Kung Pao Chicken
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Kung Pao chicken, a classic Chinese takeout dish of stir-fried chicken, peanuts, and vegetables, is easy to make at home.
Kung pao chicken is a popular Chinese restaurant dish of stir-fried chicken, peanuts and vegetables. It’s traditionally made with specialty ingredients, like Sichuan peppercorns, Chinese black vinegar, Chinese rice wine, and whole dried red chilies. This Americanized version replaces those hard-to-find-ingredients with staples from your neighborhood supermarket. It has all the same spicy, sweet, and sour appeal of traditional kung pao chicken, and it makes a really nice weeknight dinner with a side of rice.
What you’ll need to Make Kung Pao Chicken
How to Make Kung Pao Chicken
As with any stir-fry, you want to do all of your prep ahead of time because the cooking goes very quickly.
Since the chicken needs to marinate for 15 minutes, get that started first. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, dry sherry, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, chop the bell pepper, celery, scallions, and garlic.
In another medium bowl, prepare the sauce by whisking together all of the sauce ingredients: balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, red pepper flakes, ground ginger, and water.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat. Add the bell pepper, celery, and salt.
Cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and set aside.
Add an additional 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the pan and set over high heat. Add half of the chicken (it’s important not to crowd the pan) and brown on one side, about 1-1/2 minutes.
Turn the chicken pieces and continue cooking for about 1-1/2 minutes more, or until the chicken is just cooked through. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the peppers and celery. Add another 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the remaining chicken and cook until golden on one side, about 1-1/2 minutes.
Turn the chicken pieces over and cook for 1 minute. Add 1/2 tablespoon more oil to the pan, along with the garlic and scallions.
Cook, stirring with the chicken, for about 30 seconds more.
Add the reserved vegetables and reserved chicken to the pan, along with the sauce.
Reduce the heat to low. Cook until the chicken and vegetables are warmed through and the sauce is thickened, about 30 seconds.
Stir in the nuts. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, and serve with rice.
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Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao chicken, a classic Chinese takeout dish of stir-fried chicken, peanuts, and vegetables, is easy to make at home.
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1½ lb chicken tenderloins, cut into 1-in pieces
For the Sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, best quality such as Kikkoman or Lee Kum Kee
- 1 tablespoon Asian/toasted sesame oil
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (use half the amount for a milder sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅓ cup water
For the Stir-fry
- 2½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large red bell pepper, diced
- 2 stalks celery, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 5 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup whole roasted unsalted peanuts or cashews
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, dry sherry, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Prepare the sauce: In another medium bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until the cornstarch is dissolved (it can stick to the bottom of the bowl so be sure to scrape it up).
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl to coat. Add the bell pepper, celery, and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl and set aside.
- Add an additional ½ tablespoon of oil to the pan and set over high heat. Add half of the chicken (it's important not to crowd the pan) and brown on one side, about 1½ minutes. Turn the chicken pieces and continue cooking for about 1½ minutes more, or until the chicken is just cooked through. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the peppers and celery. Add another ½ tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the remaining chicken and cook until golden on one side, about 1½ minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over and cook for 1 minute. Add ½ tablespoon more oil to the pan, along with the garlic and scallions, and cook, stirring with the chicken, for about 30 seconds more.
- Add the reserved vegetables and reserved chicken to the pan, along with the sauce. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the chicken and vegetables are warmed through and the sauce is thickened, about 30 seconds. Stir in the nuts. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, and serve. (Note: the sauce will thicken as it sits; thin it with a few tablespoons of water, if necessary.)
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 692
- Fat: 45 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 1639 mg
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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My 13 year old (picky) son asked me to buy Kung Pao Chicken because he saw a video on Tik Tok. I suggested that I could make it instead and he said “it better be good”. Well it definitely was! Everyone (besides my daughter who doesn’t eat meat) in my household loved this, including me! I will be making this again! I am glad that I doubled the recipe as I am eating leftovers for lunch! Thank you so much!
This is not good. I followed the recipe without any substitutions, but I definitely will not make this again. It smells like balsamic vinegar and I can make regular chicken that taste better than this horrific dish.
Hi Jen, another successful recipe! Love your recipes, always come out great! Made this today, everyone loved it,definitely a keeper, but then again all your recipes are! Thanks!
Hi Jenn! Could you please recommend a non-alcoholic substitute for dry sherry? Or should I just omit it? Thank you
Hi Maria, You can omit it — the dish will still be good. Enjoy!
I used apple cider vinegar and it turned out amazing!
The sauce should 1.5 teaspoons sugar not 1.5 tablespoons
I liked this, but did not love it. With the ingredients, I was expecting more flavor. Found it bland.
Update: Ate leftovers tonight. More flavorful and a little spicier. A good make ahead dish.
Awesome recipe! will be a new favorite on rotation thank you!
This was a fantastic recipe. Much better than others I’ve tried. A definite keeper.
Dry Sherry is not in the ingredient list. Can anyone tell me how much to use?
Hi Alisa, sounds like you just overlooked it (it’s under the soy sauce in the ingredient list). You’ll need 1 tablespoon. Hope you enjoy!
Easy and one of my favorites, thank you!
Wonderful! I”d like to use dried whole red chilis like I”ve had in restaurants. How would you incorporate them in cooking this dish? Thanks!
Hi Martha, You can use this Mongolian Beef recipe as a reference.
Very tasty and very easy to make will repeat
I’ve made this dish many times for my family and it’s always great! I have added other vegetables individually on occasion(bokchoy, spinach, broccolini), sometimes I didn’t have celery, and it’s tasty no matter what. I have also made it with both shrimp and chicken. I have used Japanese Sake in place of the cooking sherry with great success.
I have made this many times, it’s become a staple in our house that makes everybody happy. I usually have everything on hand except for the celery and those times I cut the stalk off broccoli and cook it as if it is celery.
I have started using this chicken marinade from this recipe in my other Asian recipes because it works so well at getting the restaurant style mouth feel. Thanks for another great recipe!
Fairly easy recipe to follow. Tastes pretty good even with my low skill cooking. Used a Chardonnay instead of cooking Sherry but would not repeat or recommend the same substitution to others. Next time I’ll try with real Sherry and update rating accordingly.
Thanks for the warning but note that Jenn uses real Sherry, NOT cooking sherry. Very important to use the real thing. Any “cooking” wine is full of sodium and tastes terrible!
I have made this a number of times, one of my favorite meals. I add carrots, yellow onion and mushrooms along with the celery and bell peppers. I double the sauce. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Hi Jenn,
I’d like to double this recipe. I have the same all-clad nonstick pan but I’m afraid it won’t hold everything. I have a 13” cast iron that should hold but not sure if it would change the flavor or cooking time. Please let me know if you have any suggestions. Thank you so much for your amazing recipes and generous tips! ♥️
Hi Oleda, it should be fine to use the cast iron, and won’t impact flavor or cooking time. Enjoy!
I have made this many times, it’s become a staple in our house that makes everybody happy. I usually have everything on hand except for the celery and those times I cut the stalk off broccoli and cook it as if it is celery.
I have started using this chicken marinade from this recipe in my other Asian recipes because it works so well at getting the restaurant style mouth feel. Thanks for another great recipe!
I made this recipe the other night and it was a huge hit! I loved making the sauce instead of a pre-made bottled sauce. The flavors were exceptional! Very easy to follow recipe. I will be making this again. In fact, I’m looking at your other recipes for dinner ideas tonight. I want to thank you for sharing your talent!
REALLY TASTY…LOVED THIS RECIPE.
Made this tonight – massive hit. Swapped chicken for tofu and it was vegan, no other substitutes required.
Lots of Asian cooking calls for random ingredients but I had everything in my cupboard. Absolute winner
Another awesome recipe! Thanks, Jenn!
This is a fabulous recipe; one of my husbands favorites! Colorful and delicious.
Hi Jenn, would it be ok to marinate the chicken for a few hours in advance? Or is it better to marinate just before cooking? Thanks for your help 🙂
Hi Mel, I’m concerned that the soy sauce will make the chicken taste too salty — sorry!
Can this be made a day in advance and reheated?
Hi Laura, I think this is best if cooked right before serving, but Chinese food reheats well so you could make it all ahead and reheat it when you’re ready to serve. Another option is to have everything chopped and prepped and just quickly cook it right before serving. Hope that helps!
Hi Laura, when I make this I am the only one who eats it, husband a meat and potato guy, I add carrot, yellow onion and mushrooms to the celery and peppers, I love lots of veggies. I also double the sauce and always reheat the veggies and sauce for leftovers the next day and the day after that. Love this recipe, I make new Basmati rice for the leftovers and is as tasty as the first day.