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
- Chow Mein
- Cashew Chicken
- Beef & Broccoli
- Chop Suey (Chicken Stir Fry)
- Spring Rolls
- 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
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Xara says
I am an old cook who loves to try new recipes. This one sounded so good that I placed a $32(US) Amazon order for the wine, vinegar, and Sichuan pepper. SO delicious! Thank you.
Colette says
Made this and loved it, but I live in Taipei and could not find the dark soy sauce in any of the seven groceries I tried. Do you have any suggestions/advice on how to find it?
Romi says
Always check the parenthesis where she writes “note x”. Like she mentions in the recipe, just substitute the dark so sauce with regular one.
LanaP says
This was so good! My husband and I scarfed the entire thing that’s supposed to serve 4. Don’t hesitate to follow Nagi’s substitutes if you don’t have everything – I used 1.5T rice vinegar & 1.5tsp balsamic vinegar for the black vinegar as well as cutting back the sugar to 2T as I used mirin instead of Shaoxing wine. Also added about 1.5 cups matchstick carrots and there was still plenty of sauce. This was amazing and I’ll definitely be making it again soon.
Niki says
Brilliant. Thanks for commenting Lana. The balsamic and rice vinegar sub was exactly what l was planning as well as the Mirin sugar variation. Great to know it works well.
R says
This recipe is sooo good!
If we’re feeling like a veggie dinner we substitute the chicken with florets of cauliflower that we’ve tossed with oil, salt and pepper and roasted in the oven.
Nagi says
Great idea R!!! I love it! N x
Anna says
Made Kung Pau Chicken, my husband went crazy for it, definitely a WINNER
Lynette says
Yum yum yum, thank you!!!
Tania says
I am always on the hunt for new recipes and this dish just WOW! I made double the recipe and glad I did, we all went back for seconds. Thank you!
Lynette B says
Can I use Szechuan seasoning? Can I use tofu (have never cooked tofu) – do I cook it the same as chicken?
Nagi says
Hi Lynette, seasoning generally means in contains other ingredients which will affect the overall flavour here – can you tell me exactly what’s in it? You can definitely use tofu, I would cube it and sear it to get some colour first 🙂 N x
Lynette B says
Thanks for help Nagi – I had already cooked it by the time you replied & it was delicious. My husband enjoyed the tofu (I didn’t try it). It was probably a little too spicy but simply because I didn’t have the correct chilies & Szechuan seasoning. I’ll source them for next time. Definitely make again. All of your recipe are just so delicious . Making chocolate cupcakes today 😋
Mike says
This is my new favourite meal, and definitely my new favourite destination for recipes. We LOVE international food, and this site is fantastic. Well done Nagi!
CapnF says
I LITERALLY make this recipe weekly. Husband practically demands it. You’d think I’d be sick of it by now, but no! He’ll never, ever tire of it, anyway! Absolutely perfect! We add half a package of cashews at the end (tried peanuts, as is proper, but just not as good!). Find the POW really varies by the hot pepper I use, and no two hot chillis of the same variety seem equal. Regardless of how much kick it has, this is a fantastic recipe!
Phil Bazinet says
Hello from Canada! Love your blog and your recipes. I just made this one with green peppercorns I ground myself. The result was a very overpowering bitter and piney taste. Would it be better using red peppercorns? Or should I have used less because I ground them myself
Agnes says
Hi Phil, green and red Szechuan peppers have different tastes, the green one have a very sharp taste while the red one is mellower. But I also found 1.5 tsp is a lot for a fresh ground Szechuan pepper. I added around 1 tsp, and it is really enough, and I can take heat very well.
Jacqueline de Vos says
I have made this twice and it was absolutely delicious. So many wonderful flavors = so satisfying!
I just have one question please. Both times I made the dish I tasted slight soapy undertones. Do you know which ingredient this could come from?
Debbie says
Hi there
The soapy taste may come from using too much Szechuan pepper – I never heard of it prior to this recipe and having tasted one of the peppercorns I can see why you may think theres a soapy taste!
Delicious recipe made for the first time for my family – we all loved it!! X
Jacqueline de Vos says
Hi Debbie, I realized it was about the sichuan peppercorns too, but it it wasn’t about using too much of it. The soapy taste comes from using raw sichuan peppercorns. If you toast them in a pan for a little while the soapy taste goes away and they taste even more delicious in food. I’m very glad a figured this out after quite a bit of googling. This Kung Pao chicken recipe is now absolutely perfect!
Marlene C Haney says
Extraordinary Nagi! Beyond 5 stars. All we knew of Kung Pao was through takeout and buffets. We feel that this is authentic and will make this many times to come. Thank you so much for sharing! Love you!
Sophia says
Dear Nagi,
Let me say this first: as we don’t eat meat, I substituted the chicken for king oyster mushrooms and champignons cut into chunks but changed nothing else.
It was absolutely delicious! I usually do not comment on anything on the Internet but for your recipe I just had to!
Thank you for sharing the details and instructions so wonderfully, it was a great help.
ashlee says
hi im nurul from malaysia! i had use ur recipe for many time !
best recipe i ever eat! i not eat this dish since long time ago, which in restaurant its pricey
now i can eat when i want 🙂 my husband said spicy but cannot resist to eat more!
malay people like to eat spicy ( although it may sting to ur mouth) thanks a lot nagi 😉
Triin says
Hi Nagi, I absolutely love your recipes! I’ve tried out so many and they’re always amazing! For a really long time, yours has been the only blog I use for cooking. And now it’s kung pao chicken’s turn. 🙂
What type/kind of dried chillies did you use here?
Marc says
My daughter doesn’t want raw sugar if possible. Substitution?
Nagi says
Hi Marc, you could use honey or a sugar substitute here. N x
Roger says
Well, I made this again tonight. The fourth time since early March. Huge family hit. My wife thinks it’s a bit spicier that her favorite restaurant versions in the US, but she says it’s better. Thanks again, Nagi. Stay well and give Dozer a oat for me. Hope he’s feeling better.
Roger says
That should have been “give Dozer a PAT”. You can give him an oat too if you want 😂
Mon says
Hi Nagi, I cooked your Kung Pao Chicken last night. It was so good, thank you. My husband actually asked if there was anymore. He never does that, so just shows how good it was.
Just put out the ingredients to mix up Charlie for quick meals for next week too. ❤️
Lana says
This is my favorite dish! I followed your instructions to the letter and OMG! Flavor is amazing. I toasted my Sichuan peppercorns and used a mortar ‘n pestle to grind, before sifting it.
This dish is so easy to make, yet has SO many complex flavors! Love it 💕
Dianna says
I recently bought szechuan peppercorn oil which I haven’t tried yet. Would this be acceptable in this recipe? I have heard and read that you don’t want to use the black seeds of the szechuan peppercorns because they are gritty. I have a jar of them but removing the black seeds is tiresome. I have used the whole mix before and agree that it is the black seeds that are gritty and not to be used. Rather than turn people off on using Szechuan peppercorns because of the gritty taste, perhaps they should know to take the time to remove the black seeds before using. It is an extraordinary taste and I highly recommend it but not with those black seeds! Have you ever tried the Szechuan peppercorn oil? I hadn’t seen it before and plan to try it. I love that numbing (but not hot) taste.
Geraldine says
Looks fantastic. Can this be cooked ahead, say a day or two, or is it best eaten straight away please?