Kung Pao Chicken
This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure PolicyYou’re going to love this delicious and flavorful recipe for Kung Pao Chicken that you can make at home!
Today we’re heading back into the kitchen, and believe it or not, this time we aren’t baking. Instead, I’ll be teaching you how to make Kung Pao Chicken.
Ingredients:
Before we get into the recipe, here’s what you’ll need to make this Kung Pao Chicken at home.
- chicken breasts
- garlic,
- crushed red pepper flakes
- green bell pepper
- red bell pepper
- roasted peanuts
- green onions
- spices
- Cooked white rice for serving
- soy sauce
- balsamic vingar
- sesame oil
- cornstarch
- hoisin sauce
- sugar
How to Make
To make this Kung Pao Chicken recipe, I did research online and found a variety or recipes that had similar flavor profiles. With a bit of testing and combining of recipes, I’ve come up with a dish I’m proud to share with you.
Typically, Kung Pao Chicken is fairly spicy thanks to the dried chili peppers included in most recipes. Since I prefer a little less heat in my food, I opted to leave the dried chilis out. Instead, I put in crushed red pepper flakes.
To get the level of spiciness you like, you can just add more pepper flakes.
No matter what your heat preference is, I think you’re going to love this recipe. And while I can’t take you all on a Carnival Cruise (I wish.), I can at least share a taste of the cuisine!
Talk about a dish that’s loaded with flavors. – This is it!
While baking and making appetizers have been my forte, I can certainly see myself getting more into actual cooking. Just as long as everything tastes as good as this.
If you give this recipe a try, be sure to swing back and let me know what you think.
Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts boneless, skinless, and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (Use more for added heat.)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 medium green bell pepper roughly chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper roughly chopped
- 1/3 cup roasted peanuts
- 5 green onions chopped
- Cooked white rice for serving
Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, prepare the marinade by whisking together soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes.
- In another bowl, prepare the sauce by whisking together the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, hoisin sauce, balsamic vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- In a wok (or large skillet) over medium heat, add the peanut oil. Stir in the crushed red pepper flakes. Add the red and green bell peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the peppers are slightly softened. Stir in the minced garlic and ginger. Cook for an additional minute. Add the chicken with a slotted spoon (no need to include extra marinade). Cook the chicken for 4-5 minutes or until it’s thoroughly cooked.
- Add the sauce to the chicken and mix it to coat the chicken. Stir in the peanuts and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and toss in half of the chopped green onions. Transfer to a serving plate; sprinkle the top with the remaining green onions. Serve with white rice.
I used chicken thighs and celery instead of green peppers (because my husband is not a fan of green peppers.) I loved, loved, loved this dish. So happy to have found it and know I can easily recreate my favorite dish whenever I want! Thank you.
Thank you so much, Maria! I’m so happy to hear this!
xo Michael
Can’t wait to try it! I love your garlic grating dish….where did you get it?
This looks like the perfect dish! Yum!
This looks delicious! The next time we have guests over, this will definitely be on the menu!
Made this tonight. It was so good! Thanks for sharing!
Wow! You’re quick! Love it. So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
xo Michael
This looks pretty straight forward. I assumed something like this would be more complicated to make. I’ll have to give it a try. Thanks for sarong. It looks delish!
It’s super easy and SO tasty! You’ll love it!
xo Michael
I love seeing you with your mom. Looks and sounds like you had a great time!
Thank you! And yes, we sure did! 🙂
xo Michael