Kung Pao Chicken

Chicken, peanuts, hot chili paste, soy sauce, and black vinegar come together perfectly in this Kung Pao Chicken, ready in 30 minutes. 

I love making this Chinese takeout favorite at home. It takes less time to make than it does to pick up.  It’s perfect for weeknight dinners.

Tread lightly with the chili paste if spicy food isn’t your thing.

I start with about a tablespoon and add more as I need. It really depends on who is eating.

Young kids and those not accustomed to spicy food get 1 tablespoon, if I am cooking for just me and will be eating it for a few dinners and lunches it gets closer to 3 tablespoons.

If Andy’s nose isn’t running, it isn’t spicy enough. I eat mine with rice to balance out the heat.

I use Sambal Oelek (affiliate link) because it is readily available in my local Asian markets. It’s a step-up in heat from Sriracha Hot Chili sauce (affiliate link).

With that being said, Sriracha or other chili pastes can be substituted if you have a preferred sauce.

I use black rice vinegar in this dish because I tend to use it for most of my Asian cooking that calls for vinegar and it has more depth of flavor.

Cook’s info has a lot of information on black vinegar and its substitutions, you can learn more here.

But you could substitute rice wine vinegar or plain white vinegar if that’s all you have.

My sweet and sour sauce and apricot sauce I use with our different egg rolls are about the only places I still use regular white vinegar or white rice vinegar because I don’t like the murky coloring black rice vinegar adds.

Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken. A quick and easy spicy Asian inspired dish, ideal for weeknight meals.

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Chinese

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 8 Servings

Calories: 320kcal

Author: Beth Mueller

Equipment

• Skillet

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch divided
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil divided
• 6 tablespoons soy sauce divided
• 2 to 4 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 1/2 cups water divided
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chili paste Sambal Oelek, more to taste if desired
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup black vinegar
• 6 greens onions
• 3 tablespoons crushed garlic
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts chopped

Instructions

• Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
• Place chicken pieces in a bowl.
• Mix 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil and soy sauce in a small bowl.
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of cornstarch over chicken and toss chicken to coat.
• Pour sesame and soy sauce mixture over the top and gently toss chicken.
• Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes but not longer than 4 hours.
• In another small bowl add 1/4 cup soy sauce, ½ tablespoon sesame oil, ¼ cup chili paste, 1/4 cup brown sugar, garlic, 1/4 black vinegar and 1 cup of the water. Set aside.
• Heat cooking oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
• Once hot, add chicken and sear the meat. Remove from pan. The chicken will finish cooking in the sauce.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and add the sauce that has been set aside.
• Bring sauce to a simmer, add chicken bouillon cube and allow to cook for 15 minutes.
• Add chicken and green onions. Reduce heat to low and cook until chicken is no longer pink in the middle.
• Mix cornstarch with last half cup of water.
• Bring chicken mixture to a boil and add cornstarch and water slurry. Cook for 1 minute or until mixture has thickened.
• Remove from heat and top with chopped peanuts before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 4ounces | Calories: 320kcal

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