Easy Kung Pao Chicken – Barefeet in the Kitchen

Roasted peanuts, ginger, garlic, and spicy red chilies give this easy kung pao chicken a kick that makes it quite unique.

Kung Pao chicken is savory and sweet with as much spiciness as you might desire. The peanuts provide an additional nutty flavor that really brings it all together.

My husband and kids devoured their servings, peppers and all. I simply left the peppers on my plate and the stir fry was the perfect level of heat for my taste.

I found this recipe for the best-ever kung pao chicken over ten years ago and it’s been a family favorite for all of these years. I’ve learned to double this recipe since I first started making it.

The recipe below is already doubled from the original. If you’ve made it in the past and prefer a smaller recipe, use the slider in the recipe card to reduce the serving size to 3.

Easy Kung Pao Chicken

My favorite flavors these days are found in Asian foods and I am always looking for more stir fry ideas. I never can resist the ready-made freezer meals at Trader Joe’s and their Kung Pao Chicken and Orange Chicken have both been staples in our freezer for many years.

That said, it was well past time for me to try my hand at authentic kung pao chicken, so I was thrilled to find this easy recipe. While the ingredient list is a little long at first glance, like most stir-fry recipes the dish comes together very quickly.

The ingredients in this recipe may be a little different from what you’re used to, but they are all very easy to find in an Asian market or online. I typically shop in the stores (because I love to see the variety in person!) but if there isn’t a nearby option or if you want a visual before shopping, I’ve linked to a few similar products here.

Kung Pao Chicken Ingredients

There are several ingredients in Kung Pao Chicken that are adaptable to what you might have on hand. Black soy sauce is thick and almost syrupy and just the teaspoon of it in this recipe does make a difference. However, I’ve made this without it when I didn’t have it on hand, and it is still delicious with regular soy sauce.

I don’t typically use Chinese black vinegar, because with only ¼ teaspoon in the recipe, it isn’t something I’m likely to purchase just for this recipe. I use balsamic vinegar, which is the recommended substitution and it works great.

Kung Pao Sauce

There are two parts to the sauce that makes up a Kung Pao stir fry. First, you’ll marinate the chicken in a combination of rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and oil.

When you’re ready to cook the chicken, you’ll need the following ingredients for the sauce:

• low sodium soy sauce
• dark or black soy sauce (see note above)
• sugar
• Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• water
• cornstarch

What Peppers Are Used in Kung Pao Chicken?

The dried red chiles used here are very small, about one inch in size. (Don’t mistake them for the dried Mexican red chiles used here.) My preference here is dried Thai chili peppers and they tend to be very spicy.

I’ve also used these dried Szechuan Chinese red chili peppers. They are significantly milder and the resulting dish will have no noticeable heat at all. It boils down to personal preference here.

Is Kung Pao Chicken Spicy?

The spiciness of Kung Pao Chicken is in your hands now. While the peppers can be spicy at times, the recipe is easily adapted for more or less heat.

My family enjoys a good bit of heat, so when I can find them, Thai chili peppers are my first choice. Both ways of making this kung pao chicken are delicious and we never have any leftovers.

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{originally published 12/19/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 5/1/23}

recipe adapted from and with thanks to Rasa Malaysia (This is an awesome website full of easy authentic Chinese recipes. Check it out!)