Kung Pao Chicken… more like Kung “Wow” Chicken. I have had this recipe for over 9 years… say what? I have changed it up a bit to be more affordable but other than that this one is a keeper and so delicious. When you can’t go out for Chinese food, this is a great substitute.
Making Kung Pao Chicken more Affordable
I often substitute ingredients to make the meal more affordable or I alter them to use ingredients that are more common. For this Kung Pao Chicken recipe, I provided some substitutes but I recommend getting some of the Asian ingredients. The garlic chili paste from Huy Fong Foods adds so much flavor and I use it in many of my other recipes.
Frugal Hacks
Recently, I purchased a massive gallon (128 fl oz) container of Kikkoman Soy Sauce at Sams Club for $9.94. You will usually spend around $2.00- $4.00 for 10 fl oz bottle of soy sauce. At King Soopers you can get a 10oz bottle for $2.14.
Let me break it down for you. I spent 7.8 cents per ounce on my bulk soy sauce versus 20 cents per ounce for the smaller container. The smaller bottles cost more than double per ounce. I use soy sauce a lot and so it’s a great deal for me but if you don’t like cooking Asian foods very often, then try to get the best deal available in smaller size. Bulk is only a good deal if the item you’re buying is used regularly. I hope you enjoy your Kung Pao Chicken!
I spent 7.8 cents per ounce on my bulk soy sauce versus 20 cents per ounce for the smaller container.
Kung Pao Chicken (PF Changs Copycat)
Equipment
- A wok
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken Breast The original recipe says 1½ pounds
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 Egg white I just use the whole egg (lazy hack)
- 1 Tbsp Cornstarch
- 4 Tbsp Peanut or Canola oil divided
- ½ Cup Roasted peanuts skinless I don't always include them
- 10 Whole dried red chili peppers for less spice don't use full amount.
- 4 Green onions
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper chopped you can also substitute celery
- ½ Cup Water chestnut diced (optional)
- 3 Green onions
Sauce
- 1 tsp Chili paste with garlic I use the kind from Huy Fong Foods
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Sherry Cooking wine you can substitute apple juice
- 1 tsp Rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Sugar
- ¼ Cup Chicken Broth
- 1 tsp Cornstarch
- 1 tsp Sesame oil
Instructions
- Combine Chicken, salt, egg white (or whole egg if you're feeling lazy!) and corn starch. Mix well with a wooden spoon or your hands and set aside. Yep, some people use their hands.
- In a small bowl, blend all the sauce ingredients. Set aside. Meanwhile start rice.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of the oil to heated wok and stir fry chicken. Cook the chicken until it's golden to golden brown on each side. Remove to serving bowl.
- Add 2 more Tablespoons of oil to same wok. Toss Peanuts and chili peppers in the wok and stir fry until peppers turn dark red. Be careful they burn very easily.
- Remove from wok and add to the chicken. Lower Heat. If necessary add more oil and cook the garlic for several seconds. (Stir and do not let it burn)
- Then add the carrots and bell pepper (or whatever veggies you have on hand) and saute' for a minute or two.
- Return chicken, peanuts and chili peppers to wok and stir fry a few seconds to combine. Add water chestnuts if including and combined sauce ingredients and stir fry till heated through. Add green onions, stir them in and then serve over rice.
Notes
Great Wok for decent price! We’ve had our Joyce Chen Wok for 13 years and it’s great for cooking stir-fry!
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An impressive share! I have just forwarded this onto a coworker who has been doing a little research on this. And he actually ordered me dinner because I discovered it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to discuss this issue here on your blog.
Hope you enjoy the recipe! It’s one of our favorites!