Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken with zucchini, bell peppers and crunchy peanuts in an easy ginger garlic sauce, the recipe is authentically Panda Express!
Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken recipe straight from the source! A chef from Panda Express gave the recipe to a reporter in Honolulu and now I am bringing it to you with the addition of zucchini and red bell pepper just as it is served in the restaurants.You know me, I absolutely love copycat recipes. There is just some part of me that finds something I love and then I need to figure out a way to make it at home. When I happen to land on authentic recipes that the restaurants have shared, then i feel like it is an even more exciting “get” and I move those recipes to the top of the list to test.
In fact in the list below the Spicy Cashew Chicken and the Kung Pao Chicken Spaghetti are authentic recipes released by the restaurants. Sometimes in obscure places like the Spicy Cashew Chicken that was only shared on a morning show on a local broadcast or this recipe which was shared in a local news story about a location opening up in Honolulu in 2007. Sometimes being an internet detective pays off!
Serve it up with your favorite Panda Express recipes… especially the ones you can find here on the Panda Express Recipes Index where I have EVERY SINGLE Panda Express recipe including Panda Express Orange Chicken, Panda Express Chow Mein, Panda Express Mushroom Chicken and more!
Or if you fancy additional Chinese food recipes but don’t need them to be Panda Express Copycats… check out:
- Crispy Sesame Chicken
- Chinese Honey Chicken
- PF Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken
- CPK’s Thai Chicken Peanut Pasta
You’ll love this Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken, even if you have never enjoyed it at Panda because the amount of oil per serving is just 1 tablespoon and with the addition of white meat chicken, zucchini and bell peppers, this dish is very healthy even though it is “take out.”
If you want to cut down the fat even further you can either ditch the peanuts in the pan and just sprinkle a couple of crushed peanuts on top or cut down on the oil by using half.
Tools Used in the making of this Panda Express Kung Pao Spaghetti:
Soy Sauce: Nothing much to say here except Kikkoman has the best flavor overall and I always recommend reduced sodium.
Panda Express Kung Pao Sauce: If you don’t want to make the sauce yourself you can buy the bottled variety and follow the recipe for the vegetables and chicken to complete the dish.
Wok: The best way to cook quickly and over high heat for Asian dishes, this wok is the perfect stir fry pan.
Sesame Oil: The flavor of sesame oil in this dish is unmistakeable and not really able to be substituted. Some Asian grocery stores will try and sell less expensive options that aren’t actually sesame oil, so just be sure the one you’re buying is authentic sesame oil.
Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast , diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 large egg
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon cooking wine (I used white wine)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce (I use Kikkoman Reduced Sodium)
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided use)
- 12 whole dry chili peppers , smaller than 3 inches; if longer, cut in half
- 1/4 cup diced green onion , white part only, in 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground garlic
- 1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/2 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 ounces dry roasted peanuts
- 1 red bell pepper , cut into 3/4 inch cubes
- 1 large zucchini , cut into 3/4 inch cubes
Instructions
Combine the chicken, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 egg, 1/4 cup cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- In a small bowl add the wine, soy sauce and water and set aside.
Heat wok/skillet on high heat 10 seconds, you want that pan to be nice and hot!
- Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
Remove chicken from marinade and add to wok, cooking on high heat for 60 seconds.
- Remove the chicken from the pan, add another 1/2 tablespoon of oil and the red bell pepper and zucchini.
Cook on high and cook for 1-2 minutes, until just caramelized and slightly cooked.
- Remove vegetables and add the chili peppers.
- Stir until they darken a bit, then add the green onions, peanuts, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper, and sesame oil.
Stir for 2-3 seconds and immediately add the wine/soy/water mixture.
- Bring it to a boil, then add the cornstarch and water mix and stir until it has thickened.
- Add the chicken and vegetables back in, stir to combine.
- To make my chicken more like Panda Express I actually cut the chicken into large cubes then pulsed it twice in the food processor for just a 1/2 second each just to break it apart and give is the same unique look.
Recipe Notes
To make my chicken more like Panda Express I actually cut the chicken into large cubes then pulsed it twice in the food processor for just a 1/2 second each just to break it apart and give is the same unique look.
Here are some pictures from when the post was originally photographed in September 2015:
Delicious. Used 10 fresh whole Thai chilies instead of dried chilies as we find panda Express too mild. Nice heat in the dish. Well sequenced recipe steps! Thank you
Great suggestion to add a bit of heat!
Great recipe!
I used skin-on chicken thighs since it’s what I had on-hand – having used thighs, I fried the pieces a little longer to be a little bit crispy and drained any remaining excess grease from the thighs that I didn’t need.
I added canned mushrooms to bulk up the veggies in the dish.
Next time, I’ll have to double the sauce portion since we like ours saucy.
This will go into our stash of recipes! Thank you!
I just have red wine on hand can I use that or white wine vinegar which would be a good substitute
The white wine vinegar would be the better substitute. Enjoy!
This is one of my favorites at Panda. We grow a fair amount of zucchini and my Asian wife is always craving Asian food; finally found your recipe and put it together — it came out absolutely perfect! My wife kept raving at how delicious it was, so I’ll be keeping this in the rotation for sure! Looking forward to trying your other recipes. Cheers!
Reading this makes me so happy! Thanks for coming back to let me know, Andrew.
Hi, is the garlic and ginger fresh or dried in this recipe? Thanks!
I used dried for this recipe. Make sure to use more if you decide to use fresh. Good luck!
Sabrina,
Your recipes are amazing! I have lost track of how many I have made so far, each tastes incredible and just as promised! Thank you so much!
You’re so sweet, Amit. Thanks so much.
Using the food processor to get the texture right is pure genius, I must try it.
Even more important for chicken thigh meat which is so difficult to get a good texture since it that has a smooth outer layer, and many restaurants (and Panda Express) use thigh meat.
never seen the idea before, nice original idea!!
Thank you!
Thanks for this recipe Sabrina. Love this recipe!—I’ve made it 3x now. The only thing I did differently from the first time is I add 1 T. peanut butter to the sauce. This recipe, served along with your copycat Panda lo mein and brown rice, is now a regular in our menu rotation.
You’re welcome! Adding PB sounds delicious – so happy you have found some favorite recipes to go to!
This was absolutely fantastic! Made it as-is for the first try and it was wonderful. And now that I know the recipe works I can make changes to my own family’s tastes. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
You’re welcome, Kit.
Thank you. I am not a chef or a cook. I made this as a surprise for my wife who was returning from a long day out.
It was fun for me to make (I had most of the mess cleaned up before she walked in) and she loved it.
It even worked in a hot frying pan instead of a wok, and making some nominal changes due to what was on hand (celery in place of zuchini, for example). It took me several minutes to sear the chicken versus 60 seconds. I didn’t want any pink showing on the chicken at this stage. I didn’t know how much more cooking it would get.
The recipe was very mild (a “1” , not spicy at all). We added more crushed red chili peppers to our individual servings. I would increase the amount of red crushed chili peppers to make it a 2 or 3 on the spiciness level (on 1-5 scale). My taste is to have it a noticeable warm glow, but not burning.
We will have this again. Thank you.
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
I love Kung Pao so I was excited to try this recipe. But I’m guessing I used the wrong dried peppers?? My store only had “Oriental hot chilies”. I googled it to see if they were the same and couldn’t find any info that they were not the right ones…but they were soooo hot! Even after picking them all out, my kids couldn’t eat the dinner. Are they the wrong peppers? Maybe I will attempt it again if you can help. Thanks.
Oh no!! Those are so spicy!! I’m so sorry but those are the wrong peppers. You want to choose a mild version of these peppers.
Here’s a link to help you for next time: https://amzn.to/2GCqKna
I’d love to see you copycat their veggie spring rolls and plum sauce!
To make it closer to the actual recipe you’ll need to cook the marinaded meat in enough oil to submerge at 275 for about 50 seconds. The veggies are blanched in boiling water for 10 seconds. then once those are done you add oil to a hot wok, then hot chili peppers, cook till just brown, not red or black. Immediately add green onions, garlic and ginger, then meat. Next cooking wine and soy sauce mixture with cornstarch. The sauce should thicken before adding the veggies. At the very end once it is tossed together, add the sesame oil THEN the peanuts. This is an important step because the peanuts will become soggy if they are not added at the end. You will know it is done when the sauce is almost a solid.
Thanks for your suggestion!
To be truly “authentic” this recipe must use chicken thigh meat rather than breast meat. Other than that it is a great recipe.
That’s what I thought! That it is made with thighs.
Please tell me a substitute for the white wine (or do i just skip it?)
You can always use white grape juice as a substitute.
Made this and it was delicious.
The marinade came out like a thick batter on the chicken. Do you shake the excess before frying to omit this?
You want the chicken to be evenly coated.
This recipe is amazing. I’m too novice to know better, so I did make some substitutions and alterations (clearly watching cooking shows has made me perhaps a little too confident). Used pre-cooked chicken, which didn’t take to the marinade as much as fresh probably would but still good. All spice for ginger. And I added baby corn (with the zucchini) and celery (with the onions). I also didn’t have Thai chilies at my local market so I substituted sweet chili garlic sauce and a splash of Sriracha and it turned out BETTER than the PE version (which is saying something because before I made this today was obsessed). Thank you so much for sharing!
You’re welcome, Jen!
How much sweet chili garlic sauce did you use?
I replaced the chicken with Mahi-Mahi, and my family and I LOVED it! Thank you!
Thanks for the suggestion! So glad you all loved it!
I love Kung Pao chicken and can’t wait to try this recipe… thanks for posting it! Can the wine be replaced with something else, though? If yes, what would you recommend I use?
You can use white grape juice as a substituion for the wine if you’d like. 🙂
Very delicious! I had the Panda Kung Pao sauce in a bottle that you buy at the grocery store but prepared everything as instructed and added like 1/4 cup of the bottled sauce. It was delicious before I added the sauce. My boyfriend wants me to make this again and it hasn’t even been a week! Just printed the recipe to have on hand. Thank you!
That’s so awesome!! So glad you both enjoyed it!
This recipe is delicious. I lived in Asia for two years and I think this recipe is as good as I remember.
Just made it tonight, and you have no idea how happy I was to see the end result looked so pretty, colorful and tasted amazing, just like the one at Panda Express!! Thank you for a great and easy recipe!!
How fantastic! I’m so glad you loved it!
Just made this, it is great! Added extra red pepper because I like it spicy and it was sooooooo good. Definitely keeping the recipe and will make again! So quick too!
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Question on sesame oil: untoasted, or, if toasted, light toast or dark toast?
You could use either but personally, I used untoasted for this recipe.
Easy to follow directions. Tasty dish with plenty of flavor. My husband loved it. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 stars!!
The recipe doesn’t say if the ginger and garlic are fresh ground or dried. I am assuming dry, please let me know if this is correct or not. Can’t rate it yet as I have not tasted it. Hoping I will love it!
Yes, I used dry ginger and garlic for this recipe. 🙂
If I want to make this for a large crowd, do I just double everything or is there another recipe? I’m making for 40 people
Wow, that’s a lot of people 🙂 The recipe serves 4 so if you’re looking to feed 40, I would suggest making it in batches and the keeping it some type of warmer until served.
The spices are on point, very close to Panda, increasing the wine and garlic powder used seemed to make it an even better match imo.
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just tried this recipe today, I’m not sure if it was just me, but cooking the chicken for 60 seconds was not enough, parts were still raw. I also was not a big fan on the egg in the recipe, the flavor however was great. I used a wok and followed the instruction step by step. I think next time I will omit the egg. Thank you! (:
Sorry this comment took so long to get to, it ended up in my spam filter somehow! How big were you cutting the chicken? If on a high heat in small chunks they should cook quite quickly. Another possible reason it could’ve taken longer is if your pan may have been a bit too full? Glad the flavor was good though!
Do you know how many carbs are in this recipe?
Sorry I don’t have the nutritional facts for recipes on the site but I know there are a lot of free resources on the internet from when I’ve cooked for clients with low calorie diets.
How many calories is this meal?
Sorry this comment took so long to get to, it ended up in my spam filter somehow! I don’t have a nutrition calculator on the recipes, but I know there are quite a lot of them available on the web for free from back in the day I used to cook for clients on low calorie diets.
I made the Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken tonight. It was AMAZING! This is my favorite dish at Panda and I actually liked this one better. Thanks!
Thanks, Andrea! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is great! Followed step by step but bought the wrong soy sauce and that threw it off a bit. Still very delicious!!
Hello! I’ve just made this for the first time. I’m packing away my ingredients and wonder when the sesame oil is supposed to be used? It is in the ingredients list, but not in the method.
We drizzled some on the top to get the flavor, but it would be good to incorporate it into the recipe.
Thank you!
So sorry about that! The sesame oil is supposed to be added at the same time as a the green onions and peanuts – I just had a brain fart and left it out! The recipe is fixed now, thanks for bringing it to my attention!
We’re gluten free and can never eat chinese takeout. I’m so happy because all I have to do is substitute regular soy sauce for GF Tamari…YEAH !!!!!!!!!
Absolutely! I hope you love it!
I love copycat recipes! They tend to be healthier for us and we can make them over and over without spending a ton of money! My son is dying to try this one!
YES! When you actually make it at home it feels so rewarding!
This looks really delish! I love everything from Panda Express so this is great to have the recipe for at home.
Me too! I just couldn’t get over the fact it was an authentic recipe.
I’ve never had this at Panda Express before, but it looks delicious! If you could figure out how to make Applebee’s Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip or their burger, I’d be all over those recipes.
Ohh I love a good Artichoke and Spinach Dip! I should look into it!
Congrats on outgrowing your server! That’s some exciting stuff right there. This Kung Pao Chicken looks amazing. I cook a lot of stirfry at home, but I’ve never made Kung Pao before. I bet my kids would love it.
Thanks! It is so exciting but the downtime is always scary to me!
That looks fantastic and something my family would enjoy. Thank you for the delicious recipe idea!
My pleasure 🙂
Kung Pao Chicken In one of my favorites. I have to try this.
Hope you love it!
This is mouthwatering literally, drooling on my keyboard .Delish !
Aww how sweet, thanks!
What a great meal idea. It looks absolutely tasty.
Thanks Stacie!
Oh I am so excited to make this! My husband loves this stuff!
Awesome! I hope he loves it 🙂
Tasty looking. Lots of vegies and good stuff.
Thanks Aubrey!
I could totally go for some of this! I’d love to make some for the family to try out. I need to get better at making Chinese dishes.
Yeah I love making Chinese food too 🙂
Love love love Asian flavors, and one of my favorite tastes is that of Kung Pao. I’m vegan so can’t do meat, BUT, the best thing about kung pao is that the flavor transcends everything. Gonna adopt this for sure!
Absolutely! I would totally so this vegan too! Maybe with eggplant or cauliflower or some drained/pressed tofu.
I love copycat recipes as much as my family loved Panda Express. I will have to make this!
Me too, copycat recipes are the best 🙂
Kung Pao Chicken is one of my favorite dishes. I have never tried to make it myself before. I am excited to try this recipe.
Awesome, hope you love it!
This looks so good. I am going to get the ingredients i need so i can make this for dinner tomorrow.
Wonderful! Hope you love it!
This recipe is going to make my family so very happy. They love Chinese food but I believe homemade is the best.
Awesome, hope you all love it Cathi!
I love Panda Express. I bet this is so tasty.
Oh this sounds delicious. I always crave Asian food, but it can be so expensive. This is a much better idea, than ordering out. Thanks for the recipe.
My favorite take out is Kung Pao chicken, so this is right up my alley! I even have all the ingredients to make it!
Yay! I hope you love it!
Deliciousness! I love Asian food and Panda Express so I’m really excited about making this at home! Tweaking it to my liking. I think my kids would really enjoy this! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! I hope you guys enjoy it!
That looks great! I bet it is much healthier to make at home than to eat at a fast food place. I love Chinese food.
Thanks!
Kung Pao chicken is a favorite at our house, but I’ve never made it at home before, your version sounds delicious, I will have to give it a try!
Awesome, I hope you love it Joy!
my husband absolutely loves King Pao chicken! This is a recipe he will love to have in our cupboard! It looks amazing.
Awesome! I hope he loves it Amber!
Oh my goodness, this looks so flavorful! My fiance and I have been craving some good Chinese food lately. He doesn’t like spicy foods, so I would have to omit the peppers, but that’s okay because I know this recipe would still be good. Just looking at these pictures is making me hungry.
Yep even without the pepper the flavors would be amazing!
This is one of my favorite Thai dishes! I love how spicy it is. I have to try this out at home for sure.
Awesome! I hope you love it!
I can’t wait to try this. Your copycat recipes are always fantastic!
Thanks Dawn! That is so sweet!
Yes! Absolutely yes! There’s a Panda Express 5 minutes from us, and we eat there all the time.
Yep same here!
I love making panda recipes at home! This one looks delicious and is one we haven’t tried recreating yet!
Paige
Yay! I hope you enjoy it and it makes it into your rotation!
Oh my gosh that looks so delicious. I have a lot of eggplant from my garden and I bet it would be good in here too.
Yes! Eggplant would be a great substitute!
This looks like an amazing meal, my family would love. I love the addition of the veggies, I am sure this would taste fresh and Delicious.
Thanks Susan!
We don’t have Panda Express around here, so I will have to make it myself if I want to try it 🙂
My husband would eat at Panda Express everyday if possible. He’s going to love that I found this recipe!
Yay! I hope he loves it 🙂
I’m a Kung Pao fanatic and this copycat recipe looks fantastic!
Yay, I hope you love the recreation!
Ok, hands down this was THE most delicious Kung Pao chicken I’ve ever tasted, better than at Panda. My family raved about it! Great job.