Take out style Kung Pao Chicken with marinated chicken, the signature sweet-sour-salty Kung Pao sauce with the addictive tingling heat from sichuan pepper.
It’s an explosion of big, BIG flavours – and it’s a really quick and easy recipe.
Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken is a Chinese takeout favourite that is mouthwateringly good and highly addictive – so it’s a good thing it’s easy to make at home so we don’t need to order takeout every time we crave it!! We love the strong flavoured sweet-sour-savoury sauce with the signature tingle of numbing heat from the Sichuan pepper!
If you’re wondering whether Kung Pao Chicken is authentic Chinese, the dish as we know it outside of China is a slightly westernised version of an authentic Chinese Sichuan dish.
Traditionally in China, Kung Pao Chicken is a dry stir fry. Which means, unlike 99% of other Asian stir fries on my site like Chop Suey and Cashew Chicken, it’s not swimming in loads of sauce.
But with Kung Pao Chicken, the sauce is very intense flavoured so you don’t need loads of it. When it mixes in with the rice, just a bit of sauce goes a long way.
What goes in Kung Pao Chicken
Most of these ingredients are pretty mainstream Asian cooking ingredients. I’ve provided substitutes for the Chinese cooking wine in the recipe.
The ingredients I describe in a little more detail below are:
Sichuan pepper
Chinese vinegar
Dried chillies
I like to use chicken thigh because it’s juicier than breast and tenderloin. If I make this with chicken breast, I always tenderise it using a Chinese restaurant technique using baking soda (bi-carb). It’s super simple, see directions here: How to Velvet Chicken.
Sichuan Pepper
This is the ingredient in Kung Pao sauce that makes it Kung Pao and not just any type of stir fry sauce. I describe it as a little bit lemony with a numbing spiciness, rather than hot spiciness like almost every other chilli.
I used to use whole peppercorns but nowadays I tend to use pre ground both for the convenience and also because it’s finely ground. In contrast, if you grind your own, there tends to be little gritty bits in it – albeit the flavour is a bit better.
Best substitute for Sichuan pepper is white pepper.
Dried Chillies
Not all dried chillies are created equal and in fact, the same type of chillies can vary in spiciness throughout the year. So for dried chillies, always taste them and make a judgement call on how much you can handle! Most of the heat is in the seeds which are removed.
If you really don’t think you can handle any chilli at all, use them when cooking but don’t eat them. The chillies add flavour to to sauce so don’t skip them.
What does Kung Pao Sauce taste like?
Kung Pao sauce has a strong flavour that is sweet, sour, savoury and with the signature tingle of heat from Sichuan pepper. It’s glossy and thickened with cornstarch / cornflour, and because it has such a strong flavour, this stir fry has less sauce than other Chinese favourites like Cashew Chicken and Beef and Broccoli.
Here’s what goes in Kung Pao Sauce:
Sichuan Pepper – described above
Chinese Black Vinegar – described below
Cornstarch / cornflour – to thicken the sauce
– subs available
Soy sauce, sugar and water
Chinese Black Vinegar
Looks like balsamic vinegar and, surprisingly, tastes vaguely like it. Available in Asian stores and costs only a couple of dollars for a big bottle. Be sure not to get Taiwanese or another Asian black vinegar (some taste completely different), make sure you get Chinese black vinegar (read the label!).
If you can’t find it, don’t worry, you can use rice wine vinegar, plain white vinegar or even balsamic vinegar. I’ve made Kung Pao Sauce so many times and tried it with each of these, and it’s actually quite similar.
Quick to cook
As with most stir fries, once you start cooking, things move quickly! It takes about 6 minutes to cook. So make sure you have all ingredients prepared and ready to toss in.
Key Tip: Cook the Kung Pao sauce down until it reduces to a syrupy consistency with quite an intense flavour. That’s the Kung Pao way!!
Phew! I don’t usually end up writing so much stuff about ingredients in a post! So I’m signing off here and handing over the recipe. Don’t forget the recipe video below! I think it’s especially useful to see the consistency of the sauce at the end – it should be thick and syrupy, and intense dark brown colour. Enjoy! – Nagi x
More Chinese takeout favourites
Chop Suey (Chicken Stir Fry)
Chinese BBQ Pork (Char Siu)
See all Chinese recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
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Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb / 500g chicken thigh , cut into bite size pieces
Sauce
- 2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 2)
- 1.5 tbsp dark soy sauce (Note 3)
- 2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar (Note 4)
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (Note 5)
- 3 tbsp sugar , any
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/3 cup water
Stir Fry
- 2 tbsp peanut oil (or other cooking oil)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 tsp ginger , finely chopped
- 6 – 10 dried chillies (adjust to taste), cut into 2cm/ 3/4″ pieces, most seeds discarded (Note 7)
- 3 green onions , cut into 2cm/ 3/4″ pieces, white parts separated from green
- 1.5 tsp ground sichuan peppercorns , adjust to taste (Note 6)
- 3/4 cup whole peanuts (or 1/2 cup halved) , roasted unsalted
Instructions
Sauce & Marinade Chicken:
- Mix cornflour and soy sauce in a small bowl until cornflour is dissolved. Then mix in remaining Sauce ingredients EXCEPT water.
- Pour 1.5 tbsp Sauce over chicken. Toss to coat, set aside for 10 – 20 minutes.
- Add water into remaining Sauce.
Stir Fry:
- Heat oil in wok over high heat. Add garlic, ginger and chillies. Cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add chicken, cook until it turns white, then add the white part of the green onions. Cook until chicken is cooked through – about 2 minutes.
- Add Sauce and Sichuan pepper. Bring to simmer, mixing constantly, until almost all the sauce reduces to a thick syrup.
- Just before the end, mix through peanuts and green part of the green onions. Also check spiciness – add more Sichuan pepper if you can handle the heat!
- Serve immediately with rice – or for a low carb, low cal option, try Cauliflower Rice!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Lucky 8: Eight more Chinese takeout favourites
LIFE OF DOZER
Re-united. Life is back to as it should be!
Hi Nagi,
I use your recipes so often my family asks me to check there when I decide to try a new dish. This is the first time for Kung Pao chicken, but I do make a lot of stir Frys and fried rice dishes. I love your all purpose sauce. I did not have dried chilis, my son absconded with our supply, I substituted sambal ooblek chili paste, I fear I under seasoned, but otherwise a fantastic dish. I did velvet the chicken, my husband commmented on the superior chicken. Thanks. I kept what I did a secret. Thank you for much for graciously and unselfishly sharing your recipes and also, equally important, sharing Dozer. I always look forward to seeing what he is up to today.
Thanks so much for the feedback Pat, I truly appreciate it!
I tried this recipe. Actually this was my first try at making Chinese food. Though I altered a few ingredients as had to use what was available at home due to the lockdown. This has come out near perfect. And so easy to make!! Thanks a lot!
Amazing!! Will definitely make again. Used 10 chillies, would reduce the number for us. Full of flavour.
You can just reduce the chillies to taste Julie, I’m so glad you loved it!
Kung Pao Chicken, done gone yummy will do this again.
Thanks Nagi!
Wahoo!!!
Make this at least once a week as it is sooo good. Family just love it. 10 out of 10.
Thanks Nagi
Wahoo, that’s great to hear Jackie!
Call the fire brigade! ☺️ Ha.
Well not quite..loved the tang! All around the table was “yum,…mmm” Yet another tasty 12 out of 10! Thx Nagi.
You’re so welcome John, I’m so glad it was a hit!
I have to admit when I follow any of your recipes it always comes out like the real thing. Whether I am making hot and sour soup,paella ,fried rice you are my secret weapon. I love you for taking care of my stomach. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Ps usually comes out better than real thing.
Wahoo!!
This is close to the way the neighborhood Chinese restaurant makes it. They don’t use ginger and definitely use 5 spice (that’s what was missing with the last recipe I tried.) Very, very good!
You won’t need to order takeout again!
Made it again with ALL the right ingredients and even better. Sooo good!
I’ so glad you loved it Rachel!
Meant to add, didn’t bother to tenderise the chicken breast this time as toddlers were wild with hunger…just as delicious!
This looks amazing!!!! Unfortunately I have a peanut allergy, would it work with any other type of nut?
I have made it with pumpkin seeds since my husband doesn’t really like peanuts. It was good.
Hi Julez, traditionally it’s made with peanuts but cashews would work well!
I was really happy with it. It was hot, but not too hot.
I’m sure I will cook it again.
Thank you
Yes it’s more tingly hot rather than spicy hot because of the Sichuan!
I don’t know whether the brand of sichuan peppercorns I got at my Asian grocer was particularly hot but both my husband and I found the heat in this dish a bit overwhelming and we quite like spicy food. I used 1.5 tsp of ground peppercorns but probably should have scaled back and tasted as I went. Also, not being able to get pre ground peppercorns I ended up roasting (as recommended) and grinding on the superfine setting of my coffee grinder but we still found the gritty texture of the peppercorns a bit unpleasant. The base sauce was good, the chicken very tender and enjoyed the nuts but unfortunately not my best dish I’ve cooked from your website Nagi.
Oh no Danielle, I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy it, it’s not supposed to be super hot but it is meant to pack a punch – N x
Omg! So good! We’ve left inner Sydney for the suburbs of Melbourne & missing GOOD Asian food. I made this today after another disappointing take away last night. Even though I sent my husband shopping & I had to substitute practically everything (used mirin, normal soy, rice wine vinegar & ‘Chinese spices’ then had to quickly dry a fresh chilli (cue eye rolling!) it was fabulous! Thank you!
For some reason mine had no spice at all. Maybe my dried chilli’s a peppercorns are past their best – the sauce was still delicious though!
Hi Darren, it should definitely have spice! Are your spices in date? – N x
I’m so happy it still worked Rachel, you won’t need takeaway again!
What to have on a Saturday night for dinner? Option one takeaway or option 2 one or more of your recipes. Hubby chose Kung pao chicken and I chose nasi goreng. Both a winner glad we didn’t chose takeaway.
I’m so glad you decided against take away! I bet homemade tasted better anyway 😉
Love you’re recipes.they are so tasty yum 💕
Terrific Marie ☺️
Hi Nagi
I had a problem when I made this, I think it was the sichuan peppercorns. They tasted bitter. Any suggestions? Me or the brand of peppercorns?
Hi Sharon, they are supposed to have a slightly bitter/numbing flavour. It’s hard to tell, it could be the brand or how old the peppercorns were but it shouldn’t be overwhelming at all!
I tried it and was delicious. I tried it from a restaurant before and was a bit different, with green and red peppers and shrimp! Can you tell me how to make it with shrimp and peppers?
Made this for dinner last night. Took the time to go to the asian supermarket and get all the correct ingredients. It was an absolute winner. The flavour was amazing and so quick and super easy to make. Next time i think sliced red capsicum would be nice in it.
I’m so happy you loved it!!
WOW!!! Great recipe! My wife and I couldn’t stop eating. Definitely a keeper and will make again soon.
Nagi my iPad has lost the chicken wings Ebook I bought can you tell what app I can find it in thank you.
The improvements to this recipe rock! Love the sauce!