Whereas I 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 home made Kung Pao Hen is simply as satisfying, with a daring, tangy-spicy sauce, crisp-tender veggies, and that excellent steadiness of candy, salty, and warmth. You’ve additionally received the liberty to toss in no matter veggies you like (or want to make use of up!). I like to consider this recipe as a weeknight-friendly approach to clear out the fridge and fulfill these takeout cravings in a single go. 😉
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“I made this to pack for lunches this week as a result of my husband was complaining there aren’t any good Chinese language lunch spots close to his new workplace. Spice and scrumptious! Love love. Thanks for yet one more superior recipe!”
Sara
Straightforward Recipe for Kung Pao Hen
Kung Pao rooster has so many scrumptious variations, with most of them tracing again to Sichuan delicacies in China. The genuine variations are layered, complicated, and fairly completely different from the candy, sticky dishes you’ll discover at most American Chinese language eating places. My model is unquestionably not conventional, however it’s simple, filled with taste, and extremely satisfying. Assume tender marinated rooster in a spicy-sweet sauce, crunchy peanuts, and crisp veggies, all layered on a mattress of fluffy jasmine rice. YUM.
Purchase your rooster in massive family-sized packs to get the perfect value per pound of rooster. 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 Hen
This simple Kung Pao Hen 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.
Put together the marinade for the rooster. 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.
Lower the rooster into small chunks and place it in a bowl or small container. Pour the marinade over high, stir to coat, cowl, and refrigerate for at the least half-hour.
Whereas the rooster is marinating, put together the sauce. The sauce is similar to the marinade however with a pair extra components 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.
Put together the greens. Cube the bell pepper and slice the carrots into strips as skinny as potential. Slice the inexperienced onions, each the white and inexperienced can be used. Measure out 1/2 cup of peanuts.
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 high and convey 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.
Warmth 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a big skillet over medium-high warmth. When the oil may be very scorching (it can 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 rooster. Prepare dinner and stir till the rooster is cooked by way of, about 5 minutes. It would really feel agency when it’s cooked by way of.
Add the greens and peanuts and stir to mix with the rooster. Instantly add the sauce and cook dinner till the sauce has thickened (2-3 minutes). I desire 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
Medium Pot
Massive 12″ skillet
**You may as well use boneless, skinless rooster thighs.
***I personally desire to make use of Sambal Oelek on this recipe, however you should utilize any chili garlic sauce you want. Sambal is a chili paste/sauce/relish produced from pink 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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make Kung Pao Hen step-by-step images
Collect your entire components.
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 rooster: Now slice 1 lb. boneless, skinless rooster breasts into small, evenly-sized chunks.
Marinate the rooster: Add the diced rooster to the bowl of marinade. Stir to mix, cowl, and place into the fridge for at the least half-hour.
Make the sauce: Whereas the rooster is marinating, you can begin on the sauce. It’s similar to the marinade, simply mix the components 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 reduce 1/2 lb. of carrots into matchsticks. In case you have a mandoline slicer, it makes fast work of julienning the carrots—however a pointy knife and slightly endurance do the trick simply high-quality. You’ll additionally want 1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts.
You may as well 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 convey 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 highly regarded (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 rooster: Now add the marinated rooster breast to the skillet.
Stir and cook dinner till the rooster is cooked throughout, about 5 minutes.
Add the veggies: Add the ready greens and the peanuts to the skillet with the rooster. 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 would like your veggies softer, you may allow them to cook dinner slightly 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 slightly throughout these jiffy, however they need to keep comparatively crisp.
Serve: Divide the cooked jasmine rice and high with the home made Kung Pao rooster. Serve with further sliced inexperienced onions (optionally available) and revel in!
Regulate 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 happy to go away the peanuts out in the event you don’t eat them. The veggies already add a ton of texture, so that you received’t be lacking out. You may as well use cashew nuts as a substitute.
Add extra greens. I often go along with carrots, inexperienced bell pepper, and inexperienced onions, that are all fairly frequent in takeout-style Kung Pao rooster recipes. Some recipes additionally embody celery for slightly further chunk. That stated, lots of our readers have tossed in the whole lot from broccoli and zucchini to a bag of frozen stir-fry combine, and all of it works properly. Add in any veggies you need to cook dinner for longer (like frozen greens, zucchini, or mushrooms) earlier than the rooster is absolutely cooked so that they have time to melt and warmth by way of.
Serving Recommendations
On these days once I actually don’t really feel like cooking rice, I’ll serve this Kung Pao rooster over a mattress of noodles as a substitute. It’s simply as satisfying and comes collectively in a snap. This recipe can also be implausible with a aspect 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’ll be able to maintain your leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3-4 days. Reheat your home made Kung Pao rooster within the microwave or in a skillet till the rooster is absolutely heated by way of. You may as well 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 Hen recipe was initially revealed 6/7/11. It was retested, reworked, and republished to be higher than ever 5/14/25.
