Whereas I really like the comfort of takeout, I don’t at all times love handing over that form of cash…particularly once I know I can recreate it at dwelling. This selfmade Kung Pao Rooster is simply as satisfying, with a daring, tangy-spicy sauce, crisp-tender veggies, and that excellent stability of candy, salty, and warmth. You’ve additionally bought the liberty to toss in no matter veggies you’re keen on (or want to make use of up!). I like to consider this recipe as a weeknight-friendly option to clear out the fridge and fulfill these takeout cravings in a single go. 😉
All recipes are rigorously examined in our Nashville Check Kitchen to make sure they’re simple, inexpensive, and scrumptious.
“I made this to pack for lunches this week as a result of my husband was complaining there are not any good Chinese language lunch spots close to his new workplace. Spice and scrumptious! Love love. Thanks for one more superior recipe!”
Sara
Simple Recipe for Kung Pao Rooster
Kung Pao hen has so many scrumptious variations, with most of them tracing again to Sichuan delicacies in China. The genuine variations are layered, complicated, and fairly totally different from the candy, sticky dishes you’ll discover at most American Chinese language eating places. My model is unquestionably not conventional, but it surely is simple, filled with taste, and extremely satisfying. Assume tender marinated hen in a spicy-sweet sauce, crunchy peanuts, and crisp veggies, all layered on a mattress of fluffy jasmine rice. YUM.
Purchase your hen in giant family-sized packs to get the most effective worth per pound of hen. If you get it dwelling, simply divide it up into 1-2 lb. parts and freeze for later use. I simply pop two breasts into quart-size freezer-safe baggage, label them, and toss them within the freezer for an additional recipe!
Kung Pao Rooster
This simple Kung Pao Rooster recipe is ideal for a weeknight dinner. It is FULL of taste, with crisp veggies and a daring sauce, and is even higher than takeout.
- 2 Tbsp corn starch, divided ($0.12)
- 2 Tbsp water, divided (plus extra to cook dinner the rice) ($0.00)
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided ($0.12)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce, divided ($0.18)
- 3 Tbsp rice wine, divided* ($0.41)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp) ($0.08)
- 1 lb boneless, skinless hen breasts** ($2.67)
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar ($0.06)
- 2 Tbsp sambal (chili sauce)*** ($0.30)
- 1 tsp sesame oil ($0.12)
- 1 medium inexperienced bell pepper ($0.86)
- ½ lb carrots ($1.26)
- 1 bunch inexperienced onions ($0.75)
- ½ cup roasted unsalted peanuts ($0.42)
- 1 ½ cups raw jasmine rice ($0.42)
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Put together the marinade for the hen. Dissolve 1 Tbsp of corn starch in 1 Tbsp of water after which add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp of soy sauce, 1 Tbsp of rice wine, and the minced garlic. Stir to mix.
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Lower the hen into small chunks and place it in a bowl or small container. Pour the marinade over prime, stir to coat, cowl, and refrigerate for a minimum of half-hour.
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Whereas the hen is marinating, put together the sauce. The sauce is similar to the marinade however with a pair extra substances to amp up the flavour. So, once more, begin by dissolving 1 Tbsp of corn starch in 1 Tbsp of water. Then add 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp rice wine, 2 Tbsp sambal (chili sauce), 2 Tbsp brown sugar, and 1 tsp sesame oil. Stir to mix and dissolve the brown sugar. Set the sauce apart till you’re prepared to make use of it.
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Put together the greens. Cube the bell pepper and slice the carrots into strips as skinny as attainable. Slice the inexperienced onions, each the white and inexperienced might be used. Measure out 1/2 cup of peanuts.
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Start to cook dinner the rice. Add 1.5 cups of dry jasmine rice to a medium pot with 2.5 cups of water. Place a lid on prime and produce to a boil over excessive warmth. As quickly because it reaches a boil, scale back the warmth to the bottom setting and let simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, flip the warmth off and let the rice sit undisturbed till it is able to use. Fluff with a fork simply previous to serving.
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Warmth 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a big skillet over medium-high warmth. When the oil may be very sizzling (it should look wavy on the floor), add the white half of the sliced inexperienced onions. Stir and cook dinner for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the marinated hen. Prepare dinner and stir till the hen is cooked by way of, about 5 minutes. It would really feel agency when it’s cooked by way of.
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Add the greens and peanuts and stir to mix with the hen. Instantly add the sauce and cook dinner till the sauce has thickened (2-3 minutes). I favor the greens nonetheless crunchy so I didn’t actually allow them to cook dinner earlier than including the sauce.
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Mixing bowl
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Medium Pot
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Giant 12″ skillet
**You too can use boneless, skinless hen thighs.
***I personally favor to make use of Sambal Oelek on this recipe, however you should use any chili garlic sauce you want. Sambal is a chili paste/sauce/relish produced from crimson chili peppers. It provides daring warmth and depth with out overpowering the dish. I often discover it within the Asian part of most main grocery shops.
Serving: 1servingEnergy: 461kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 24gFats: 16gSodium: 690mgFiber: 3g
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easy methods to make Kung Pao Rooster step-by-step pictures
Collect your whole substances.
Make the marinade: Begin by dissolving 1 Tbsp of corn starch in 1 Tbsp of water. Then stir in 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp rice wine, and a couple of cloves minced garlic.
Cube the hen: Now slice 1 lb. boneless, skinless hen breasts into small, evenly-sized chunks.
Marinate the hen: Add the diced hen to the bowl of marinade. Stir to mix, cowl, and place into the fridge for a minimum of half-hour.
Make the sauce: Whereas the hen is marinating, you can begin on the sauce. It’s similar to the marinade, simply mix the substances in a bowl: 1 Tbsp corn starch and 1 Tbsp water, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp rice wine, 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 2 Tbsp sambal (or chili garlic sauce), and 1 tsp sesame oil.
Prep the veggies: Cube 1 bell pepper, slice the entire bunch of inexperienced onions (white and inexperienced components!), and minimize 1/2 lb. of carrots into matchsticks. If in case you have a mandoline slicer, it makes fast work of julienning the carrots—however a pointy knife and a bit of persistence do the trick simply superb. You’ll additionally want 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts.
You too can begin cooking your rice now. Add 1 1/2 cups raw jasmine rice to a pot with about 2 1/2 cups of water. Cowl with a lid and produce as much as a boil over excessive warmth. As soon as boiling, scale back the warmth to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Flip the warmth off and let the rice sit till the remainder of the dish is prepared. I fluff my rice up with a fork earlier than serving!
Sauté the onion: Warmth up 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a big skillet till it’s very popular (it ought to look wavy on the floor). Add the underside half of the inexperienced onions (the white half) and stir fry for a couple of minute.
Prepare dinner the hen: Now add the marinated hen breast to the skillet.
Stir and cook dinner till the hen is cooked right through, about 5 minutes.
Add the veggies: Add the ready greens and the peanuts to the skillet with the hen. Stir to mix. I needed my veggies crisp, so I didn’t actually allow them to “cook dinner,” I simply stirred them in. If you need your veggies softer, you’ll be able to allow them to cook dinner a bit of longer earlier than including the sauce.
Add the sauce: Simply after including the greens, I added the sauce. Stir and cook dinner till the sauce is thickened. This could solely take a couple of minutes. The veggies will cook dinner a bit of throughout these couple of minutes, however they need to keep comparatively crisp.
Serve: Divide the cooked jasmine rice and prime with the selfmade Kung Pao hen. Serve with further sliced inexperienced onions (non-obligatory) and luxuriate in!
- Modify the spice degree. For those who’re delicate to spice, begin with 1/2-1 tablespoon of chili sauce and style as you go. For those who’re a full-blown chili lover, be happy to crank up the quantity to your coronary heart’s content material!
- Swap out the peanuts. Be at liberty to depart the peanuts out should you don’t eat them. The veggies already add a ton of texture, so that you gained’t be lacking out. You too can use cashew nuts as a substitute.
- Add extra greens. I often go together with carrots, inexperienced bell pepper, and inexperienced onions, that are all fairly frequent in takeout-style Kung Pao hen recipes. Some recipes additionally embrace celery for a bit of further chew. That mentioned, lots of our readers have tossed in every little thing from broccoli and zucchini to a bag of frozen stir-fry combine, and all of it works nicely. Add in any veggies you need to cook dinner for longer (like frozen greens, zucchini, or mushrooms) earlier than the hen is absolutely cooked in order that they have time to melt and warmth by way of.
Serving Strategies
On these days once I actually don’t really feel like cooking rice, I’ll serve this Kung Pao hen over a mattress of noodles as a substitute. It’s simply as satisfying and comes collectively in a snap. This recipe can be improbable with a facet of one thing recent and crunchy, like my cabbage salad with sesame ginger dressing. Or go all out and seize some frozen egg rolls and potstickers, or whip up a batch of our dumpling soup to serve alongside for a full fake-away feast!
Storage & Reheating
You possibly can maintain your leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3-4 days. Reheat your selfmade Kung Pao hen within the microwave or in a skillet till the hen is absolutely heated by way of. You too can attempt freezing this recipe for as much as 3 months. I’d let it thaw within the fridge in a single day earlier than reheating.
Our Kung Pao Rooster recipe was initially printed 6/7/11. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be higher than ever 5/14/25.
