Kung Wow Chicken

Chef John has delivered us another great recipe! Delicious! I was all out of wine so I subbed beer* for the wine in the recipe and it was still awesome. I used 1 cup zucchini, 1 cup broccoli and ½ cup yellow onion in favor of using the red bell pepper. Chef John said to use any veggie of your choice. I omitted the jalapeno pepper because I didn’t want it to be too spicy hot for my guests. I doubled the sauce, except I decreased the chili paste to 1½ Tbsp and the brown sugar** to just 1Tbsp. I served it over steamed brown rice and it was an incredible meal. Everyone loved it. Thanks Chef John!!! * Beer, (Bud, Coors or Miller), always works as a nice substitute for white wine in any recipe. ** Even 1 Tbsp brown sugar is almost too sweet for this recipe. I recommend using less brown sugar unless you love the sweetness of Orange Chicken and Sesame Chicken entrées.

I made this last night for dinner and OH MAN was it good...my husband said it was better than Panda. I made it following every step except i used red wine vinegar in place of the white because i simply didn't have any. Other than that it was awesome!! Thank you Chef John!

The only thing missing from the directions for this recipe is the need for a prep chef. I want someone else to measure out everything and chop all the vegetables and put it all in nice little ramekins so I can swoop in and put this dish together! It was quite good, but I think there are lots of other recipes for Asian cuisine that taste just as good but are less involved.

I had to laugh at the comment that you need a prep-chef for this. It is so easy to prepare... the cutting of the veggies takes 3 minutes. The rest is just measuring ingredients for the marinade and sauce. Very easy recipe and tasted great. Only change I made was use pea pods instead of zucchini and added the tbs of cornstarch to the chicken broth instead of adding water. It was great and I will definitely be making it again many times!

My family loved this! I didn't have zucchini, so I added snow peas and celery and chopped fresh ginger with the garlic. Since I had 2 lbs of chicken, I doubled the recipe. I didn't use rice but chinese noodles. The recipe looks a little overwhelming with all the ingredients, but since I had most of the stuff (or if I didn't, it was easy to buy at the local grocery store) it really wasn't hard to make. My husband says it's definitely a "make again"!

Kung Pao chicken is my fav Chinese dish. This recipe was ok, but much sweeter than traditional Kung pao and much sweeter than I would have liked. I doubled the amount of the other sauce ingredients (except sugar) because my family really likes to soak the rice, and still found this way too sweet. The mix of veggies were really good, and they cooked up nicely. Overall, I would try this again and just cut the sugar in half.

Great! I added an extra 1/2 chicken, doubled both the marinade and cooking sauce, and added carrots to the vegetables, and added baby corn, and water chestnuts the same time I added the cooking sauce. it was yummy. Would probably cut the chili paste back a bit next time.

Great recipe. I used boneless skinless chicken thighs. I believe that they have more flavor and are less dry, and cheaper than chicken breasts. I also added 1 star anise after the vegetables and the more complex flavor it added was great. I definetly will make this recipe again.

Very easy. I'm a mid 20s bachelor with minimum cooking skills and I was able to make 8 servings under an hour. Delicious!

I followed the recipe and it turned out with an excess of liquid. Cornstarch did not thicken the sauce. It was very bland for the amount of ingredients required. I will not make this again.

great recipe! thanks for sharing.

I found this do-able but there are quite a few ingredients

The ingredients are great, but I have a suggestion to keep the vegetables crisp. Cook the zucchini and, red pepper for 2-3 minutes then remove it from the pan. Cook the chicken, add the vinegar mixture, and the cornstarch mixture. Bring to bubbling temperature, and thickened. THEN add the vegetables back in to heat through. I lived in Asia for ten years and this is the method my Chinese friends use.

I made a vegetarian version of this recipe using extra firm tofu instead of chicken and vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. It was amazing!! My first successful stir-fry recipe. I watched the how-to video for this recipe that's also on this site and it was very helpful.

I made this double the sauce with brown rice instead of white. I also omitted the peanuts and sesame oil, didn't have any. It was pretty good. I think next time less brown sugar, more chili paste, and use shrimp or scallops instead of chicken.

I can't say enough about this recipe! It was fantastic! I did cut down on the vegetables a little bit, using only one cup of each of the zucchini and pepper just to keep the veggie to meat ratio more to my liking. Also, I didn't have any sambal so I pureed some of my canned diced tomatoes with green chiles, added some chile powder, and went on with the recipe. I don't think it took too long to prepare at all, especially when you have all kinds of time to prepare while you let the chicken marinate. Absolutely awesome!!

Very good. Maybe not authentic but lots of flavour. Even the picky eaters in my house liked it...they picked out the zucchini and peppers...but they liked it!

This was really delicious. My kids don't like zucchini but they gobbled this up (go figure....I guess a yummy spicy, sweet sauce makes everything taste great). The video was really helpful since I hadn't made Kung Pow Chicken before. I followed Chef John's advice by having everything chopped, diced, measured and mixed ahead of time so then it was just a matter of throwing everything together. Be sure and get your rice started before starting this recipe so everything is ready at the same time.

I was just ok with this dish, but my family really liked it, so I guess I have to make it again.

very well seasoned and versatile recipe

Great recipe! I've made it a couple of times now and I prefer it with dark meat (thigh instead of breast). I add some fresh minced ginger along with the minced garlic and I really like that flavor. The peanut oil is GREAT for stir fry - definitely use that if you can. If not, I have used vegetable oil and it's been fine (just spatters a bit - maybe I did something wrong, or maybe it's just not the best for stir fry, I don't know). I've tried it with Chinese 5 spice and without, and I definitely prefer without. I use 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper and 1 onion and I love that veggie combination. Thanks for a great recipe!

Thank you Chef John! I watched the video how to make this recipe, followed the technique exactly, and came out with the BEST stirfry! I "Americanized" the recipe further and used Franks Hot Sauce instead of Asian chili paste, and used only canola oil, and omitted the peanuts. Was still delicious! Everyone loved it!

I have made this several times but ,as a vegetarian, I substituted tofu for the chicken.Drain & press between paper towels a block of. extra firm tofu. Cube in 1 inch pieces.Then toss in a few tablespoons of Canola oil. Lay on foil lined baking pan and roast about 25 min. in a 400 degree oven, turning once, till brown. Add to mixture and toss right before serving.

added more veggies and some celery. I also doubled all the sauce--it was probably too much. Very good.

I've made this recipe several times now, and served to a variety of people and it got rave reviews every single time. I follow the recipe quite closely, save for some minor adjustments. I don't consume alcohol so I substitute white wine in the marinade with white vinegar. In the sauce mixture, I use half the sugar and skip white wine altogether. Some people have said this is the best Asian-style chicken recipe they've ever tasted...so THANKS Chef John!

Ken says Bring down the heat and it should get to 4 stars

Now my favorite at home Chinese chicken recipe. A lot of ingredients, but it was the best! I followed the recipe exactly the first time, but after that added green peppers as well as the red, which really added a lot. My family loves it!

It was ok, something missing.

We enjoyed it very much. There is a lot of preparation for the sauce, but it was all worth it!

This is a really good recipe but next time I will cut the brown sugar down to half of what it calls for. My husband and I both thought it was too sweet.

Best ever...just like in the restaurant!!! Thanks Chef!!!

Made this recipe today. It turned out just delicious! My husband and son loved it as much as I did. Definitely a keeper. Thanks Chef John.

My husband I really enjoyed this recipe. Someone commented about all the prep work....I did not find this inconvenient at all but I like to chop fresh veggies etc. I just let my chicken marinade while I did the rest. The ONLY change I made was I added more chili sauce. We like spicy dishes. This one is a keeper.

This is going to be my new go to stir fry. It is perfect the way it is. It will lend itself to many variations, depending on the veggies in the fridge. Looking forward to making it again. I did not have rice vinegar and subbed apple cider vinegar.

Not as spicy as Kung Pow Chicken, but good!

I thought the "POW" was quite bland for my tastes but that said, it still tasted really good. I had to add quite a bit of sirachi to my bowl. That said, my son just loved it. As he was going to bed last night, he asked if he could have it for breakfast, too. Considering the protein and veg content, I couldn't say no.

Really easy and delicious. I love how Chef John shows you how to make a wide variety of meals easily and without being concerned about using ketchup. So he used ketchup, is that a crime???

Sauce was okay. There wasn't enough of it for the amount of chicken and veggies for my taste.

Made this last night and the whole family loved it! Followed the recipe exactly but used gluten-free soy sauce and chicken broth. Will be making this again soon!

Really good. I change up the vegetables sometimes, and once I even used pork! I put everything in baggies in the fridge early in the day, so at dinner, it cooks up fast. I even took the ingredients (in baggies) on a long distance trip and made it there. It was fantastic!

I doubled the marinade and sauce because I had extra vegetables. Very flavorful in a sweet n sour sauce kind of way. I also add about a teaspoon of fresh grated ginger for some extra zing ! Will definitely make again. So adaptable and fun to make.

This is definitely one of our new family favorites. Followed the exact recipe and it was great. Going to play around with the ingredients next time. Will share the results.

Very spicy. Will make again but with less chili sauce.

This is a very easy and delicious dish to make!!!! The only change I made was adding more veggies.

WoW!!! I made this for dinner last night and it was a big hit, everyone loved it. I will definetly make this again. Thank you for this recipe.

Delicious, easy, budget friendly, and fairly healthy. We eat this pretty often. I prefer almonds to peanuts for the topping.

Quite good but I like more spice and my kids less so this is a good compromise. We all like it but none of us are thrilled.

Easy and delicious!

The middle name says it all !

Did not like this at all.

It tasted too much the vinegar.

Marinated longer than the directions said because I got distracted but I will keep doing it that way. It is wonderful. Served with Jasmine rice. Packed up some individual servings in my Food Saver and froze them for easy work lunches that will make my co-workers jealous. I will probably add a few more vegetables next time.

Followed recipe to the letter and it turned out beautifully. So very delicious.

Really tasty! Accompanied by Cold Cucumber salad!

Fabulous recipe that can be played with easily. I am currently getting crazy vegetables from our local CSA and this was a great way to put them to use. Followed the marinade and sauces precisely (leaving out the heat for the kids) but substituted carrots, black radishes, bok choy and baby portabellos for the veggies. Turned out beautifully.

This is my favorite "Asian" recipe. I rarely make anything else anymore because this is just that good! The flavor in the sauce is addictive!! The only change I make is I omit the bell peppers and add a bunch of other veggies... whatever I happen to have that day, but usually broccoli, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, carrots, peas, anything really! It's all in the sauce!!! Oh yeah... Plus, I double or triple the sauce. YUM! YUM! YUM!

Delicious! I added a little bit of fresh minced ginger to the marinade, and sprinkled seseme seeds on top at the end for a more authentic feel. I will make again.

This. Was good, my husband enjoyed it. I made it NY the recipe except I used skinless boneless thighs. I also didn't have sesame oil. Sesame oil makes everything better. Although this was tasty, I will probably use the Kung pao recipe I've used for years. It's from and old Chinese cookbook.

Didn't have any zucchini on hand, so substituted green peppers for that. It still turned out AMAZING! My family loved it! This is definitely a winner in our home and will be made again! Thanks so much!

Delicious! I sautéed the veggies prior to adding to the chicken. Used regular onion, carrots and mushrooms since they were all I had on hand. I also took the other reviewers recommendation and just added the corn starch to the broth. Next time I may dredge the chicken in corn starch for a little crust and remove the chicken before adding the corn starch mixture.

I didn't have white wine so added some red wine instead. Kung Pow chicken is hubby's fav dish from local restaurants; and he LOVES it!!! Really delicious!

This was delicious! I had everything on hand except the chili paste, so I added about 1 tsp of crushed red pepper. I served it over jasmine rice. I also laughed at the comment about needing a sous chef. This was an easy recipe.

we thoroughly enjoyed this.. only thing we did differently was reduce the brown sugar in the vinegar mixture to 1 tsp and to use leg meat.. had a lot of extra juice from the veggies but the rice soaked it up so no complaints other than expecting it to be thicker.. we splashed some extra rice vinegar and sriracha on the finished product.. we made the entire 4 servings and finished it in one setting.. ty so much for this recipe.. ~~UPDATE: making this for the second time around was mind blowing.. after reading my old review i figured i should double the chili paste since i added sriracha at the end.. but i'm now wondering if i had added the optional jalapeno the first time, b/c wow this was spicy.. and we like spice! i used the whole amount of brown sugar this time and it was perfect.. had to sub cubed up pork loin for the chicken breast b/c that's what we had thawed out.. used green bell pepper and carrots in place of the red bell pepper.. ty again for the recipe

Super tasty, just time consuming. Love the sauce and the spiciness! We have made this several times.

This recipe is awesome! Easy to follow. The family loved it!

We've made this two times. Once with chicken thighs and once with shrimp. We use cauliflower rice and it's excellent.

Made exactly as written. Certainly a decent meal but a bit involved and nothing special

I made this recipe and instantly (well, ok, after three portions) sent boyfriend into a food-coma. A big success! I didn't have peanuts so used cashews, and added some sugarsnaps. I also served over quinoa instead of rice, but I think all of these things do not make this dish any worse. I considered this very easy to make and very tasty!

I loved it but my husband thought it was too sweet. Don’t know if I’ll make it again because of him.

Super yummy!

Loved this, and I did not even have the wine to use; so I left it out and it still tasted fantastic!

We LOVED this dish!! I made only three changes - I used cashews instead of peanuts, used mushrooms instead of zucchini, and added more chili paste (we like the heat!), but otherwise was faithful to the recipe. It may seem complicated/ingredient intensive, but really is not very time consuming. I just measured everything out at the beginning, and then it comes together in a flash! Excellent flavor - this is going to be a regular dish in our house!

I didn't have all the ingredients, but made due with what I had. I can't wait to make it again with all the ingredients! It turned out delicious and the left overs were amazing! I did add red pepper flakes to give it a kick. I also used sirracha sauce and it was great!

My goodness, this was awesome! I used red pepper, mushrooms, water chestnuts, carrots, and pea pods for the veggies to make it hardy. I will definitely make this again, and hubby thought it was better than any stir fry I've made.

Wonderful with chicken. Horrible if you substitute for beef. Requires a little extra effort and make sure to prep all ingredients and components BEFORE cooking.

Really Yummy!

This meal was very poggers! I’m sure Anakin would have liked this one God rest his soul. If only my little fingers could grasp the fork to eat it myself without having to have Asoka spoon feed it to me.

I needed a stir fry sauce that did not contain wheat due to a wheat allergy. I used a wheat free soy sauce and proceeded with this homemade sauce for my dish. Every store bought sauce seems to start with regular soy sauce which has wheat in it. This turned out nicely for my guest.

Super tasty! a big hit here??? I used water chestnuts, sliced mushrooms, snap peas and red onion for the vegi's and used chow mein noodles instead of rice, for crunch and to lower carb content... Will make again!

This was great! It was super easy to make, and the prep time was really not bad at all. I did everything as written only I had to omit the sambal because I did not have any. I also had to use unsalted peanuts because it was all I had. It was still super yummy!

This is super! My motto is that life is too short to not love great food every night

I was really happy with this recipe. I made brown rice, next time I will go with white.

My hubby said it was good. Not Spicy at all.

My husband loved this & he’s not a big fan of stir fry. I would cut the vinegar down just a tiny bit next time

Used minced onions instead of scallions. Half garlic chili paste for kids. Amazing:)))

My family loved it, I changed up the veg brother then that followed it. I've got to say I will be making this again!

Awesome recipe. Easy to make. Family loved it.

I loved it! Simple, and easy to do with Chef John's directions. I added a few more hot peppers, substituted broccoli for the zucchini - someone in my household actively dislikes zucchini. Great!

Excellent! Would be great for company. Used zucchini, red pepper and broccoli.

I have made this at least 10 times and the whole family loves it. It really tastes like restaurant Chinese food. Sometimes we use more chicken and sometimes more vegetables - whatever we have. Don't be misled by the long ingredient list. Many are on there twice, and when we don't have one ingredient (for example, today we are out of sesame oil) I just leave it out and it's still great!

This was easy and came out fantastic! This is going to be made frequently from now on! I accidentally added too much wine to the marinade so I had some trouble getting it to brown until I drained it. I added several Indian spices to the rice while I was cooking it (6 Cardamom seeds, turmeric and I dropped the top of the jalopena in while it cooked. Yum. Next time I'll add one more ingredient: pieces of pinapple... it begged for it. Cheers.

This is one of the most complex recipes I have attempted. Lots of steps with many ingredients! This is a keeper! My wife had seconds, a very rare occurrence in our home. Chef John's recipes are always primo! Only suggestion, double the recipe, it doesn't last long!

Prepared as directed. Very yummy and next time I'll have to double the recipe so there will be left overs

Wow Kung Wow Chicken! Very good and highly recommended.

Loved it! Served it over Jasmine Rice and with a side of grilled plums.Outstanding!

This is a amazing recipe!!! It is sweet and a little sour, just the type of foods I like. And surprisingly I found all of the sauce ingredients in my cupboard! Thank you so much Chef John! All of his recipes are delightful ^o^