How To Make Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken is a favorite meal here at the 2 Cooks. This dish has just the right amount of savory and spicy and is great served over rice or cauliflower rice.

This recipe is gluten free.

Watch a Video

Here is a video of 2 Cooks in the Kitchen making Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients For Kung Pao Chicken

  • 2 sliced carrots cooked ahead
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 TBL cornstarch
  • 2 tsp light sesame or vegetable oil
  • 2 or more garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
  • 3 TBL chopped green onions
  • 1/4 – 1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more!)
  • 2 TBL rice wine vinegar
  • 2 TBL tamari
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1/3 cup peanuts
Photo shows the ingredients for Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao Chicken Ingredients

Cook the Carrots

First off, we will cut the carrots and boil them for 10 minutes to cook them ahead. We like to slice them on the diagonal so they look fancy. Once they are cooked part way we’ll drain them and set aside.

Photo shows the carrots being cooked ahead
Cook the Carrots

Prepare the Chicken

We’ll cut the chicken into large bite size pieces and put them in a bowl. We like to use boneless, skinless thighs for this recipe but you could use breast meat if you want. Then we sprinkle the corn starch over and stir to get all the pieces coated.

Photo shows the chicken pieces covered with corn starch
Sprinkle On Corn Starch

Cook the Chicken

We put sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add in the chicken when the oil is hot. We’ll stir this so the chicken cooks on all sides and it will take about 7 minutes before it is done.

Photo shows the chicken pieces in the pan
Cook the Chicken

Transfer To A Plate

When it is done we want to transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. You want to leave as much of the pan juices in the pan as possible for the next steps.

Photo shows the cooked chicken on a plate
Remove Chicken To A Plate

Cook Garlic and Ginger

Now we’ll add the garlic and ginger to the pan. You can decide how much of each you like. We like to use fresh ginger. We’ll buy a big hand and keep it in the freezer. It is super easy to peel and grate it when it’s frozen. You can use the ginger in the squeeze bottle or even powdered ginger in a pinch.

Photo shows the ginger going into the pan
Add Ginger

Add Green Onions

Next we’ll add in our green onions. If your pan looks too dry at this point you can add a little more oil. We’re basically just doing a stir fry at this point.

Photo shows the green onion in the pan
Add Green Onion

Add the Carrots

Next we add in the carrots that we precooked.

Photo shows the carrots cooked in the pan
Cook the Carrots

Pepper Flakes

We’ll add our pepper flakes now. This is where you can decide how spicy to make it. You can even add a couple whole arbol or thai chiles for that restaurant look. We’re just going to stir fry this for about 2 minutes.

Photo shows pepper flakes in the pan
Add Pepper Flakes

Make the Sauce

Next we’ll combine the rice vinegar, tamari and sugar in a small bowl and mix that together well.

Photo shows rice vinegar being measured
Rice Vinegar, Tamari and Sugar

Pour the Sauce Into the Pan

We’ll pour this into the pan with our vegetables and let it cook for about 30 seconds while stirring.

Photo shows the sauce being poured into the frying pan
Pour the Sauce Into the Pan

Add the Chicken

We’ll add the chicken back into the pan and stir to get it all coated with the sauce.

Photo shows the chicken being added back into the pan
Add the Chicken Back In

Add the Peanuts

Our last ingredient is the peanuts. They give this dish a nice nutty crunch. We use raw, unsated peanuts that we can buy in bulk locally.

Photo shows the peanuts being added
Add Peanuts

Kung Pao Chicken All Done

We will stir this and keep cooking until the chicken and peanuts are heated through, maybe about a minute or two. And then our Kung Pao Chicken is ready to serve. We like this served on rice or cauliflower rice works great as well.

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Photo shows Kung Pao Chicken plated with rice

How To Make Kung Pao Chicken

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  • Author: 2 Cooks in the Kitchen
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stir Fry
  • Cuisine: Chinese
  • Diet: Gluten Free

Description

Kung Pao Chicken is a favorite meal here at the 2 Cooks. This dish has just the right amount of savory and spicy and is great served over rice or cauliflower rice.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 sliced carrots cooked ahead
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thigh cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 TBL cornstarch
  • 2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 or more garlic cloves minced
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
  • 3 TBL chopped green onions
  • 1/41 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more!)
  • 2 TBL tamari
  • 2 TBL rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1/3 cup peanuts

Instructions

  1. Julienne the carrots and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve.
  2. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Put the chicken into a mixing bowl and sprinkle the corn starch over. Mix to coat well.
  3. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring frequently for 7 minutes until just done. Transfer the chicken to a plate and reserve, leaving as much of the pan juices in the pan as possible.
  4. Add the garlic, ginger, green onions and pepper flakes to the pan. Stir fry for about 2 minutes.
  5. In a small bowl, mix the tamari, rice wine vinegar and sugar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar. Add the mixture to the pan and stir well.
  6. Add the chicken and peanuts to the pan. Stir and cook for a minute or two until everything is warmed up and coated well.
  7. Serve over rice or cauliflower rice.
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