - whites and greens separated
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- ¼ to ½ cup dried sichuan chilies - cut into smaller pieces, adjust amount to taste
- Sichuan peppercorn powder - just a pinch or to taste
- Chili oil - a drizzle to taste
Instructions
- Marinate chicken: In a bowl, combine chicken with salt, granulated sugar, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch. Let it sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes while you prep the rest.
- Make the sauce: In a bowl, whisk all the stir fry sauce ingredients until evenly combined. Make sure the cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside.
- Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat. Toast the peanuts for a few seconds. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- While the wok is still hot, add a few generous drizzles of vegetable oil. Cook the marinated chicken on all sides until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the wok. Tip: The chicken may release excess liquid – just soak it with paper towel.
- In the same pan, heat more oil and then cook the diced green bell peppers for 30-40 seconds until slightly softened.
- Then, add the scallions (white parts only), ginger and garlic, along with half of the dried chili peppers. Stir for another 40-60 seconds until fragrant.
- Return chicken and toasted peanuts into the wok. Also add the remaining dried chili peppers (if desired for more heat) and a pinch of the sichuan peppercorn powder (I use about ⅛ teaspoon). Stir for another minute or so.
- Add the prepared stir fry sauce – adjusting the amount depending on how saucy you like it – and stir fry until thickened and incorporated, about 1-2 minutes.
- Finish with a few drizzles of chili oil, adjusting the amount to taste. Garnish with green parts of scallions and enjoy!
Notes
- Make ahead: Up to 3 days ahead. Reheat in the microwave oven.
- Prep ahead: 1) Marinate the chicken, 2) dice and chop the veggies and aromatics, 3) make the sauce ahead. For the sauce, wait to dissolve the cornstarch when ready to cook for best consistency.
- If you’d like no heat at all, substitute the chili peppers with red bell pepper, and omit the peppercorn powder and chili oil.
- Veggie additions: Zucchini, carrots, and celery are great options.
- Chicken thighs: Chicken breast.
- Shaoxing wine: Dry cooking sherry.
- Sichuan chili peppers: Red chili pepper, arbol chili pepper, jalapeño.
- Sichuan peppercorn powder: If can’t find, omit.
- Peanuts: Cashews, or omit if needed
Tania says
I’ve made this recipe so many times than I can count, and even my dad who is a chef, was really impressed!