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4.92 from 12 votes

Kung Pao Chicken

This Kung Pao Chicken recipe is quick and easy to make, naturally sweetened, and full of the classic flavors of the dish we all love!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: 30 minute, chicken
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

Kung Pao Chicken Ingredients:

  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 red bell pepper cored and diced
  • 1 green bell pepper cored and diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup peanuts
  • 4 dried red Chinese or arbol chili peppers seeds removed and finely chopped*
  • 1 batch Kung Pao Marinade (see below)
  • garnishes for serving: thinly-sliced green onions toasted sesame seeds

Kung Pao Marinade Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot powder
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper

Instructions

To Make The Kung Pao Chicken:

  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken breast pieces and saute for 5 minutes, flipping occasionally, or until the chicken is completely cooked through and no longer pink inside.  Transfer cooked chicken to a separate plate and set aside.
  • Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan.  Then stir in the red and green bell peppers, garlic, peanuts and chopped red chili peppers.  Saute for 3-4 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant and the peppers are slightly softened, stirring frequently.  Stir in the Kung Pao Marinade, and then let the mixture simmer until the marinade has thickened (about 1 minute).  Add the cooked chicken back in and toss to combine.  Remove from heat.
  • Serve immediately with rice or quinoa, topped with garnishes if desired.

To Make The Kung Pao Marinade:

  • Whisk all ingredients together until combined.

Notes

*If you don’t want to work with whole dried chiles, you can substitute 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.