Kung Pao Chicken is a highly addictive stir-fried chicken with the perfect combination of salty, sweet and spicy flavour!
Make Kung Pao Chicken better than Chinese take out right at home! With crisp-tender, mouthwatering chicken pieces swimming in the most delicious silky Chinese sauce exploding with flavour, this is one Kung Pao chicken recipe hard to pass up!
One of your most requested recipes is finally here!
Easy Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
Traditionally, this Chinese chicken dish is a dry-stir fry — not a lot of sauce is added into Kung Pao chicken. However, with the amount of flavour explosions happening in this dish, you don’t miss OR want any more sauce. There’s so much flavour in this it’s crazy!
What is velveting
A meat tenderising technique used by Chinese restaurants and it’s super easy.
First, you’re going to marinate chicken pieces in a mixture of cornstarch, baking soda (YES) and Chinese wine (or sherry or rice wine. You can also use vinegar!) Then you’re going to quickly fry them in hot oil before finishing them off in the stir-fry with other ingredients. The cornstarch/soy/wine marinade not only provides amazing flavour to the chicken, it acts like a protective coating which seals moisture inside the chicken, creating beautiful golden edges while preventing the chicken from overcooking.
Kung Pao Sauce
The perfect time to prepare your sauce is while your chicken is marinating. Having everything ready before you start a stir fry is essential — and the sauce is the most important part! Well, besides the chicken.
Once your chicken is done, add in your sauce and watch it bubble and turn into a beautiful, slightly thick and silky sauce, coating each piece of chicken perfectly.
Kung Pao Stir Fry
There are 6 main ingredients in the sauce to make the perfect Kung Pao Chicken:
- Chicken broth or stock (use low sodium) — you can also use water if you don’t have any broth on hand!
- Light soy — use light or low sodium if you can. Regular soy creates a really salty sauce for this recipe.
- Dark Soy Sauce — adds beautiful colour and flavour to the sauce!
- Hoisin sauce — more depth of flavour!
- Chinese black vinegar — or a good quality balsamic vinegar can be used instead.
- Chinese wine (Shaoxing) — to substitute you can use any of the following: dry sherry, gin, rice wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar.
For the stir fry, I’ve included broth red and green bell peppers (or capsicums) and the traditional roasted peanuts. You can also add in diced celery, sliced carrots and/or zucchini!
Sichuan peppercorns (Szechuan pepper)
We can’t call it Kung Pao Chicken if there’s no Sichuan (or Szechuan) pepper! They provide delicious mouth-numbing heat! Find them in Asian grocery stores and supermarkets, or Chinatown shops (even gourmet chains such as Whole Foods).
To toast them, add to a dry pan, wok or skillet over medium heat. Stir for about one minute until fragrant. Then transfer to a mortar and pestle to grind.
Looking for more stir fry recipes? Try these!
Simple Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fry | Sesame Beef Stir Fry | Honey Soy Chicken Stir Fry
Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken:
- 28 ounces (800g) boneless/skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch / corn flour
Sauce:
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock (or broth) -- water can be used
- 5 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar (or substitute good-quality balsamic vinegar)
- 2 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons sugar*
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch / corn flour
Stir Fry:
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil divided
- 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic (4-6 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 1/2 red bell pepper (capsicum) seeded and diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper (capsicum) seeded and diced
- 8-10 dried chilies cut into ½-inch pieces (adjust to taste)
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns, lightly toasted and ground**
- 4 green onion / scallion stems cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup roasted/unsalted peanuts
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil optional
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients for the chicken in a shallow bowl; cover and marinate for 10 minutes (if time allows).
- Whisk sauce ingredients together until sugar dissolves; set aside.
- Heat a large skillet, pan or wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, allow to heat up, then add marinated chicken. Fry chicken for 3-4 minutes while occasionally stirring, until edges are browned. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add remaining cooking oil into the same pan/wok. Stir in garlic, ginger, chili diced peppers (capsicums) and Sichuan peppercorns and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Give the prepared sauce a mix, then pour it into the pan and bring it to a boil while stirring.
- Once it begins to thicken slightly, add chicken back into the pan/wok and mix all of the ingredients through the sauce until the chicken is evenly coated and sauce has thickened, (about 2 minutes).
- Stir in green onions, peanuts and sesame oil. Toss well and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes to infuse all of the flavours together.
- Serve immediately with steamed/cooked rice or fried rice!
Molly Simms says
Excellent recipe! I used Gluten Free Tamari instead of soy sauce and skipped the hoisin sauce (I didn’t have ingredient on hand). Also, used 1 Tablespoon of sucanat (sugar) instead of 2. Finally, used half boneless breasts with half boneless thighs. Nothing like homemade Chinese food.
Angela Chakrabarti says
Absolutely stunning so very delicious, stunning flavours , exceeded my expectations my partner and I gobbled this up over 2 evenings . Can’t wait to try more of your Chinese recipes.
Thank you so much .
Steve says
This was my first time trying a Kung Pao recipe. My 19 yr old tried it and said “Mom! Dad just make some 5 star restaurant stuff right here!” To me, that said everything! Will definitely be making it again.
Mary Flemister says
Im Chinese and this Kung Pao chicken recipe IS DELICIOUS! I’m so happy because this taste so much better than the restaurants. Seriously, this is my all time favorite dish. Now I can make this anytime. Thank You Karina!!!!!
Avis says
This is absolutely delicious. The only modification I made is I skipped the velveting* and marinated the chicken for 30 minutes in 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, 2 tablespoons light soy sauce and 1 tablespoon cornstarch.
Best kung pao I ever ate, can’t wait to try it with different proteins.
Thank you, Karina, I will make this again and again!
* I find once in a while the baking soda reacts to create a disagreeable ammonia odor that can carry over to the flavor of the dish and no longer willing to take the chance.
Bluez says
I have made this twice now, once with chicken breast and the other with chicken thigh, followed the recipe exactly as written including using all ingredients.
This is the best Kung Pao recipe I’ve tried in a long time it was incredibly delicious! Thank you so much for sharing it.
Irene says
Thanks for this! Easy to follow and easy to make! I made lots of substitutions (balsamic vinegar = rice wine, Sichuan pepper and dried chili peppers = chopped fresh Korean spicy peppers added with the garlic and ginger) but it still turned out great. I once tried using oyster sauce instead of Hoisin sauce, but Hoisin just adds another layer of flavor and this dish wouldn’t be the same without it.
I added just 1/2 tsp of sesame oil, but even then, I found it extremely strong. It overwhelmed all the previous flavors before! It may depend on the type of sesame oil you have, but I would caution against putting 2 tsp immediately.
Mike says
I made this last night and it was amazing. This was the best Kung Pao chicken I have ever had. My kids loved it as well and asked me to make it again tonight.
Matt Zubrzycki says
I followed the recipe pretty much exactly, and fortunately have all the Asian ingredients. The Sichuan Peppercorns are key, but I think you can substitute for the Chinese vinegar and sherry.
THIS IS THE BEST KUNG PAO CHICKEN IVE EVER HAD!
PERIOD!
I will be checking out some of your other recipes. Well done!
Rob says
This is the first recipe I’ve tried on your site. I’m well overweight after coming off antidepressants a couple of months ago so on the look out for healthy recipes
This was as good as any Chinese take away I’ve ever had. I’m very much looking forward to trying some other of your recipes
Alisha Nguyen says
Love love love this recipe! It’s perfect! I’m allergic to peanuts so this was the first time I could try kung pao chicken, using cashews. I did roast them in the wok before proceeding with the recipe. Can’t beat the numbing Sichuan pepper! Definitely filling this recipe away for future evenings when I have company.
Ling Ling says
“I will kung pao your chicken”
-eddy as a mum
Go practice.
Paul Rice says
Without a doubt the best thing I have ever made. Very spicy, too much for me, but everyone else loved it. And it was pretty easy.
Evan Cavallini says
I agree with this post completely. Everything was great and the house smelled great. But 1 tablespoon of peppercorns was way too much for me. I think a teaspoon would have been more than enough.
Lynn says
When you say dried chilies what dried chilies are you talking about? Looks like this recipe has a lot of good reviews. Can’t wait to make it. Thank you.
Alisha Nguyen says
You want the whole, dried red chilies from an Asian store. They’re about 1 to 2 inches long.
Sean Bauman says
Great Recipe! This is a family favorite that we cook weekly. The substitutes for some of the less common ingredients are helpful as well (e.g. balsamic, sherry, etc). We also prefer cashews over the peanuts but either works well. We have cooked this recipe both with chicken and with organic grass-fed beef (top round steak) and the beef dish is even better IMO. If you opt for beef, cut thin slices roughly 1/8″ thick or less and use the same marinade as listed in this recipe but let it sit longer if you have the time (8 hours works well). One other suggestion I have if you feel adventurous is to add water chestnuts, baby corn, sliced celery and chopped mushrooms.
Kyle says
I made it yesterday. It was awesome. Next time I should reduce the sugar as it was little bit too sweet. It was flavorful and my 11 year old gave me AA+…My wife who usually hates my cooking, loved it…..But she didn’t say anything….:):)
Thanks again for Recipe
Karina says
Hahaha! Well,I’m glad it turned out well for you.
Sara says
You deserve your own tv show!! your recipes turn out better than most of the famous tv chefs. so glad i found your blog. now everyone’s been complimenting my cooking ? thanks a bunch!
Erica says
Hi I’m having trouble Finding the Sichuan peppercorns.. any ideas for substitutes? Will the flavor be comprised if I omit it?
Jocelyn says
Erica, I used my mortar and pestle to coarse-crack 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, then sprinkled in about 1/16-1/8 tsp. ground coriander seed (I found this solution on the Internet). It was an excellent substitution for Sichuan peppercorns–one I’d probably use again instead of getting the specialty ingredient.
Vince Truong says
Since I was 21 (27 years ago), I’ve been sampling Kung Pao Chicken in every Chinese restaurant I’ve been to, trying to find the best version. So I’ve probably had 40+ versions of Kung Pao. I’ve also never attempted to cook it myself until now. This recipe is better than anything I have had prior to this. Simply the best.
Camilla says
This recipe is AMAZING!! Very, very impressed with how this turned out. Better than most Chinese takeout. Marinating the chicken and adding the baking is a game changer! Thank you for this recipe!
L. Olson says
I tried a few different Kung Pao recipes before this one with just so so results. Made this tonight and it was delicious! The flavors came out exactly like I had hoped and I doubt that I will ever order this dish out again. The directions were easy to follow and if you make sure that all your prep work is done before starting it is almost foolproof. Thank you.
Sherrie says
I rarely take the time to review recipes, but this was wonderful! Better than take-out, this is good Chinese restaurant quality. Thank you!!
Lisa says
I made this for dinner after my spouse said it would never taste as good as a restaurant. You made two new converts! I love the spice and it was enough to give you a kick but not kill you. I also added fresh green beans, pea pods, and carrots for color and more veggieness. The sauce was a little sweet, so next time I might leave out the sugar. I paired it with a riced cauliflower/rice mix. Perfect!
Keith T says
The best Kung Pao recipe I have come across. Of course I take some liberties with ingredients here and there but the framework of the recipe is solid. I have this page bookmarked and I make this every week for my family with results that are consistently stellar. Thanks so much!
Jessica M says
Have made this several times. It is the only Chinese food my daughter will eat. I’ve used recipes from this site many times. The sauce is amazing. Perfect amount to coat and enough for the rice too. It is slightly time consuming to prep everything, but beyond worth it.
Karina says
I’m so happy to hear that Jessica!
Chrissy says
Can I make this ahead? I’m cooking for 50 and am hoping to cook the day before the party.
Karina says
Yes, that will work great. To reheat, place in the oven and then add the sauce. Thanks for following along with me!! xo
fred says
I would leave the peppers out, saute and add them before serving. Peppers don’t hold up well once cooked and go downright mushy after a day or so. I made a large batch and didn’t cook the peppers too much, put a bunch away and continued cooking the rest to eat right away. That way, the peppers still have a bit of crunch when you go to reheat them.
Dara says
Baking soda? Or Baking Powder for the chicken marinade
Karina says
Baking soda is in the ingredients. Enjoy! XO
Patricia says
Turned out amazing! Thank you!
Nick says
Do you use fresh ginger or ground ginger?
Karina says
I like to use fresh ginger.
Nisa says
I’ve read so many recipes, it’s the first time I’ve read about using bicarb & corn starch to prep the chicken first. I didn’t have all the ingredients for kung pow, I just used chilli & sweet soy to make a basic cashew nut chicken and I’m struck by how tender and soft the chicken was!!. It was actually 70% restaurant quality!! I’m thrilled! Thanks a million for this wonderful tip Karina, at last I think I might finally be able to cook chinese at home at long last!
AnLee says
This stuff is AMAZING! I was getting ready to order takeout and saw the recipe…so decided to do my own instead. I will be using this recipe AGAIN and AGAIN! Perfecto! Thanks for sharing!
Kristine Lynch says
Thanks so much I cooked this tonight and was so yum. Also tagged you in it on Intagram ?
Karina says
OH THANK YOU SO MUCH! I really appreciate it! That means a lot. Thank you for sharing and following along with me!
Kenneth Myers says
Trying it with shrimp tonight.
Karina says
YUM! That sounds delicious! Thank you for following along with me! I can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
Marie says
Would chicken thighs work just as well?
Karina says
Yes, of course! Let me know how it turns out!