Craving Chinese food, but reluctant to get a takeaway? We have your back! Make this restaurant-quality easy Kung Pao Chicken recipe in your own kitchen in less time than your delivery driver would have arrived! And for half the price!
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Our Kung Pao is even more delicious than regular Chinese takeout! We coat the chicken in cornflour to make it crispy (the trick we learned from our favorite Chinese restaurant) and we skipped the Szechuan peppercorns to make it simpler and avoid the overly spicy heat!
And if you are catering for plant-based diets, make our Kung Pao Tofu alongside!
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What Is Kung Pao Chicken?
Kung Pao chicken, also sometimes called Kung Po chicken, is a popular Chinese dish you'll likely find on menus at many Chinese restaurants. It's a stir-fry with amazing flavour, originating in the Sichuan province of China.
Traditionally, it's known for its fiery spice, but many restaurants offer milder versions. The dish features tender chicken pieces, vegetables, and peanuts, all smothered in a sweet, savoury, and slightly spicy sauce. While in Westernized versions you might find a lot of sauce, authentic Kung Pao chicken is actually drier.
What Does Kung Pao Sauce Taste Like?
There are a lot of different versions of Kung Pao Sauce, especially in Western Countries, adapting flavours for Western Pallets. Some are made with Shaoxing wine or dry sherry, others use hoisin sauce as a base for the sauce.
But the delicious flavour of this spicy chicken sauce always comes from the aromatics: ginger, garlic and chilli. Ultimately, Kung Pao sauce boasts a balance of sweet, savoury, and spicy notes, making it an exciting and complex flavour experience.
Ingredients and Substitutes
Simple ingredients that you'll need:
- chicken breast: boneless skinless chicken breast can be replaced with chicken thighs.
- cornflour: also known as corn starch. Potato starch may also be used.
- chilli powder: or cayenne pepper.
- neutral oil for frying: we used vegetable oil.
- carrot.
- bell pepper: we used green bell peppers, but yellow, orange or red bell pepper will work just as well.
- fresh ginger.
- fresh garlic cloves.
- honey: can be replaced with the same amount of brown sugar.
- red chili peppers: can be replaced with red pepper flakes (about 1 teaspoon per chilli pepper_.
- soy sauce: we used dark soy sauce, but you may use light soy sauce, low sodium soy sauce or tamari instead.
- rice vinegar (rice wine vinegar): can be substituted with any white vinegar like cider or white wine vinegar. Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar may also be used.
- salted roasted peanuts.
- spring onion: also known as green onions, to garnish.
You can find the ingredient quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Wait, But Where Are Traditional Szechuan Peppercorns In This Kung Pao Recipe?
In an attempt to use widely available ingredients in this easy recipe, we skipped the Szechuan peppercorns, also known as Sichuan peppercorns. Our version of crispy Chicken Kung Pao is, therefore, a little less spicy, with heat coming from chilli powder and red chilies only.
However, if you have some handy, and can handle the heat, add ½ teaspoon of ground peppercorn to the vegetable stir fry to make a more classic Sichuan dish. White pepper is also a great substitute!
Step-By-Step Method
1. Crispy Chicken Coating. In a large bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of cornflour (corn starch), a pinch of salt and chilli powder. Place the chicken pieces in the cornflour mixture and mix well to coat each piece.
2. Cook the Chicken. Heat a generous glug of oil in a large skillet. Fry your chicken for 7-9 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy. When done, transfer onto a paper towel to drain any excess oil.
3. Stir-Fry Veggies. Wipe the chicken pan clean and add a little bit of oil (we like to use a drop of sesame oil for the veggies). Then add the carrots, green peppers and sliced chilli.
4. Make the Kung Pao Sauce.To make the sauce, heat a tablespoon of oil in a small pan and add garlic and ginger. Fry for 1-2 minutes, then stir in honey. Reduce the heat to a minimum.
In a small bowl, mix the remaining cornflour, cold water, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Tip the mixture into the saucepan with the other sauce ingredients and stir until thickened. This is your Kung Pao Sauce. Add more water to loosen if required.
5. Assemble. Tip the spicy sauce, crispy chicken and peanuts into the vegetable pan and stir until coated and warmed through.
Serve the saucy chicken scattered with spring onions with a side of white rice or with a British favourite - Salt & Pepper Chips!
Storage
Kung Pao Chicken is best served freshly made. If you have leftovers, cool them down to room temperature, spoon it into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
To reheat, scoop everything into a frying pan, add a splash of water and stir-fry until warmed through. Note though, that the chicken will lose its crispiness and the vegetables will lose their crunch.
Recipe FAQs
Is Kung Pao Very Spicy?
Traditionally, Kung Pao packs a punch with its Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers, a true test for those who love spicy food. However, our recipe is thoughtfully adapted for those who enjoy milder flavours. It's important to note that the heat can vary depending on the specific chilli used, as even the same variety can have significant differences in spiciness between brands or batches.
Can I Make Crispy Chicken Kung Pao Gluten-Free?
Absolutely, simply replace your regular soy sauce with tamari.
What To Serve With Kung Pao Chicken?
Serve the chicken with steamed or fried rice, and a fresh green side dish, like Chinese Stir-Fried Pea Shoots (Dou Miao). We love these Asian recipes to go with sweet and spicy Kung Pao:
Other Chinese Takeaway Recipes
If you follow us along, you will know that we have a plethora of Chinese recipes on the blog. Yes, we have resisted ordering from a local Chinese takeout for a long while now, and make the takeout favorites at home:
- Salt & Pepper Chicken
- Chinese Crispy Lemon Chicken
- Crispy Teriyaki Chicken With Rice
- Chinese Crispy Chilli Beef
- Chicken Manchurian Recipe (Easy Indo-Chinese Chicken)
Crispy Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
- 250 g (0.55 lb) chicken breast cut into small chunks
- 3½ tablespoon cornflour divided
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder
- oil for frying
- 1 carrot chopped intp ½ cm cubes
- 1 small bell pepper cut into bite-size pieces
- 25 g (1½ tablespoon) root ginger peeled and finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 red chilli pepper deseeded and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 6 tablespoon water
- 30 g (¼ cups) salted roasted peanuts
- 1 spring onion sliced diagonally, to garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of cornflour (corn starch), a pinch of salt and chilli powder. Place the chicken pieces in the cornflour mixture and mix well to cover each piece.
- Heat a generous glug of oil in a frying pan. Fry your chicken for 7-9 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and crispy. When done, transfer onto a paper towel to drain any excess oil.
- Wipe the chicken pan clean and add the carrots, bell peppers and sliced chilli, and stir fry on high heat for 3-4 minutes until slightly softened and charred.
- To make the sauce, heat a tablespoon of oil in a small pan and add garlic and ginger. Fry for 1-2 minutes, then stir in honey. Reduce the heat to a minimum.
- In a small bowl, mix the remaining cornflour, cold water, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Tip the mixture into the saucepan with the aromatics and stir until thickened. This is your Kung Pao Sauce. Add more water to loosen if required.
- Tip the sauce, crispy chicken and peanuts into the vegetable pan and stir until coated and warmed through. Serve scattered with spring onions with a side of white rice.
Nutrition
Swathi says
Crispy kung pao chicken looks delicious, I have tried it already two times.
Nora says
This Crispy Kung Pao Chicken was amazing! Seriously better than takeout—perfectly crispy, flavorful, and easy to whip up. I'll definitely be making this again whenever that Chinese food craving hits!
Ieva Greber says
That's brilliant! This is definitely my go-to for any Chinese takeout craving! 🙂
Juyali says
Tried this recipe, and it was amazing! The chicken stayed crunchy even with the sauce, and the flavors were perfectly balanced. Definitely making again!
Ben says
Sichuan peppercorns don't add heat, they add tingle: there is no actual spice in them. Chew one straight from the packet and you can tell this, if anything they are bitter, then sweet: no heat. They, along with dried chillies are the pillar of sichuanese cooking, and sichuan peppercorns ARE the iconic flavor of kungpao - not shoaxing wine and aromatics. Seems you've taken the kungpao out of kungpao chicken..
Sonja says
I have no idea why anyone would order takeaway when this is so easy to make and utterly delicious!
I loved the easy to follow instructions and it came out absolutely perfect.
Ieva Greber says
Thank you so much, Sonja! Really pleased you liked the recipe! 🙂
Lathiya says
Lung pao chicken is one of our favorite take out. ISo I gave this recipe a try at home and tasted better than the take out. Bookmarking it.
Ieva Greber says
So glad you liked it - we're on a mission not to order any more take aways this year, and this recipe is the one we turn tu most often! 😉