Garnish and serve. Best served with cooked rice or noodles. This particular dish is a classic Chinese chicken stir fry that Americans have most likely heard of and enjoyed from local Chinese restaurants or a fast food chain like Panda Express. It’s called Kung Pao Chicken, and it’s one of the grand daddy’s of stir fried chicken in the U.S. It’s origins hail from the Sichuan province of China, though you’ll find it all over the country. Chinese cuisine has given the world so many wonderful recipes, and I’m incredibly thankful. Kung pao chicken is easily adaptable to locally available ingredients and customizable to each individual palate. You can easily find most ingredients in your local grocery store, or find suitable substitutions. This is how I like to make my kung pao chicken recipe. Let’s talk about how to make kung pao chicken, shall we? In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice wine and cornstarch. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Set aside for now. You can make your chicken marinade ahead of time and leave it in the refrigerator, covered, until you are ready to cook. This is great to get going in the morning so you can marinate until the evening. You’ll get good flavor with 30 minutes or less. In a medium bowl, whisk together the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, black vinegar, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, honey, Sichuan peppercorns and chili flakes. Set aside for now. You can also make the kung pao sauce ahead of time and refrigerate, covered, until you’re ready to cook. Great time saver. Heat the vegetable oil to medium-high heat to high heat in a large skillet or wok. Add the dried chilies and fresh chili peppers. Cook, stirring often, for 1 minute, to soften them up. Be sure to stir vigorously, as you do not want to burn the chicken. Letting it sit without stirring can burn it. Add the sauce and peanuts and stir. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, then remove from heat. Boom! Done! Your kung pao chicken is ready to serve. Looks wonderful, doesn’t it? I love the sauce, so shiny and huge on flavor, a bit salty-sweet, and spicy. So easy to make, isn’t it? Extra red pepper flakes for me, please. That’s it, my friends. I hope you enjoy this easy kung pao chicken recipe. It’s so delicious! I love this recipe. Let me know if you make it. I’d love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy! You can dial back on the heat by using milder chilies, and using less of the spicy peppercorns. If you don’t have access or can’t find them, chile de arbol peppers are great here. Focus on smaller, brightly colored pods. Skip the dried peppers altogether if you need to and focus on fresh peppers.
The Fresh Chili Peppers
I use jalapeno peppers or serrano peppers for extra heat, though they are not traditional. You can skip the fresh pods if you’d like, or use vibrant red Chinese peppers or other peppers available to you. Bird’s eye peppers or Thai peppers are great here for a nice touch of heat. Use a bell pepper for substance without the heat.
Szechuan Peppercorns
Szechuan peppercorns (aka Sichuan peppercorns) may surprise you if you have not tried them before. They are known for numbing the tongue and lips, and I love them, but they are easy to overdo. Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H. You can also freeze kung pao chicken in a vacuum sealed container for up to 6 months. NOTE: This recipe was updated on 5/19/23 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 3/22/21.
