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Home » Recipes » Easy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

Easy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

Published: Aug 23, 2022 · Modified: Mar 22, 2023 by Lynda · This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe

This kung pao chicken recipe is quick, easy, and delicious! It’s the perfect weeknight meal. Kung pao chicken is a popular Chinese dish made with chicken, vegetables, and nuts in a spicy sauce. The dish is typically stir-fried and served with rice.

Piece of kung pao chicken in chopsticks.
Jump to:
  • 📝 Ingredients
  • 👩🏻‍🍳 Directions
  • ✏️ itchen Notes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 🫙 How to Store Leftovers

This kung pao chicken recipe is easy to make at home and just as delicious as takeout! The chicken is stir-fried with vegetables and nuts in a homemade spicy kung pao sauce. Serve it with white rice, brown rice, or noodles for a complete meal.

 Let’s take a quick look at how to make this Americanized version of the classic Chinese chicken dish at home.

📝 Ingredients

You should be able to find all of these staple ingredients at your local grocery store.

Chicken, bell peppers, cashews, and seasonings.

Kung Pao Sauce Ingredients

  • ½ cup soy sauce or tamari
  • ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons red chili flakes
  • ½ teaspoon corn starch

Chicken Marinade

  • 1 ¾ pounds skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or peanut oil

Stir Fry Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or peanut oil
  • 1 large red bell pepper, cut into cubes 
  • 1 large green bell pepper, cut into cubes
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ cup cashews or roasted peanuts
  • ¼ cup sliced green onions
  • Ground black pepper, to taste

👩🏻‍🍳 Directions

1. Start by making the Kung Pao Sauce. Whisk together soy sauce, chicken broth, honey, garlic, chili flakes, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Set aside.

Kung Pao sauce in a small white bowl.

2. Marinate the chicken. In a medium bowl, coat the chicken with soy sauce, baking soda, cornstarch, and oil. Set the chicken mixture aside for 5 minutes. Once the time is up, heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat and cook the chicken until it is no longer pink and cooked all the way through.

Chicken pieces in a skillet.

3. Add the bell peppers and garlic to the skillet and cook for another 2 minutes. Add nuts and green onions and combine it all together. Stir in the Kung Pao Sauce. Cook until the sauce has thickened.

Kung Pao chicken in a skillet.

4. Remove the skillet from the heat and serve over a bed of rice or along with noodles.

✏️ itchen Notes

Feel free to add other veggies to the stir-fry. Others that work well are:

  • Broccoli
  • Carrot
  • Bok choy
  • Onion
  • Sweet corn

To add more depth to the flavor of the dish, substitute sesame oil for vegetable oil.

If you are on a low-carb or keto diet, serve this dish with cauliflower rice. This Kung Pao Chicken has only 18 grams of carbs + 3 grams of fiber per serving!


If you like Asian food, be sure to check out my Thai chicken stir-fry recipe and Kung Pao Shrimp recipe.

📖 Recipe

Bowl of Kung Pao chicken.

Kung Pao Chicken

Tender chunks of chicken are cooked and then stir-fried with bell peppers and coated with a homemade sauce.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Dishes
Cuisine: Asian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 449kcal
Author: Lynda

Equipment

  • Large Skillet

Ingredients

Kung Pao Sauce Ingredients

  • ½ cup soy sauce or tamari
  • ½ cup low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoons red chili flakes
  • ½ teaspoon corn starch

Chicken Marinade

  • 1 ¾ pounds skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or peanut oil

Stir Fry Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or peanut oil
  • 1 large red bell pepper cut into cubes
  • 1 large green bell pepper cut into cubes
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ cup cashews or roasted peanuts
  • ¼ cup green onions sliced
  • black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Start by making the Kung Pao Sauce.  Whisk together soy sauce, chicken broth, honey, garlic, chili flakes, and cornstarch in a small bowl.  Set aside.
  • Marinate the chicken.  In a medium bowl, coat the chicken with soy sauce, baking soda, cornstarch, and oil. Set the chicken mixture aside for 5 minutes. Once the time is up, heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat and cook the chicken until it is no longer pink and cooked all the way through.
  • Add the bell peppers and garlic to the skillet and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add nuts and the green onions and combine it all together.  Stir in the Kung Pao Sauce.  Cook until the sauce has thickened.
  • Remove the skillet from the heat and serve over a bed of rice or along with noodles.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 449kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 2909mg | Potassium: 1126mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1460IU | Vitamin C: 67mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 3mg
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🫙 How to Store Leftovers

Allow the dish to cool completely. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Skillet with Kung Pao Chicken.

Be sure to come back and tell us how your Kung Pao Chicken turned out!

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Lynda and Johnny statue

My name is Lynda and I am a recovering sugar addict and travel junkie. I'm also a mom of two children & 2 dogs, wife of 1....and a messy cook taking life one bite at a time.

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