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My Most Popular Chinese Recipes ❤️
Tips, tricks, and recipes for perfect Chinese dishes
FREE EMAIL BONUS:
My Most Popular Chinese Recipes ❤️
Tips, tricks, and recipes for Chinese dishes
What Is Kung Pao Chicken?
Kung Pao Chicken is from the Sichuan province in China. The Chinese name is 宫保鸡丁 (gong bao ji ding) but some restaurants spell it as Gong Bao Chicken or Kung Po Chicken.
This is a spicy chicken dish with a mouthwatering Kung Pao Sauce. It is popular at Chinese takeouts or restaurants here in the United States.
Other Chinese Recipes You Might Like
- Kung Pao Shrimp
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Hunan Chicken
- Broccoli Beef
- Orange Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Pork
Is Kung Pao Chicken Authentic?
Authentic recipe calls for Sichuan peppercorn for the numbing flavor and loads of dried red chilies for the “mala” (spicy and numbing) flavors.
The Americanized version we get here is not authentic but delicious.
Vegetables such as carrots, water chestnuts, celery, zucchini and broccoli are part of the dish.
Kung Pao Sauce
Kung Pao Sauce is the soul of Kung Pao Chicken. The sauce is brown in color, mildly spicy and dangerously addictive. It tastes salty, sweet and vinegary.
The secret ingredient is Chinese black (dark) vinegar and below is the list of ingredients of the sauce:
- Soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Sugar
- Water
- Corn Starch
The spiciness of Kung Pao Chicken comes from the dried red chilies in the stir-fry and not from the sauce. You may use rice vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar for equally delicious results.
How Do You Make Kung Pao Chicken
This is a stir-fry chicken dish in a work or skillet. First, you cook the ginger and garlic with heated oil, then you add the dried red chilies to bring out the spiciness.
Add the chicken, peanuts and the Kung Pao Sauce and cook until the chicken is done.
Tips on How to Stir-fry Kung Pao Chicken
- Heat the wok or skillet before stir-frying.
- Cut the chicken into uniform pieces so they cook evenly.
- Prepare the Kung Pao Sauce in advance by mixing all the ingredients together.
- The spatula plays an active role in stir-frying so use it to continuously stir and toss the ingredients in a back and forth, circular, turning and flipping motions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Meaning of Kung Pao?
Kung Pao or Gong Bao derived from Chinese words 宫保。According to Baike, a Chinese online encyclopedia, the dish was invented by a Sichuan General Ding Baozhen.
He loved chicken and peanut in a spicy sauce, and hence he created the recipe.
The name Kung Pao came from his honorary title and hence the name origin of this famous dish.
How Many Calories Is This Recipe?
This is a healthy recipe and only 360 calories. Serve the chicken with steamed rice, fried rice or noodles.
What Dishes to Serve with This Recipe?
For a wholesome Chinese dinner, make the following dishes.
Kung Pao Chicken (The Best Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 12 oz. (350g) boneless & skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons roasted peanuts
- 6-8 dried red chilies (seeded and cut into halves)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 5 slices peeled fresh ginger
- 2 cloves garlic (sliced diagonally)
- 1 stalk scallion (cut into rings)
Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese Shaoxing rice wine (optional)
- 1 teaspoon oil
Sauce:
- 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Chinese black vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
Instructions
- Cut the chicken meat into small cubes, rinse in water, pat dry with paper towels and marinate with the ingredients above for 30 minutes.
- Mix the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Heat up a wok with one tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the marinated chicken until they are 70% cook. Dish out and set aside. Clean the wok and add in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until it's fully heated. Add in the ginger and garlic slices and do a quick stir before adding in the dried red chilies.
- Stir-fry the dried red chilies until aromatic and smell spicy, then add in the chicken meat. Do a few quick stirs before adding in the roasted peanuts.
- Add the sauce and stir continuously until the chicken meat is nicely coated with the sauce. Add in the scallions, stir to combine well with the chicken, dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This was delicious! I added dried oriental hot chilies. Beautiful dish and so flavorful!
Awesome! Thanks for trying my Kung Pao chicken.
How should the recipe be adapted to make it more authentic? I have a tub of sichuan peppercorns ready to go :)
You can add some hot heated cooking oil to 2 tablespoons of Sichuan peppercorn and use the oil to stir fry the chicken.
hi there. i live in northeastern china and was wondering if you have the names of specific chinese brands i could buy,.in particular the rice wine and black vinegar. i have access to the most authentic products but dont know which to use as there are endless options.
I’d like to make this dish while on vacation and want to prep it at home and freeze the chicken after the first few steps (at the point where you say cook it 70% and set aside). Also, mix up the sauce, bag it, and freeze it along with the chicken. It will make quicker work to finish cooking it on the trip and fewer ingredients to take with me or buy there. Do you think the chicken and sauce will be okay after being frozen?
Made this recently for the first time, sorry I waited so long! I’ve always loved kung pao chicken, but it’s rarely done well at too many Chinese restaurants. Not enough spice and they skimp on the peanuts. This recipe turned out better than ANY kung pao I’ve had in a restaurant. I put more peanuts in, and the peppers I used turned out perfectly (dried arbol peppers). Perfect level of spice, I ate the peppers as I like hotter food, my wife didn’t, and the spice level was therefore perfect for each of us.
A wonderful recipe that’s not in the permanent file.
Now in the permanent file! Sheesh, and I used to know how to type!
Hi Sev, thanks so much I am so glad you love my Kung Pao chicken recipe.
Can I add red and green peppers to this and is there any way to make the chicken slightly crispy first?
Yes, you can add them. You can pan-fry the chicken until crispy.
WOW!!! Great recipe! My husband and I couldn’t stop eating. Definitely a keeper and will make again soon.
Thank you for this delicious recipe!!
Your Kung Pao has so much more flavor than my nearby restaurants versions.
Oh I love to cook KUNG PAO CHICKEN and look delicious. I can’t wait. I’m going to the grocery store and buy the ingredients. I’ll cook it tomorrow.
Awesome Rey!
How big are your ginger slices? Do you remove them prior to serving?
Depends on the size of the ginger, it can be bigger or smaller in width. I usually just serve everything. You don’t have to eat them but they add a nice gingery nuance to the Kung Pao Chicken, which is very nice!
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breast meat?
Yes you can use chicken thighs for Kung Pao chicken.