Update: My daughter makes this recipe all the time, and she emailed me and said she thought it was time to update the post with some nice new pictures. So I tweaked the recipe just a little bit and took some much better pictures. I hope you’ll try this recipe and it becomes a favorite at your house too.
A quick and easy Kung Pao chicken loaded with fresh veggies in a spicy sauce sprinkled with green onions and chopped peanuts. A favorite dish at Chinese restaurants that is quick and easy to make at home.
I order Kung Pao Chicken almost every time I eat at a Chinese restaurant, but I’ve never made it at home. Recently, Pam at For the Love of Cooking posted a recipe for Kung Pao Chicken that looked easy and delicious – so I decided I should give it a try at home.
The Kung Pao Chicken at Pei Wei has carrots and pea pods it in, so I changed Pam’s recipe to include them and make it a one dish meal. Also, instead of serving it over rice (which I was out of – who runs out of rice?) I served it over ramen noodles.
The chicken was a big hit. Thanks Pam for sharing it! I’ll definitely be making it again. I changed it just a bit to accommodate my families’ tastes. Here’s my version:
Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breast, diced into bite sized chunks
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp fresh ginger grated
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 green onions chopped
- ½ cup roasted peanuts chopped
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 ½ cup pea pods
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce, water, and sugar in a bowl and set aside.
- Put the chicken and cornstarch in a Ziploc bag and toss until evenly coated. Heat a large skillet or wok with sesame oil over medium high heat. Once the pan is smoking hot add the chicken and stir fry for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add the garlic, ginger, red pepper and green onions (leaving a few for garnishing) to the pan and stir fry for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the soy sauce mixture to the pan along with the cooked chicken, peanuts, carrots, and pea pods. Cook for a few minutes until sauce thickens and carrots and pea pods are tender.
- Serve over rice or noodles and top with remaining green onions.
Emilie
I made this on Saturday, Barbara, and it was delicious! For some reason I typically make stir-fries with either chicken or beef so it was a really nice (and easy) change. Thanks so much for the post!
Amanda
This looks so delicious!!!
Rocky Mountain Woman
Looks wonderful! I make a similar one, but think next time I’ll add the carrots.
Jess @ Sweet Menu
Yes please! This looks delicious! YUM!
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
I’ve always seen this dish on tv and only tried it once. Isn’t it funny how we have different Chinese dishes in Australia! 😛 It looks great and now I can make it at home-thanks mum! xxx
Medha @ Whisk & Shout
Yum! This looks great… kung pao tofu is my favorite Chinese takeout option 🙂
sue|theviewfromgreatisland
Your new photos are mouthwatering!
Amanda
I can’t even find the words for how much I love this recipe! Amazing!!!
Kitchen Belleicious
this is by far one of my favorite dishes to get at a restaurant but I never have attempted to make it at home. Love this!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef
This reminds me of when I was a kid. There was ONE Chinese restaurant in town owned by the only Chinese family in the region. We went once as a family and I remember my brother and I doing karate around the table going KUNG PAO!!! I thought my mother would disown us and they paid the bill and left without eating. Funny memory but holy cow were we apologetic. 🙂
I suppose this story has nothing to do with your outstanding recipe but it brought back a funny memory. I’m going to make this and send the photo to my brother.
angela@spinachtiger
I have boneless chicken defrosting and was wondering what I could do. I’ll give this recipe a try.
Barbara | Creative Culinary
I’ve been on a roll with a couple of favorites transformed into slow cooker meals but I think it’s time for a crunchier coating; I miss that sometimes…and I love Kung Pao chicken. I’m pretty sure it’s the nuts! Looks wonderful and quick. My favorites. 🙂
Carol at Wild Goose Tea
I love this dish. I order it often at restaurants. This looks delicious, but I am prejudiced.
Annamaria @ Bakewell Junction
Barbara,
My hubby would love this. We haven’t made Chinese food at home in a long. This looks like a great recipe to start again.
Annamaria
Angie@Angie's Recipes
Kung Pao chicken is one of my favourites. Yours looks really great, Barbara.