Authentic Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

This Authentic Kung Pao Chicken recipe is made with spicy dried chilies, tongue numbing Sichuan peppercorns and stir fried peanuts in a lightly sweet and savory sauce.

This recipe was originally published in May 2017. It has been updated for content and photos. For a good laugh, scroll down below the recipe card to see the old photo!

Salty, sweet, spicy with just a little bit of tanginess, Kung Pao Chicken is on the menu of most Chinese restaurants in the US. If you're excited about these flavors, you'll probably also love this Kung Pao Calamari.

The boyfriend and I are HUGE fans of this dish. Perfectly spicy and flavorful, it's incredible served with simple steamed white rice (learn how to make the perfect pot of rice).

The sauce is thick and velvety, filled with spice and umami flavor. The chicken is tender and juicy, perfectly caramelized on the outside - it's as good as this Shanghai chicken or air fryer orange chicken (we LOVE this).

And the best part is that it's easy. The ingredients are easy to get either at your local grocery or online. The chicken marinades for just a little bit, and the dish only takes about 10-15 minutes to cook. It's great for an easy weeknight meal!

Ingredients for Authentic Kung Pao Chicken

The recipe calls for boneless, skinless chicken breast, but chicken thighs can be used as well.

Shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) is used in the marinade for the chicken. You can substitute dry sherry if you'd like, or you can buy it HERE on Amazon (affiliate link).

Chicken Marinade Ingredients:

The recipe also calls for black vinegar. You can replace this with balsamic vinegar, or you can buy it HERE on Amazon (affiliate link). The flavor of the black vinegar is incredible. It is commonly used as a dipping sauce for dumplings.

What Are Sichuan Peppercorns?

The Sichuan peppercorns used offer this delightful spicy, tongue numbing quality that is very common among many Szechuan (Sichuan) style dishes. It’s not traditionally spicy like you would find in other peppers, but has a slight numbing effect that is very common in Sichuan cuisine.

If you can't find them at your local grocery, you can buy them HERE on Amazon (affiliate link).

Sichuan peppercorns are used often in dishes like this Mapo Tofu or this Twice Cooked Pork (both incredible and some of our favorites!).

The remaining ingredients are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. 

Step By Step Instructions

Combine the marinade ingredients and add the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour up to 4 hours.

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and mix well to combine.

Drain the excess marinade from the chicken and heat a wok or large cast iron skillet over high heat. Add the cooking oil.

Learn how to season a wok. 

Add the chicken in 3 separate batches (this avoids over crowding the pan) and cook for about 3-5 minutes, until browned on the outside and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and cook the next batches the same.

Set the chicken aside and turn the heat down to medium. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan and add the Sichuan peppercorns, dried chilies, green onions and peanuts and fry for 1 minute, stirring regularly.

Add the chicken back to the pan and cook for 30 seconds.

Add the sauce and toss until everything is coated and sauce has thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately with steamed white rice or this Chinese Fried Rice.

**You can also drizzle it with this Chili Oil that we have just fallen in love with. 

Expert Tips

1. Be sure to make the sauce before you start to stir fry.
2. If you're using whole fresh Sichuan peppercorns, you can either add them whole (perfectly acceptable), or you can use a mortar and pestle to grind them.
3. Any high smoke point oil will work. I prefer canola or vegetable oil for this kind of cooking, but peanut oil, avocado oil or coconut oil also work well.
4. The chicken must be cooked in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. We want the edges of the chicken to caramelize, and crowding the pan will cause the chicken to steam instead of fry.
5. If the sauce is too thin, stir 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water. Slowly add the cornstarch slurry to the chicken, stirring constantly, until the desired consistency is reached. The sauce should coat the chicken. Add more or less cornstarch slurry as necessary.
6. Sprinkle the chicken with additional ground Sichuan peppercorns or this homemade Chili Oil.
7. If you're using raw peanuts, toast them in the oven for 5-10 minutes on 400F OR saute them over medium in a pan with a teaspoon of oil for about 5 minutes, until the outsides are lightly browned.
8. Add additional dried chilies for extra spice.
9. Add vegetables like diced red peppers, onions, green pepper, water chestnuts, zucchini or broccoli. Add the vegetables to the wok after the chicken has cooked and cook for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Remove and continue with the rest of the instructions. Add the vegetables back in with the chicken at the end.

More Chinese Stir Fry Recipes

• Shrimp Lo Mein;
• Crispy Mongolian Beef;
• Tangerine Chicken;
• Braised Chicken Feet.

Did you make this recipe? Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out!

Check out this oldie!

Save

Save