Spicy Kung Pao Chicken
This delicious Kung Pao Chicken is everything you want an Asian dinner recipe to be. It's full of flavor, a little spicy, sweet and super easy to make. You will LOVE it!

Say it with me, “Kung Pao Chicken!” Ok ok, now say it with me like you really mean it, “Kung Paaaoooo Chiiickennnn!”
Isn't that fun?
I can't help but want to pull out some hiya kung fu ninja moves when I say, “Kung Pao Chicken.” #NeverGrowingUp
And where's the ninja emoji when you need one. Seriously, emoji makers, we need a ninja dude!
Back to this recipe … you guys, you really want to make this. It's crazy delicious and will take you all of 35 minutes to whip together. It's kind of a no brainer.

How to make Kung Pao Chicken
- Get in the groove with some Kung Fu Fighting ninja moves. Def don't miss this step!
- Put on a pot of rice. You need to be authentic, yo.
- Make the quick and easy kung pao chicken sauce by dumping all the ingredients into a small bowl and mixing them together.
- Coat the chicken with a little flour and then giving it a quick pan fry to brown it.
- Stir fry the onions and peppers then mix everything together.
- Eat!
See how easy that was?
If you want to get all veggie crazy here, you could totally pile on the vegetables. Broccoli, eggplant, bok choy, mushrooms, carrots, and cauliflower would all make delish kung pao additions.


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More Asian Dinner Recipes:
- Vegetable Asian Stir Fry Noodles
- Thai Noodle Salad with Feta Peanut Sauce
- Sticky Thai Peanut Chicken Wings
- The Best Crock Pot General Tso's Chicken
- Paleo Cauliflower Rice
- Tangy Sesame Lemon Chicken

Spicy Kung Pao Chicken
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- Rice or quinoa, for serving
Kung Pao Chicken Sauce
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce, sub gluten-free hoisin sauce, if needed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, sub gluten-free soy sauce, if needed
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar, or sub rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
Kung Pao Chicken
- Neutral flavored oil, enough to cover the bottom of a large skillet
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour, sub gluten-free, if needed
- ½ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
- 4 red chilis, chilis de arbol
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed with the side of your knife
- 2 inch piece of ginger, julienned
- 1 onion, sliced
- 2 red peppers, sliced
- ½ cup dry roasted peanuts
- Green onions and sesame seeds, to garnish
Instructions
- If you are serving this over rice or quinoa, start that first.
- Add all the Kung Pao Chicken sauce ingredients, plus 2 tablespoons of water, to a small bowl and whisk to combine.¼ cup hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
- Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet. Heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is shimmering. While the oil is heating, place the chicken in a large, resealable plastic bag. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and Sichuan pepper then pour it into the bag with the chicken. Shake the bag until the chicken is well coated in the flour.8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
- Working in 2-3 batches, add the chicken to the hot skillet, shaking the pan gently as you add the chicken to prevent it from sticking. Cook the chicken until it is brown and crispy on both sides, about 8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and drain off all but approximately 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Add the chilis to the pan and let them cook for 1 minute, or until they are soft and starting to brown. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and cook for another minute. Add the onion and let it cook, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add the red peppers and cook for another 2 minutes.4 red chilis, 4 cloves garlic, 2 inch piece of ginger, 1 onion, 2 red peppers
- Add the chicken back into the pan and pour the sauce over top. Stir continuously until it has thickened, about 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir through the peanuts.½ cup dry roasted peanuts
- Serve over rice or quinoa and garnish with green onion slices and sesame seeds.Green onions and sesame seeds
It’s of no surprise that this is an amazing dish.
We loved it.
I’m so happy to hear that!
This recipe just replaced my old Chicken recipe. It was wonderful! So simple and easy, too.
Hooray! So happy to hear you like it!!
Just finished making this and it was amazing! Fast and easy and my family, kid included, devoured it! We used farkay noodles in place of the rice and that sauce was amazing on them. Thanks for another great dinner!
Awesome! So happy to hear you like the recipe!!
Yay! I have been out of the country for a couple weeks and I am making stir fry tonight to satisfy my veggie craving, I just needed a good sauce. This one looks delish and I am making it tonight. Thanks for the great idea. My tummy will thank you later too Im sure š
One of those chicken dishes I could live off of! LOVE kung pao!!! (And I feel the same “ninja-ness” when I say it…or even just think it š
It’s so fun to say, right??!!:)