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    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Chicken

    Kung Pao Chicken

    Published by Melissa on January 19, 2015 | Updated June 10, 2022 | 55 Comments

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    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.

    Kung Pao Chicken – this restaurant favorite is easy and healthier made at home.

    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.

    A quick and easy Kung Pao chicken loaded with fresh veggies in a spicy sauce sprinkled with green onions and chopped peanuts.

    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 – this restaurant favorite is easy and healthier made at home.
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    5 from 2 votes

    Kung Pao Chicken

    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time10 minutes mins
    Total Time20 minutes mins
    Course: Chicken
    Keyword: Chinese, cooking, food, recipe
    Servings: 6 servings
    Author: Barbara Schieving
    Prevent your screen from going to sleep

    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.
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    About Melissa & Barbara

    As of June 2022 Melissa Griffiths now is the one adding recipes. So think of it as Barbara Bakes, and Melissa too! Melissa and Barbara have been blogging friends for over 10 years and when Barbara was ready to retire and spend more time with her family, Melissa took over the site. Read more...

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Emilie

      February 02, 2015 at 9:13 pm

      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!

      Reply
    2. Amanda

      January 23, 2015 at 8:53 am

      This looks so delicious!!!

      Reply
    3. Rocky Mountain Woman

      January 22, 2015 at 9:22 am

      Looks wonderful! I make a similar one, but think next time I’ll add the carrots.

      Reply
    4. Jess @ Sweet Menu

      January 21, 2015 at 6:15 pm

      Yes please! This looks delicious! YUM!

      Reply
    5. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella

      January 21, 2015 at 3:31 am

      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

      Reply
    6. Medha @ Whisk & Shout

      January 20, 2015 at 10:05 pm

      Yum! This looks great… kung pao tofu is my favorite Chinese takeout option 🙂

      Reply
    7. sue|theviewfromgreatisland

      January 20, 2015 at 9:00 pm

      Your new photos are mouthwatering!

      Reply
    8. Amanda

      January 20, 2015 at 12:56 pm

      I can’t even find the words for how much I love this recipe! Amazing!!!

      Reply
    9. Kitchen Belleicious

      January 20, 2015 at 6:05 am

      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!

      Reply
    10. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef

      January 20, 2015 at 4:39 am

      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.

      Reply
    11. angela@spinachtiger

      January 19, 2015 at 9:36 pm

      I have boneless chicken defrosting and was wondering what I could do. I’ll give this recipe a try.

      Reply
    12. Barbara | Creative Culinary

      January 19, 2015 at 4:53 pm

      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. 🙂

      Reply
    13. Carol at Wild Goose Tea

      January 19, 2015 at 3:55 pm

      I love this dish. I order it often at restaurants. This looks delicious, but I am prejudiced.

      Reply
    14. Annamaria @ Bakewell Junction

      January 19, 2015 at 2:28 pm

      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

      Reply
    15. Angie@Angie's Recipes

      January 19, 2015 at 12:31 pm

      Kung Pao chicken is one of my favourites. Yours looks really great, Barbara.

      Reply
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