Kung Pao Chicken
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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.
You may also like
- Thai Red Curry Chicken
- Honey, Lime & Sriracha Chicken Skewers
- Chicken Chow Mein
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Orange Chicken
- Cashew Chicken
- Asian BBQ Chicken
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This was SOOOOOO good. I will have to start doubling this so there will actually be leftovers next time. Thank you for sharing this!!
This is one of the most delicious dishes that I have ever tasted, period!!!! My family couldn’t stop gushing about it, including my toddler who is not too keen on sauce-based dishes.
The cherry on top was how quick n easy it was to make and the fact that it used staple pantry ingredients. I did go out to buy the Hoisin sauce and after tasting the dish, all I can say is I’m never going to be without it.
I used red wine vinegar in place of dry sherry, made 1.5 times the sauce and used 1 pound chicken for my family of 3.
Thanks Jen for this amazing 10-star recipe!! It’s an experience our tastebuds aren’t likely to forget anytime soon.
This is the first recipe from Jenn which was only a few months ago and our family is hooked. We made this for friends and they said “I didn’t know you could cook”. Ha ha ha! I use chicken thighs
We made this for the first time this week, and it was a massive hit. Our family has a rating scale for recipes, and this got the top marks from everyone! Thanks Jenn!
I made this dish tonight. I added some Thai hot peppers because we like it spicy. It was soooo good! I’ll definitely make it again and be sharing the recipe! Love Once Upon a Chef recipes!
Hello Jenn,
This dish sounds wonderful. I could not find chicken tenderloins. Would chicken breasts work?
Your recipes always turn out perfectly!
Thank you.
Yvonne
Hi Yvonne, so glad you like the recipes! The chicken won’t be quite as tender but will still be good. Hope you enjoy!
I did this one, my family love chicken. So I have to cook it in different ways. We enjoy it.and they like trying new recipes. Thank you!! Again. You make cook so much fun. I my self LOVE cooking so I am always looking for new recipes. Thanks for the help!!
The spice and sauce proportions are excellent. I have added some broccoli, chopped small, and served it over soba noodles.
I was so happy to try this recipe. We recently moved to an area that sadly does not have good Chinese restaurants. I made this for diner last night and my husband and I enjoyed it so much. The sauce is wonderful – flavorful without being too spicy. This dish will go into my rotation.
I love this dish, very yummy and easy to make. I doubled the sauce and added some broccoli at the end. I’ve made this about three times in the last month (:
Wow! This recipe was soooo good. The sauce was great – a wonderful combination of flavors and sweet/spice. I made this for the first time for dinner night with friends (I know that makes you nervous Jenn but I trust your cooking!!). I loved how I was able to prep everything and then finish off the cooking while they were here. I’ve done this with the cashew chicken recipe as well and decided to branch out last week – glad I did!
This recipe was a hit!
My family loved this. We have a nut allergy so I omitted the nuts but it was still very good on top of rice.
I love this recipe. I have made it several times and we have all loved it. It comes together very quick once you start cooking. I prep all the ingredients in the morning so that it comes together quick at dinner time.
I do use 1/2 the amount of crushed red pepper to keep the spiciness down a little.
So easy and so good! Love making food that tastes great and cooks quickly. This is a winner! Also is helpful because it uses ingredients we typically have in the pantry. Used Tamari Soy Sauce for a GF version with rave reviews.
This dish was just delicious. I would add a bit more hot peppers next time though. We like spicy. Very easy to follow recipe.
We literally make this every week. My family rejoices when I tell them it’s Kung Pao Chicken for dinner! 🙂 I make it as written, and it’s totally worth the little splatters of hot oil all over my counter (and arm). We serve with jasmine rice.
This recipe has become a staple meal at our house. Easy to make and full of flavor. I double the sauce recipe and add the cashews to the pan 3 minutes before the end. Like them crunchy but also a tad softer.
The Kung Pao was delicious! I didn’t have Hoisin sauce so substituted Trader Joe’s General Tsao Stir Fry sauce and it was delicious. Not sure if it greatly affected the way it should taste, but everyone in my family loved it.
This KUNG PAO CHICKEN recipe was AMAZING! This turned out BETTER than take out. So fresh making it at home. What I really love is that I can control the seasonings so it isn’t too salty. It turned out so perfect that I didn’t mind eating leftovers for a couple of days. Will make this again for sure! Thank you, Jenn, for making all the instructions to easy to follow. I watch tons of cooking sites and your suggestions and presentation are wonderful. I have even given out your link to many friends and told them to follow you. Keep the recipes coming!
This is one of our favourite dinners. Its just like having a restaurant meal. Love all your recipes. My husbands favourite is the lemon blueberry loaf.
This recipe is a ‘go to’ recipe for my kids aged 2 and 4 it’s a sure way to get them to eat their veggies, I dice them finely and omit the red pepper flakes. Easy to make and disappears quickly! Thanks Jen!
This has made our week! Easy to prepare and so delicious – better than take out.
Yummy and easy to make!
Jenn – do you think this recipe could be made with steak instead of chicken?
Sure, I think that would work. Please LMK how it turns out!
Hi Jenn – I swapped the chicken for steak and it turned out great. I was worried the sauce would get lost, but it complemented the steak perfectly.
Glad it came out nicely — thanks for the follow-up! 🙂
The process of marinating the chicken and cooking in two batches produced juicy tender chicken pieces. I would apply this procedure to any chicken stir fry recipe. We liked the flavour of the sauce but I think we needed more of it so next time I might double the recipe. Great recipe to use up veggies in the fridge! Thank you. I love your book Jenn.
Your Kung Pao Chicken recipe has quickly become a favourite at my house. So easy and tastes like an authentic Szechuan dish. My family loves spicy so I doubled the Chili flakes and also added red Thai Chili peppers. So delicious! Thanks for another great recipe!
I love Kung Pao Chicken and was excited to see this on Jenn’s site. This recipe was full of flavor and quite easy to make. I had run out of chili flakes so used garlic chili sauce and also fresh ginger, which I love. Turned out great, as expected. I’ve already made this twice!
This is so good! We rarely get Chinese takeout due to the strong garlic and heavy salt so I am constantly searching for good make at home recipes. This totally hit the mark! We omitted the garlic due to diet restrictions and it still was packed with flavor. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a delicious alternative to traditional Chinese take out!
This is one of the most delicious recipes I’ve ever made and one of the easiest! My husband is super picky about what he eats and this one got a BIG thumbs up! We love it! I’ve made it twice so far and it has become a regular. I make it over white rice but you can also add as many veggies as you want!
I made this twice, first with chicken tenderloin and second with shrimp. Really delicious each time. Super easy compared to a lot of other complicated prep I’ve done in the past. I made this ahead of time by making marinade in a gallon freezer bag and making sauce in a jar with a lid. I prepped the veggies and set them in the bowl I would use for reserving after cooking and serving, I prepped garlic and onion in a small dish. Depending on how early I set this up I did use the fridge to keep it all fresh. I used cashews for the chicken and when I did shrimp I used peanuts. Also I don’t like celery, so i used bok choy, which is almost always in stock at my market. And I don’t have sherry but used vermouth with success. Before heating pan for veggies, i put protein in marinade. LOVE THIS DINNER!!!
I am only cooking for two so I halved the recipe. I always follow a new recipe to the letter. I would use a full recipe of the sauce next time even though I will half the rest. Taste was delicious just like a local restaurant and I can do it myself. I’m loving going thru all your recipes. We just need a change. Thanks so much.
My family loved this! I made it with the cauliflower fried rice recipe and it was a huge hit and the recipes used a lot of the same ingredients so paired well and saved time in prep.
We had this for dinner the other night and it was delicious. We didn’t have any dry sherry, so we googled what to substitute for it and used red wine vinegar. It was a great dish and we will have it again and again
This was a really good alternative to other recipes that required Chinese ingredients my local grocery store unfortunately didn’t have (i.e. Sichuan peppercorns and Shaoxing Wine). Definitely recommend. Thanks!
thank you for the recipe. it was really good.
Can I use oyster sauce instead of hoisin?
You could but it may give the dish the slightest fishy flavor. There are a number of homemade options you could use in place of the hoisin. If you scroll down on this page a bit, the BBQ and molasses combination sounds easy and good. Hope that helps!
Made this for about the 100th time earlier this week. So easy & delicious. Huge hit in our house and often requested by my daughter!
This is delicious. For the first time my husband did not add a single spice, sauce, etc. Every flavor spot on. I am excited to make it again and check out more of your recipes. Thank you!
Absolutely loved this recipe! Not too salty, which is one of my gripes about restaurant food. I omitted celery and added half large zucchini shredded and a large handful of sugar snap peas. I didn’t have any peanuts so I tossed in some sesame seeds. I’ll definitely be making this recipe again.
Hi Jenn,
I made this tonight for me and my wife. I followed your recipe exactly, with the exception of the dry sherry. I used apple cider vinegar in lieu of the dry sherry, which I didn’t have. It was absolutely amazing! Your recipes never disappoint.
Thank you for another amazing recipe!
Ray
OOOMMMGGG, I am never ordering Kung Pao takeout again. This recipe is everything!
Amazing recipe! My family loved it!
Another great recipe Jenn! This recipe was very easy and delicious. I substituted rice vinegar for the sherry because that is what I had on hand and it worked out fine. I also made sushi rice to go with this dish and would highly recommend that.
This was better than we have ever had in a chinese restaurant loved it.
Wow! I knew your recipes were good but this was a crowd pleaser. Both my son and husband loved it!
This is an amazing recipe . My husband & I really enjoy it. Have made it twice now & definitely a keeper. Love your recipes 👍👍.
Way too sweet. I would not use basalmic vinegar but regular red wine. It’s not spicy enough. I added a teaspoon or more of pepper flakes and 2T. Chili sauce with garlic sauce. Still it could use more.
I chanced upon your site while looking for NY-style cheesecake (I will try to make one soon using your recipe!). Didn’t know what to cook for dinner so I checked your savory recipes and found this. After quickly scanning the ingredients list, it turned out I have almost everything in our pantry (replaced chicken with fish since it’s been sitting in our freezer too long). It turned out amazingly well! I also replaced the veggies on this recipe with eggplant because my hubby hates anything related to onion and pepper 🙄. I was afraid that it will fail because of the substitutions but it worked out fine. Thank you so much for the step by step guide and for sharing this recipe!
Easy and delicious.
Hi Jenn – I don’t have dry sherry. What would make a good substitute? Or can I simply leave it out altogether? LOVE your recipes – they never disappoint! Thanks in advance!
Hi Monica, The best substitute would be Shaoxing rice wine; if you don’t have it, it’s fine to just leave it out. Hope you enjoy!
O.M.G. This was incredible!!! Definitely will be making this again – and again and again!
Very good recipe, easy and delicious. Just as I like it, thank you, Jenn
This was delicious. I think the cooking times for the peppers and chicken was too long. I sautéed both over high heat for two minutes. Hate celery so I left that out. Also added some Siracha to the marinade. Definitely will make again.
Another great recipe that the family loved. Lots of flavor and added a bit more red pepper because my family loves the heat. I served with Jasmine rice.