For more Asian-inspired chicken dishes, bookmark these popular posts for later this week: Sticky Asian Grilled Chicken, Asian Citrus Chicken Salad, and Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
Usually to make everyone happy, I add spice to just my own dish. But this Kung Pao Chicken is meant to be spicy. So basically I can’t make this Asian chicken recipe and call it Kung Pao if it doesn’t contain dried chili peppers, but you can totally skip them or de-seed them before adding if that’s your preference!
Why this Recipe Works
From the flavors to the way it freezes, these reasons and more make this Kung Pao chicken dish a real winner! Bold flavors — The combination of Asian condiments like hoisin, rice vinegar, and soy sauce, plus garlic, chicken broth, and red peppers really make this a stand-out dish. Pantry staples — You really don’t need a lot of fancy ingredients to pull together an authentic Kung Pao chicken. Most of these can be found in the international foods aisle of your grocery store. Buy things like hoisin once, and have it on hand for a long time as a little goes a long way! Freezes well — Want to double or make this dish ahead of time for a future quick meal? This meal can be stored in the freezer for up to three months in an air-tight container. Just add rice or noodles the day you are ready to thaw and reheat. Budget-friendly — You can make many typical take-out dishes like this Kung Pao chicken for half the price at home, and with inexpensive ingredients. (And it’s healthier, too!) One-pan — Cook the chicken, sauce, and veggies in one pan for easy cleanup!
Here’s How We Make It
Ready to tackle this spicy dish? It’s easy-peasy! Making the marinade Preparing the sauce Putting it all together
What Does Kung Pow Mean?
Kung Pao (pronounced Kung Pow), is an Asian dish that’s stir-fried (or even deep-fried) and comes with peanuts, a spicy sauce, and typically chicken (though you can substitute other proteins if you like).
Expert Tips
Peppers are highly suggested but optional. While the name of this dish implies spicy, it’s totally up to you if you want to use them or not. You can omit the peppers from the chicken Kung Pao or shake the seeds out before using the peppers to make the dish more mild. I find dried chili peppers in the International/Latino/Asian grocery aisles. If you can’t find them you can substitute crushed red pepper flakes or another pepper you enjoy instead. The great thing about Kung Pao chicken is you can really use any veggies you like in it. Consider adding a variety of bell peppers, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, eggplant, edamame — anything you like! Just make sure you have made enough sauce to cover it all. Double if you’re going for extra veggies! We like to eat this dish over steamed white or brown rice. But you could also serve it over fried rice or any kind of noodle you have on hand. Udon and rice noodles are a favorite here, but you can also use egg noodles or fettuccine.
More Asian-Inspired Meals
Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce Japanese Rice Omelet Thai Chicken Coconut Curry Instant Pot Broccoli Beef Teriyaki Steak Stir Fry
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a rating below!
title: “Kung Pao Chicken” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-11” author: “Stephanie Warner”
Authentic and thoroughly delicious, this Kung Pao Chicken rivals your favorite takeout or restaurant version and is super quick to make! And get ready to brace yourself because this dish packs a PUNCH! And if you’re looking for a meatless alternative, I include instructions for making a delicious Kung Pao Tofu! For more popular Chinese takeout recipes try our Mongolian Beef, Mongolian Chicken, General Tso’s Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Orange Chicken, and Chinese Beef and Broccoli!
What is Kung Pao Chicken?
Kung Pao Chicken is a spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish that is made with bite-sized pieces of chicken, peanuts, chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns. It is a popular Chinese takeout dish in many areas of the world. It originated in the Szechuan province of China and is popular both throughout China and the Western world. It’s believed to have been named after the governor of Szechuan, Ding Baozhen of the Qing Dynasty. His official title, Gong Bao (meaning “palatial guardian”), is thought to have inspired the name of the dish (“Bao” became “Pao”). The name “Kung Pao” continued until the Cultural Revolution when any association with Ding Baozhen became politically incorrect. At that point the name of the dish was changed to simply “fast-fried chicken cubes” or “chicken cubes with seared chiles” until the 1980′s when the political climate cooled and it’s original name of Kung Pao Chicken was reclaimed. And so it remains today as one of the most popular of all Chinese dishes. Not for the faint of tastebuds, this dish packs a punch, or I should say “PAO!”
What Are Sichuan Peppercorns?
The key component to authentically-tasting Kung Pao is the use of whole sichuan/szechuan peppercorns. They’re commonly used in authentic Asian cuisine but far less known in Chinese-American cooking. That’s largely because it was banned from importation to the U.S. from 1968 until 2005, being viewed as a potential carrier of “citrus canker,” a tree disease that can potentially harm citrus crops. The ban was lifted in 2005 and we now have access to this distinct and delicious ingredient. Not actually a peppercorn or even related to the pepper family at all, the sichuan peppercorn is part of the citrus family and its flavor bears some subtle nuances to its genus. It is one of the ingredients in Chinese Five Spice Powder, and is also traditionally used in Chinese medicine. Sichuan peppercorns have an extraordinarily unique flavor and there are no substitutes. Highly flavorful and fragrant, szechuan peppercorns impart a tingling numbness that enriches fiery tastes. You can find them in well-stocked Asian grocery stores or order sichuan peppercorns online.
Kung Pao Tofu Recipe
Before we get to our Kung Pao Chicken recipe, for anyone interested in a meatless alternative, you simply substitute the chicken for one batch of our homemade Baked Tofu. Marinate the baked tofu as you would the chicken, add the tofu at the same time as adding the green onions, garlic, and ginger, and proceed with the recipe as directed.
Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
To make Kung Pao Chicken you’ll need to:
Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Set aside. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water sizzles when thrown in. Add the oil and coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chilies and sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry for about 30 seconds until the chilies begin to darken in color, but be careful not to burn them. Add the chicken along with the juices from the marinade and fry until the chicken is no longer pink. Add the white parts of the green onion along with the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce and stir, coating the chicken. Add the peanuts, stir to coat, and cook for another 2 minutes.
It’s that simple and it’s that quick! Serve your Kung Pao Chicken with some steamed rice and garnish with the sliced green parts of the green onions and some extra peanuts. Enjoy! Originally published on Daring Gourmet October 12, 2015. See earlier image below. Read more about me…
