Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken was one of the first Asian dishes to become commercialized due to its extreme popularity.

But let’s be honest, most Kung Pao Chicken dishes today are either a complete miss or a perfect hit. Luckily, Panda Express has perfected their recipe over the years.

Panda Express’ Kung Pao Chicken is very unique because of its extraordinary sauce. It’s sweet, salty, spicy and sour. Usually, when you deal with recipes that need to balance all of these flavors, it turns out horrific, but like I’ve said before, Panda Express is a master of their craft.

Their sauce flavors don’t overpower each other and work together well to enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.

Traditionally Kung Pao Chicken was made with only chicken, chilis, peanuts and leeks, however today you can find it with lots of other vegetables and even meats.

This recipe uses Szechuan chili flakes to give it that added spice, however you can leave it out or replace it with normal pepper for a more kid-friendly version.

This recipe is also much healthier than Panda Express’ because you make it using fresh, unprocessed ingredients and use only lean meats. It is a very filling meal that is delicious and light on the calories. – amazing, right?

How To Make Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken

Making this recipe is relatively easy once you break it down into easy to follow steps. You should begin by making the marinade for the chicken. Once that’s complete, make sure to let the chicken sit in the fridge for thirty minutes.

In a bowl, mix all of the Kung Pao ingredients. You can put this aside until you need to use it.

Warm up the wok on an intense heat. You can drain the chicken from the marinade and start by frying each piece for 30-60 seconds until they’re golden brown.

When the chicken is cooked, zucchini, bell pepper, dried chilis and peanuts. You will need to sauté the ingredients for up to 3 minutes. Once done add in the cooked chicken and sauce.

Sauté the vegetables with the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has become thick.

Serve warm with the chopped scallions.

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Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken

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Recipe by Laura Ritterman Course: MainCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Calories

320

kcal

This is the ultimate Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken recipe that has very well balanced flavors, is healthy and extremely quick and easy to make.

Ingredients

• For the chicken marinade

• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce

• 1½ tablespoons Shaoxing wine

• 2 teaspoons corn starch

• ½ teaspoon brown sugar

• For the Kung Pao Sauce

• 3 tablespoons chicken stock

• 1⅓ tablespoons Chinese black vinegar

• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon corn starch

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• ¾ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

• 1 tablespoon dried Szechuan chili flakes, optional

• ½ teaspoon white pepper powder, optional

• Additional Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, sliced into 1/4 -inch slices

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons

• ½ medium red bell pepper, diced into 1-inch blocks

• 10 dried red chilis

• ¼ cup peanuts, roasted 

• 2 stalks scallions, chopped

Directions

• Start by making the chicken marinade; combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and add the thinly sliced chicken pieces. The chicken should be fully covered. Wrap the bowl with saran or plastic wrap and allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add all of the Kung Pao sauce ingredients together in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside the sauce until it’s needed.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large non-stick frying pan. The pan should be extremely hot (almost smoking) before adding the chicken.
• Drain the chicken pieces from the marinade and, working in small batches, fry the pieces in a single layer for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Flip the chicken piece over and cook on the other side for the same time. Keep the cooked chicken on the side.
• Once all of the chicken has been cooked, add the zucchini, red bell pepper, dried chilis and peanuts. Sauté the ingredients for 2-3 minutes or until the vegetables become tender. Then add the cooked chicken with the sauce.
• Make sure to stir the sauce before adding it to the pan as the corn starch will have thickened at the bottom, so it needs to be incorporated back with the other ingredients.
• Sauté the vegetables with the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
• Serve warm with the chopped scallions.

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Tips & Tricks

• When marinating the chicken (or virtually any other ingredient), it is always recommended to marinate it overnight in the refrigerator. This allows the flavors to merge and develop as a whole. It also tenderizes the meat (or vegetable) and allows the flavors to be absorbed much more compared to 30 minutes.

Marinating your chicken overnight has another added benefit; it reduces the meal prep time the next day!

• Like I have mentioned before, Kung Pao Chicken is a very versatile dish and by making the base of the recipe and simply changing the protein and vegetables, you can have an entirely different meal for dinner.

Protein options include beef, pork, tofu and seafood (like squid, shrimp and white fish).

Other vegetables that can be included or substituted are mushrooms, cabbage, potatoes, broccoli, carrots, onions, corn, patty pans and virtually any other vegetable that will fit the flavor profile.

• If you don’t have access to Chinese black vinegar, you can substitute it with a more accessible vinegar like white wine or red wine vinegar.

• If you are not a fan of very spicy foods, leave out the Szechuan chili flakes. You can however substitute it with black pepper which still adds that peppery flavor without the burn.

• To make your dish even healthier, substitute the salty ingredients like stock and soy sauce with a low-sodium version.

Conclusion

With this recipe, the possibilities are endless! You can easily substitute the vegetables and proteins to create a different dinner every night. You can also easily substitute ingredients that you do not like without altering the final outcome of your dish.

It’s easy, it’s quick, delicious, versatile and healthy – it doesn’t get better than this!

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