What is Kung Pao Chicken?

Diced chicken stir-fried with dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and peanuts in a sweet-sour-savory sauce with real má-là kick.

Where does Kung Pao Chicken come from?

Kung Pao Chicken is a Chinese (Sichuan) dish from Sichuan, China.

Can Kung Pao Chicken be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Kung Pao Chicken recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Kung Pao Chicken take to make?

About 30 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 10 minutes cooking), serving 3.

Recipe

Name: Kung Pao Chicken
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 3 servings
Cuisine: Chinese (Sichuan)
Ingredients: 1 lb chicken thigh, diced; 10 dried red chilies; 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns; 1/2 cup roasted peanuts; 2 tbsp + 1.5 tbsp + 1 tbsp soy sauce + Chinkiang black vinegar + Shaoxing wine; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tsp cornstarch; 3 cloves garlic; 1 tbsp ginger; 4 scallions; 3 tbsp neutral oil

Asia → 🇨🇳 China → Sichuan

Kung Pao Chicken

Chinese (Sichuan) · easy · serves 3

prep 20 min · cook 10 min

~638 cal · 49g protein · 14g carbs · 43g fat (estimated, per serving)

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Diced chicken with dried chilies, peanuts, and scallions

🇨🇳 Sichuan

Named for a Qing-dynasty official (the "palace guardian"), gong bao ji ding is Sichuan’s most globe-trotting dish — and the real version keeps the numbing Sichuan peppercorn and charred dried chilies the takeout version forgets. The peanuts go in last so they stay crunchy.

Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 3 —

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1 lb chicken thigh, diced

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10 dried red chilies

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1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

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1/2 cup roasted peanuts

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2 tbsp + 1.5 tbsp + 1 tbsp soy sauce + Chinkiang black vinegar + Shaoxing wine

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1 tbsp sugar

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1 tsp cornstarch

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3 cloves garlic

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1 tbsp ginger

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4 scallions

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3 tbsp neutral oil

Instructions

Marinate the diced chicken (or tofu and mushrooms) in a little soy and cornstarch.

Mix the sauce: soy, vinegar, wine, sugar, and cornstarch with 2 tbsp water.

Fry the dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns in hot oil just until fragrant — don’t burn them; then sear the chicken until golden.

Add garlic, ginger, and scallion whites; pour in the sauce and toss until it thickens and glazes.

Off the heat, fold in the peanuts and scallion greens so the peanuts stay crunchy. Serve with rice.

Sichuan classic.

Ratings & reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to cook it.

🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Sichuan. The province of má-là — numbing pepper and glowing chili oil.

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China. Eight great culinary traditions inside one border.

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Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

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Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →