budgetbytes5.0
Kung Pao Chicken
This easy Kung Pao Chicken recipe is perfect for a weeknight dinner. It's FULL of flavor, with crisp veggies and a bold sauce, and is even better than takeout.
👥 6 Servings⏱️ Prep & Cook: 1h⏳ Prep: 10 min🔥 Cook: 20 min👤 Beth Moncel📖 budgetbytes
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●bowl
- ●pot
- ●skillet
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Prepare the marinade for the chicken. Dissolve 1 Tbsp of corn starch in 1 Tbsp of water and then add 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil, 1 Tbsp of soy sauce, 1 Tbsp of rice wine, and the minced garlic. Stir to combine.
corn starch (divided, $0.12)2 Tbspwater (divided (plus more to cook the rice) $0.00)2 Tbspvegetable oil (divided, $0.12)3 Tbspsoy sauce (divided, $0.18)3 Tbsprice wine (divided, see notes, $0.41)3 Tbspgarlic (minced (about 2 tsp) $0.08)2 cloves
2
Cut the chicken into small chunks and place it in a bowl or small container. Pour the marinade over top, stir to coat, cover, and refrigerate for at least ⏱️ 30 minutes.
3
While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce. The sauce is very similar to the marinade but with a couple more ingredients to amp up the flavor. So, again, start 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 combine and dissolve the brown sugar. Set the sauce aside until you’re ready to use it.
corn starch (divided, $0.12)2 Tbspwater (divided (plus more to cook the rice) $0.00)2 Tbspsoy sauce (divided, $0.18)3 Tbsprice wine (divided, see notes, $0.41)3 Tbspsambal (chili sauce, see notes, $0.30)2 Tbspbrown sugar ($0.06)2 Tbspsesame oil ($0.12)1 tsp
4
Prepare the vegetables. Dice the bell pepper and slice the carrots into strips as thin as possible. Slice the green onions, both the white and green will be used. Measure out 1/2 cup of peanuts.
medium bell pepper (I used a green bell pepper, $0.86)1
5
Begin to cook the rice. Add 1.5 cups of dry jasmine rice to a medium pot with 2.5 cups of water. Place a lid on top and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to the lowest setting and let simmer for ⏱️ 20 minutes. After ⏱️ 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let the rice sit undisturbed until it is ready to use. Fluff with a fork just prior to serving.
water (divided (plus more to cook the rice) $0.00)2 Tbsp
6
Heat 2 Tbsp of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot (it will look wavy on the surface), add the white half of the sliced green onions. Stir and cook for about ⏱️ 30 seconds to ⏱️ 1 minute. Add the marinated chicken. Cook and stir until the chicken is cooked through, about ⏱️ 5 minutes. It will feel firm when it is cooked through.
vegetable oil (divided, $0.12)3 Tbsp
7
Add the vegetables and peanuts and stir to combine with the chicken. Immediately add the sauce and cook until the sauce has thickened (⏱️ 2-3 minutes). I prefer the vegetables still crunchy so I didn’t really let them cook before adding the sauce.
Nutrition Facts
calories
461 kcal
fat Content
16 g
serving Size
1 serving
fiber Content
3 g
sodium Content
690 mg
protein Content
24 g
carbohydrate Content
53 g
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