The healthy version of Panda Express Kung Pao chicken is a non-greasy one-pot meal. The chicken doesn’t need to be fried. The secret to oil-free cooking is that you don’t have to fry or add oil. You just need to sear the skin of the chicken drumsticks to get the chicken fat, which provides flavor and aroma. With the one-pot method, you can quickly and easily eat a Kung Pao chicken in less than 20 minutes that’s full of dry chili and Sichuan pepper, but not spicy.
One Pot Kung Pao Chicken recipe
Normally, in Chinese restaurants, this dish is prepared in such a way that the chicken is marinated and Sichuan pepper oil is added before frying, which creates a lot of oil, making the food greasy and putting extra stress on the body.
I’ll show you the healthy and quick version, that doesn’t require you to marinate the chicken thighs. Fry the chicken drumstick’s skin side down. Those chicken drippings will do the trick. The dry chili is added later to enhance the flavor, but not spicy. Together with the homemade kung pao sauce, you can enjoy a low-calorie, healthy, lightly spiced, and salty kung pao chicken, that’s better than Panda Express in a short time.
What is Kung Pao Chicken
Authentic Kung Pao chicken is a dry fried chicken in China and Taiwan. You’ll only taste the aroma of Sichuan peppercorns and dried chili, slightly spicy but not very hot.
You can eat it in most restaurants. The authentic method is to fry the chicken with Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili, peanuts, and green onions.
However, in the United States, there are some restaurants or take-out restaurants that use more sauce for this dish and add vegetables to enhance the flavor.
Ingredients
- Chicken drumsticks –you don’t need to peel the skin, we use the oil from the skin to fry the chicken thighs, so you don’t need to use oil. Of course you can use chicken breast, but remember to cut the chicken breast in half and then cut into 1″ cubes so that each piece of chicken breast is the same thickness, the heat is more even, and you don’t have to overcook it so it doesn’t get too dry. You can learn how to cut the chicken breast in half and how to tenderize it in my post on Moo Coo Gai Pan.
- Whole peanuts –roasted and unsalted is better, because our dish is already salty, so we don’t need to use salted peanuts.
- Ginger –sliced or chopped.
- Garlic –sliced or chopped.
- Dried chilies –6~8 pieces are enough. We add them later to enhance the taste so it’s not spicy.
- Zucchini –cut into 1″ cubes.
- Yellow & red Bell Pepper –chopped into squares.
Kung Pao Sauce
It’s very simple, you just need ketchup, Chinese black vinegar (or substitute a good balsamic vinegar), soy sauce, sugar, Sichuan pepper oil, cornstarch, and water. Mix them well in the bowl and add them to this dish. I use Sichuan pepper oil, not Sichuan peppercorns, so you won’t eat them when you eat. We just need to get the flavor of the Sichuan pepper oil.
How to make Kung Pao Chicken
- Heat the skillet over medium heat and place the chicken drumsticks in, skin side down. Don't turn over, about 2 minutes.PRO TIP: If you fry the chicken drumsticks skin side down, you retain the chicken fat, which enhances the flavor, requires no additional oil, and is lower in calories and healthier.
- Add garlic and ginger, stir fry for 1 minute.
- Cover the pot and simmer for about 2 minutes.
- Add the zucchini, and stir for 1 minute.
- Add dried chilies and stir for 1 minute more. PRO TIP: Don't add the dried chilies too soon or they'll burn easily and the flavor will be insufficient. After adding the dried chilies, stir constantly so that the dried chilies heat evenly and release their flavor.
- Add the kung pao sauce, cover the pan and bring to a boil.
- Add yellow and red bell peppers and stir for 1 minute.
- Add roasted peanuts. Then ready to serve.
Other variations and substitutions
Vegetables: you can also add any other vegetables you like, such as onions, or carrots, etc.
Meat: pork, fish or shrimp are other options you can try. See my earlier post about kung pao shrimp.
Vegetarian: you can use firm tofu, dried tofu, or cauliflower as a meat substitute.
What do you eat with kung pow chicken
I usually cook the following dishes with this dish.
Meat or tofu: Mongolian beef, mapo tofu, sweet and sour shrimp.
Vegetables: bok choy stir fry or moo shu.
Soup: hot and sour soup or egg drop soup.
Then you have a super healthy and low-carb meal.
Ingredients
KUNG PAO SAUCE:
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar (or substitute good-quality balsamic vinegar)
- 1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
STIR FRY:
- 0.7 lb /300g boneless chicken drumsticks, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 5 slices ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup whole peanuts roasted unsalted
- 6~8 dried chilies
- 1/2 zucchini, chopped into squares
- 1/2 red Bell Pepper, chopped into squares
- 1/2 yellow Bell Pepper, chopped into squares
Instructions
- Cut the chicken drumsticks into 1-inch cubes.
- Mix Kung Pao Sauce – Mix ketchup, Chinese black vinegar (or substitute a good balsamic vinegar), soy sauce, sugar, Sichuan pepper oil, cornstarch, and water in a bowl. Set aside.
- Heat the skillet over medium heat and place the chicken drumsticks in, skin side down. Don't turn over, about 2 minutes. (Noted 1)
- Add garlic and ginger, stir fry for 1 minute.
- Cover the pot and simmer for about 2 minutes.
- Add the zucchini, and stir for 1 minute.
- Add dried chilies and stir for 1 minute more. (Noted 2)
- Add the kung pao sauce, cover the pan and bring it to a boil. Before you add it to the pan, stir it well, to dissolve the cornstarch.
- Add yellow and red bell peppers and stir for 1 minute.
- Add roasted peanuts. Then ready to serve with rice.
Video
Tips & Notes:
- If you fry the chicken drumsticks skin side down, you retain the chicken fat, which enhances the flavor, requires no additional oil, and is lower in calories and healthier.
- Don’t add the dried chilies too soon or they’ll burn easily and the flavor will be insufficient. After adding the dried chilies, stir constantly so that the dried chilies heat evenly and release their flavor.
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