This restaurant-style Kung Pao Hen recipe pairs crispy rooster with veggies and a savory-sweet sauce that may be as fiery (or no longer fiery) as you wish to have it to be. Bonus: Since you’re making it at house, it’s lighter than takeout!

Why You’ll Love This Kung Pao Hen Recipe

• The Palms-On Time Is Minimum. Handiest 10 mins of prep and 10 mins to prepare dinner. Yep, it is a dinner best for busy weeknights.
• It’s a Fitter Model of the Unique. Takeout is generally loaded with sodium, dangerous fat, and sugar. Make it your self and keep away from unwelcome substances.
• It Has All of the Taste of Takeout. There are not any sacrifices right here! No compromises! None! Identical to my Shrimp Fried Rice, Orange Hen, and Common Tso Hen, this kung pao rooster is more healthy than takeout and simply as scrumptious.
• You Can Have It Your Approach. Sure, that’s a line from a cafe business, nevertheless it’s true for this kung pao rooster too! You’ll be able to make it fiery scorching or skip the purple pepper flakes altogether to stay it delicate. 

About This Kung Pao Hen Recipe

Kung pao rooster is a vintage Chinese language dish this is tangy, candy, and highly spiced all on the identical time.

It’s a kind of staple dishes that just about each and every American Chinese language eating place has at the menu—which is the way you realize it’s just right stuff.

To make a lightened-up model of the eating place staple, I reduce the oil within the stir fry, swapped in low-sodium soy sauce, and used honey for sweetness. 

The result’s a home made kung pao rooster with the entire daring flavors you like, however in a miles more fit package deal. Win!

Learn how to Make Kung Pao Hen

The Elements

• Boneless, Skinless Hen Breasts. Hen thighs or rooster tenders additionally paintings on this recipe.
• Low-Sodium Soy Sauce. You’ll be able to replace common soy sauce if that’s what you may have available, however I favor low-sodium to stay the salt stage in take a look at.

• Rice Wine Vinegar. Often referred to as rice vinegar. Be sure you use unseasoned; seasoned rice vinegar is sweetened.
• Sesame Oil. You’ll be able to use toasted or common; toasted sesame oil will upload extra outstanding sesame taste to the dish.
• Cornstarch. You’ll use some to get the rooster great and crispy, whilst the remainder will thicken the sauce.
• Kosher Salt. For those who use common soy sauce, disregard the salt.
• Honey. I take advantage of only a contact to stay the sauce from being cloying.
• Overwhelmed Purple Pepper Flakes. Be at liberty to make use of kind of. Some recipes name for dried chiles or Sichuan peppercorns, however I take advantage of purple pepper flakes as a result of they’re a pantry staple maximum people have available already.
• Canola Oil. Or any other cooking oil with a excessive smoke level like grapeseed or avocado oil.
• Bell Pepper. Make a choice any colour you favor; yellow, orange, and purple bell pepper will upload sweetness on your stir fry, whilst inexperienced has somewhat of a vegetal chunk to it.
• Yellow Onion. Be sure you reduce this into uniform items so it’s all finished cooking on the identical time.
• Celery. This provides some texture and contemporary taste on your kung pao rooster.

• Peanuts or Cashews. Roasted peanuts are the vintage selection, however I really like cashews on this recipe too.
• Garlic. At all times a key element for stir fry recipes.
• Recent Ginger. Recent ginger contributes to the heat on this dish. Even supposing you disregard the purple pepper flakes totally, you’ll nonetheless get somewhat of warmth due to the hefty tablespoon of ginger used right here.
• Inexperienced Onions. Separate the white ends from the vegetables.
• Cooked Brown Rice. I really like the usage of Immediate Pot Brown Rice for stir fries.

The Instructions

1. Marinate Hen. No less than 20 mins or as much as 4 hours.

2. Make the Sauce. Whisk it up smartly to dissolve the cornstarch.

3. Prepare dinner the Hen. Switch the rooster to a bowl.

4. Prepare dinner the Greens. Just for a minute or 2 so that they keep crisp-tender. 

5. Stir it All In combination. Prepare dinner till the sauce coats the rooster and veggies.
6. Serve. Plate the kung pao rooster with rice and inexperienced onions, then ENJOY!

Recipe Diversifications

• Kung Pao Tofu. For a vegetarian model of this dish, switch the boneless skinless rooster breast for extra-firm tofu. Apply the process in my Common Tso Tofu recipe.
• Kung Pao Shrimp. Shrimp could also be tasty with kung pao sauce! Switch the rooster for peeled, deveined shrimp.
• Transfer Up the Veggies. Exchange the bell pepper and celery with different greens that paintings smartly in stir fries—eggplant, snap peas, mushrooms, broccoli, or no matter is placing on your fridge.

Garage Pointers

• To Retailer. Cool and retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge for 3-4 days. 
• To Reheat. Reheat at the range or within the microwave.

What to Serve with Kung Pao Hen

• Small Whisk. This small whisk is best while you’re whisking one thing in a small bowl or saucepan.
• Nonslip Slicing Board. You’ll be slicing numerous veggies for this recipe, so a just right slicing board is a will have to!
• Wok. A skillet works simply high-quality for making kung pao rooster, however if you happen to love making stir fries, you’ll respect having a wok available.

Recipe Pointers and Methods

• Whisk the Sauce Smartly. If there are clumps of cornstarch within the kung pao sauce, you’ll finally end up with clumps of cornstarch on your stir fry. It’s no longer a crisis, nevertheless it’s no longer very appetizing—and it manner your sauce will probably be much less sticky for the reason that starch isn’t calmly disbursed.
• Make It Customizable. Cooking for folks with other spice stage personal tastes? That may be difficult! I like to recommend catering to the individual with the bottom warmth tolerance and letting everybody else upload more purple pepper flakes once they take a seat all the way down to consume.
• Have a Mise en Position. In different phrases, ensure that the whole thing is prepped and able to head prior to you get started cooking as a result of stir fries are speedy and also you gained’t have time to forestall and reduce veggies in the midst of the recipe. Prep all your substances whilst the rooster marinates.