Kung Pao Chicken Recipe - Chinese Restaurant Quality

Kung Pao Chicken exists both in traditional Chinese cuisine and on takeout menus. This easy, authentic Sichuan kung pao chicken recipe is the real thing.

Prep time: PT30M

Cook time: PT10M

Total time: PT40M

Rating

4.93 stars (85 reviews)

Keywords

kung pao chicken

Ingredients

1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 cup raw peanuts ((shelled, with or without the skin))
12 oz. chicken breast ((cut into 3/4-inch/2cm cubes))
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon shaoxing wine
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 pinch white pepper
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons oil
3 cloves garlic ((smashed and sliced))
2 thin slices ginger ((minced))
2 dried red chilies
1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorn powder
6 scallions ((white portions only, cut into 3/4-inch/2cm pieces)

Cuisine

Chinese

Steps

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a wok over medium heat and add a cup of raw shelled peanuts. Stir constantly (or they’ll burn) for 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir for another minute using the residual heat in the wok. Set aside to cool. They will turn crunchy once they’re cooled completely. You can also skip this step and use already roasted shelled peanuts.
Marinate the chicken. Mix together the chicken with all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and set aside for 20 minutes.
Prepare the sauce. Mix together all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat. Sear the chicken, remove from the wok to a bowl, and set aside.
Turn the heat to low and add another tablespoon oil. Add the garlic, ginger, chilies, Sichuan peppercorn powder, and scallions. Cook for a minute or two until fragrant.
Add the chicken back to the pan and turn up the heat to high. Stir-fry for a minute and then use your finger to stir up your prepared sauce (the cornstarch will have settled to the bottom, so make sure it’s well incorporated). Add the sauce to the wok and stir-fry for another minute. The sauce should thicken very quickly.
Finally, add the peanuts. Give everything a final stir and serve.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 440 kcal
Carbohydrates: 11 g
Protein: 29 g
Fat: 33 g
Saturated Fat: 6 g
Cholesterol: 54 mg
Sodium: 477 mg
Sugar: 2 g

Reviews

teamasterman on 2025-11-18 (5 stars):
mark
May on 2025-08-28 (5 stars):
Delicious and easy.
Cameron on 2025-03-16 (5 stars):
So I've been making a variation on this recipe for about two years now, and it has quickly become my favorite thing that I cook I make a few modifications to the sauce recipe; first of all, I replace one of the tablespoons of water with shaoxing wine, at least for me it doesn't seem overpowering at all, so I've kept doing it. I replace another tablespoon of water with equal parts black bean garlic sauce, oyster sauce, and homemade chile oil. For the vinegar, recently I've been using a 6 year Zhenjiang black vinegar that I was lucky enough to find Other than that, I dial back the peanuts by about a third of a cup, I double the Sichuan peppercorn (this spice is the reason I love this dish so much, I buy it two bags at a time because my local Asian market doesn't sell big enough ones), and I use eight peppers instead of two, and cut them up (I tap them against my cutting board to release loose seeds, but leave the others in) The finished product ends up having a stronger, somewhat more nuanced flavor from my experiments. I'm probably throwing a little bit of authenticity out the window, but cooking is all about experimentation right? In any case, this recipe is fantastic, both as written and with the modifications I make. Can't get enough of it
Andrea on 2024-12-04 (5 stars):
Love this recipe! My husband says it’s the best since he lived in New York and ate in China Town!!