Kung Pao Chicken
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Kung Pao Chicken, a Chinese takeout favorite with tender chicken, crunchy peanuts, and vibrant veggies in a bold, savory sauce, comes together in just 30 minutes for an easy weeknight meal!
Kung pao chicken is a popular Chinese restaurant dish that combines tender chicken, crisp veggies, and peanuts with a spicy, tangy sauce. While it’s traditionally made with specialty ingredients like Sichuan peppercorns, Chinese black vinegar, rice wine, and dried red chilies, this simplified version swaps those hard-to-find items for staples from your local supermarket. It still delivers the same bold flavor and makes for a delicious weeknight dinner, especially with a side of rice.
“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!”
What You’ll Need To Make Kung Pao Chicken
- Soy sauce – Adds savory umami flavor to both the marinade and sauce, a classic base for Asian cooking.
- Dry sherry – Adds a subtle depth and complexity to the marinade. While Chinese cooking wine is traditional, dry sherry is a great substitute that’s more readily available and offers a similar rich, slightly sweet flavor.
- Cornstarch – Creates a protective coating that locks in the chicken’s moisture during cooking, preventing it from drying out and ensuring it stays juicy and tender. Additionally, it helps thicken the sauce, giving the dish a smooth, glossy finish.
- Chicken – Chicken tenderloins are ideal—they are easy to work with and naturally very tender—but boneless skinless chicken breasts can be used as well (just keep in mind they won’t be quite as tender).
- Balsamic vinegar – Used as a substitute for Chinese black vinegar, it provides a similar tangy sweetness and depth to the sauce.
- Hoisin sauce – Brings a touch of sweetness and savory depth to the sauce.
- Asian toasted sesame oil – Adds a nutty, toasty flavor to the sauce.
- Crushed red pepper flakes – Adds a kick of heat; adjust to your taste for a milder or spicier dish.
- Ground ginger – Adds a warm spice and aromatic note to the sauce.
- Vegetable oil – Neutral cooking oil that allows the other flavors to shine while giving a nice sear to the chicken and veggies.
- Red bell pepper and Celery – These veggies add color, sweetness, and crunch to the stir-fry.
- Garlic and scallions – Together, they provide a fragrant, aromatic base for the stir-fry, with the garlic adding bold flavor and the green onions bringing a fresh, mild onion note.
- Peanuts or cashews – Adds crunch and a nutty richness that complements the savory sauce and tender chicken.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
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 skillet or wok over high heat. 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 half 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.
Turn the chicken pieces and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes more, or until the chicken is just cooked through. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the peppers and celery. Add another half tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add the remaining chicken and cook until golden on one side.
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 Chinese takeout favorite with tender chicken, crunchy peanuts, and vibrant veggies in a bold, savory sauce, comes together in just 30 minutes for an easy weeknight meal!
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1½ lbs chicken tenderloins (or boneless skinless chicken breasts), 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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Hi Jen,
I don’t love celery. Do you think it will be ok if I just add other veggies to this chopped in the same size? Was thinking of adding carrots.
Thanks!
Elizabeth
Definitely! Hope you enjoy. 🙂
This was good—but flavors not really complex enough for us
I understand what you are saying. However, if one is used to msg added to their Chinese dishes? Then, this may be why!? This dish was delicous.
I made this last night and it was amazing and so flavourful. I didn’t have sherry so I used rice wine vinegar instead and it tasted great. I’m a big fan of your website and just received your new cookbook so looking forward to making some of your new recipes.
I noticed you were traveling to Toronto for a book signing…any chance you are heading out west to Vancouver? You have lots of fans here 🙂
So happy you enjoyed this dish, Jude. I’m not headed to Vancouver this trip…they are keeping me on the East coast. But, who knows, maybe over the summer or in the fall. 😊
Hi Jen,
Any suggestion on what to replace the dry sherry with? Cant find that in Tunisia.
Also, on an unrelated note, I can’t wait to finally put my hands on your cookbook! Ordered and shipped to France, my mum is supposed to bring it over next week =) Best of luck on the book tour!
Ah! Sorry, slow internet and I see someone else has already asked that question. Never mind!
Hope you enjoy the book, Marine! ❤️
This dish is so pro! Chinese food is one of my all time favs and we all know how good Chinese recipes are!! Well, Chef Jenn did them proud! She did her homework and you have got to try her recipe to believe how good it is!
Thanks for another great recipe Jenn. I made this for dinner tonight and my wife and I both enjoyed it. The only thing that I did different was that I didn’t serve it over rice. We sort of made Kung Pao Wraps. I put it on flour tortillas and made wraps out of it. Very tasty! Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us! Loving the book!!!!
Hi Jenn! So excited to make this! I feel like I should give it five stars already – it looks so good. Do you think cooking sherry from the grocery store would be okay, or should I get something better like what’s in the picture? Thanks. Good luck with the tour. Your book is lovely!
Hi Carol, I’d get a good dry sherry. It keeps forever so you won’t be sorry. Hope you enjoy!
This looks great! Is there a substitution you could recommend for the dry sherry?
Hi Rachel, The dry sherry is actually a substitute for Chinese rice wine. It’s fine to omit it; the dish just won’t have quite as much depth of flavor.
Thanks! I ended up using rice wine vinegar as Jude A suggested. Delicious Sunday dinner!
Hi Jenn, Is dry Sherry considered to be alcohol? If it is, is there a substitute for it to use in the recipe? Thanks, Madhuri
Hi Madhuri, It’s fine to omit the sherry; the dish just won’t have quite as much depth of flavor, but will still be good!
Jenn,
One thing I absolutely LOVE about your recipes is that when a new one comes up on the blog you have taken the time to “fix” it for the average home cook and all the ingredients are usually in the pantry/fridge/freezer! I will be making this soon! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the cookbook! Already given 4 as gifts and have mine ready to have you sign as soon as I can make a trip to one of your signings! So enjoyed helping test recipes! Belinda
Thanks so much for all the kind words, Belinda – so glad you enjoy the recipes and find them to be “accessible” for the home cook – that’s definitely my goal! Happy to hear you’re enjoying the cookbook, too — I really appreciate the support. 💗
This was easy, and delicious. I served it over cauliflower rice to which I added a little cilantro, salt and pepper. Yummy!
Forgot to mention, I am loving the cookbook. So fun to read, and recipes are great. The tips on the side are very useful and I have learned many new tips.