Kung Pao Chicken

I think this is my all time favorite recipe. I have made it dozens of times and all my friends and family say it's the best thing I make! I do make a few alterations though, which I find absolutely crucial: Double the marinade and the sauce, add lots and lots of water as the mixture cooks - otherwise it gets really pasty. I would say throughout the cooking process I end up adding at least a cup of water. You want to make sure there's enough sauce to cover the noodles. I also add several cups of chopped up veggies; usually red and green peppers, mushrooms and broccoli. Thanks so much for this recipe!!

Yummy. Restaurant quality. Had to alter quite a bit. Took the orginal recipe for marinade: used rice wine,1 clove of garlic and reduced the sesame oil to 1 tsp. Did not add cornstarch to marinade. 5X the recipe of soy sauce, rice wine, vinegar, brown sugar, and 1 clove of garlic, 2 tsp. of chile paste, and 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water. Stir fried the chicken first and set aside. Then stir fried brocolli, mushrooms, carrots and green onions together. Added sauce and then chicken. Couldn't add peanuts due to allergy. Rave reviews from Dad and 2 kids. *****

This was a terrific dish and perfect for my spicey food loving family. I couldn't find chile paste in the grocery store, so I subbed with a spicey szechuan sauce. I tripled the marinade and quadrupled the sauce even though I only used four chicken cutlets. Didn't have any peanuts, so I used peanut butter, which I often do in asian dishes. I added broccoli and baby corn to make a complete meal. Thanks Arlena, it was great!

I followed this exactly as written (saw many favorable reviews that had made many changes). I love spicy food, but this did not have a good flavor hot and there was not enough sauce.

I didn't have chile paste, so I threw in some red pepper. I tripled the sauce recipe because I added baby corn, green bell pepper, and thinly sliced carrots and it wouldn't have been enough once I added the chicken. The sauce got really thick though & had to add some water to thin it down a bit. You may have to adjust this one to your own taste. It's good, but I needed to play around with it.

Ok ya'll I have made this recipe so many times now, I kind of know what goes in it without looking at the recipe. This is a great base recipe, without a doubt and if you don't like spice at all, I would still to this recipe exactly. Now for all you REAL kung pao chicken lovers that want the SPICE. You have to add A LOT more sambal or chile paste to make this even remotely close to something you've tasted before. I think I used almost a fourth of my HUGE jar of sambal to make this work. I would also marinade the chicken in it as well so you just an extra layer of spicy. I think it's the vinegar, but it completely mellows out the spice of it, so you definitely have to over compensate. Also, you don't really have to measure. Most of these things are one to one or two to one, so it's actually pretty easy to figure out. I have done these plenty of times without measuring it out exactly and plenty of times with measuring it out and it turns out virtually the same. Finally, you need to double the sauce part of this recipe. The original recipe actually needs a little more sauce then is written. The only things I wouldn't double are the peanuts and the water chestnuts. In the original recipe there are far too many of those things that the chicken kind of gets lost. Hope this is helpful to you from someone who has had this a bunch! :)

I lived in China for two years, and this recipe (with some important but minor changes) comes very close to the Kung Pao chicken that can be found in Beijing restaurants. With regard to ingredients, I agree with other reviewers: cut the cornstarch in both the marinade and the sauce. (I used 1 teaspoon in the marinade and 2 teaspoons in the sauce.) A few extra notes: Use Chinese rice wine, like Shaoxing, and light (as opposed to dark) soy sauce, if you can find them. I also agree with some other reviewers that chili paste is probably better than chili sauce. Lastly, skip the water chestnuts and add a carrot, like they do in Beijing. The carrot provides a wonderful crunchiness and sweetness that balances nicely with the spice. To solve the issue of there being too little sauce, don't cook the chicken separately; after the sauce has been warmed, throw the chicken and marinade in and stir constantly until it's cooked through. To make sure you've got enough food, try a few simple (and cheap!) Chinese sides like potatoes and green peppers (????? cù liu tu dòu si), eggs and tomatoes (?????? xi hóng shì chao ji dàn), eggs and wood ear mushrooms (????? mù er chao ji dàn), eggs and cucumber (????? huáng gua chao ji dàn) egg drop soup, sweet corn soup, and broccoli with garlic (????? suàn róng xi lán hua). If you want to finish off the meal like they do in Beijing, serve fresh fruit: Fuji apples, pineapple and kiwi.

Very delicious,my dish was not quite PF Changs but great anyway. I found only hot chili sauce in the Asian Market so I used that, the apartment smelled wonderful. Problems I encountered were: The cornstarch in the chicken marinade started to burn and stick when I browned it, and the cornstarch in the marinade itself was too much so instead of a sauce I got a thick paste, to which I kept adding water(suggestion: use a little less cornstarch). Finally the sugar was not enough for my liking so next time I will use a bit more...otherwise really really tasty. My husband and I ate every scrap. Thanks.

WOW! I was afraid to try this recipe as I've never had success with an Asian recipe. But, this blew me and my family away! It is so tasty!! The only thing I did different was to double the sauce (though not the waterchestnuts; 1 can is enough for us). I will make this many times over. It is fantastic. Thanks!!!

This was very, very yummy. I did a few things differently. I decreased the amount of sesame oil. I added mushrooms and broccoli to the sauce and sauteed the chicken in flavored wok oil. I didn't want the sauce to be too strong for my hubby and four-year-old so I doubled the sauce recipe and added about a cup of chicken broth and an extra bit of cornstarch. I omitted the chili paste but added red pepper flakes to my plate to heat it up. I didn't have any peanuts so I had to shell some from the African Gray's stash so they were unsalted. I can't wait to make it again. By the way, the bird thought it was top notch too. Thanks

Great marinade! Chicken is made quite tender...I only used 1/2T oil, and 1 T chile paste, and added a t of sugar to balance out the flavors. :) Thanks for sharing!

I followed the recipe exactly except I forgot to buy a can of water chestnuts! Great recipe, and VERY spicy. For those who wonder, an ounce is 2 tbsp, so it's 2 tbsp chili paste and 1/2 cup peanuts.

Yum to the max! A very simple, yet aromatically and taste-buds pleasing recipe! The only differences I'd suggest is to perhaps double the sauce, and add some veggies like julienned red peppers, and even snow peas. Sure that can detract from its authenticity, but it's a great way to add some veggies - because the flavor of the sauce is so good! Served it up with brown rice. Decently low-calorie (we left out the sesame oil and sugar.. which are heavy on calories). :)

I've made this twice now and loved it after I made several changes. In order to get that crsipy yet tender chicken, omit the marinade completely. Instead toss the chicken with a bit of cornstarch so that its coated and stir fry it in a skillet with olive oil and dried red peppers. Stir fry until chicken is browned and crispy and cooked through. Then toss the sauce with the chicken until well coated. For the sauce, definately double or triple it but do not increase the cornstarch. A little goes a long way. You only need about 1 tbsp even if you increase everything else. Also I cut the sesame oil in half and substitute hot chili oil for the rest of the sesame. Super spicy but delicious!

My 5 little picky eaters loved it!!! I added some frozen broccoli and green beans to it. My kids reqested it for dinner tomorrow night too!!

This was the absolute BEST! Truly restaurant flavor. I made very few changes which is unusual for me. I tripled the marinade and the sauce, but only used one tablespoon of sesame oil and two tablespoons of olive oil (tripling would have called for six tablespoons of sesame oil). I cut back on the sesame oil because it can become overpowering and six tablespoons of sesame oil would definitely have been overpowering. I also didn't have peanuts so I used about a tablespoon (maybe a little more) of chunky peanut butter and it worked out great! I didn't triple the water chestnuts and just used the one 8 oz can. I also replaced the water with chicken stock and thinned the sauce as needed at the end with chicken stock rather than water. I didn't know what one ounce of chili paste looked like so I used about a tablespoon (keeping in mind that I tripled the sauce). It was spicy, but we liked it that way. I would recommend going easy on the chili paste because you can always add more when it's cooking if you want it hotter. It does intensify as it cooks. Absolutely fantastic! I served it with Chinese Chicken Fried Rice (by LISA TOURVILLE) from this site but left out the chicken in the rice. Oh yeah, I made the sauce about three hours before and refrigerated it in a covered bowl and also marinated the chicken for the three hours too because I had an appointment I had to go to, so this is something you can prepare in advance and cook later.

Okay, the taste of this - is 5 stars. It is really good! But I am only giving it 3 stars because how the recipe is written - is poor. I **tripled** this recipe, and it still was not enough for 5 people!!! (me, my b/f, and 3 kids) I didn't have enough to give to my 2 youngest without giving up my own portion, so since they aren't the biggest fans of Asian dishes, I had to make them an entirely different (quick) meal. if you are cooking this for 3 or more adults, x4 or even x5 the recipe. Sounds crazy, but the recipe as written is for 2 portions, not 4.

I know I'm in the minority here, but we didn't care for this too much. If I were to ever make this again, I would not double or triple the sauce as many suggested - it made it too thick, more like a stew or a gravy. We don't like tons of sauce. However, that is not the author of the recipe's fault - that was me taking the most popular suggestions. We also live near an award winning Chinese restaurant in the Philadelphia area. Their kung pao is out of this world, so we are probably a little spoiled. This recipe was also a lot of work so I think I'll stick to ordering out.

Super easy and fast and well received but if I had the time I would choose a more sophisticated recipe with more ingredients.

DELICIOUS!!! Entered the ingredients I had on hand and this recipe came up - my husband and I couldn't stop eating this. Did not have chili paste so used about 1/4 cup of Sriracha. Also added 1 tbsp of red pepper flakes to both the marinade and the sauce. Really hot and VERY tasty. So good I'm tripling the recipe and having all the kids over tonite to have it! Had it over rice last night and tonite we'll try it with sesame noodles. GREAT RECIPE! Thanks!

This was a pretty good recipe, and it definitely has the benefit of not tasting like every other chinese chicken dish that you find so frequently. My only two thoughts would be to marinate the chicken over night to give it more flavor (because it tasted 5 times better the next day after it sat in its goop all night!) and add some more sugar. Otherwise, I thought it was great, nice heat level.

Finally made this after fiance' asked many times. He is allergic to peanuts so I skipped it. A very good recipe that is very close to restaurant quality. I used dark toasted sesame oil because it was what I had. I think it will be better to use a light-colored sesame oil which I will do the next time.

This is pretty good however the trick to authentic Chinese cooking is always use fresh chopped garlic & chopped fresh ginger while marinating the chicken, use Chinese wine or dry sherry & regular oil to stir fry the chicken & use the marinade (please no brown sugar) to cook the chicken thighs (not breasts) until tender, adding chicken stock as needed. Traditional Kung Pao chicken doesn't have any veggies except green onions, garlic, ginger & perhaps a green bell pepper along with small red dried chilies (add them when stir frying chicken) or chili pepper flakes. After chicken is tender add bell pepper, if using & some more soy sauce, stock, chili paste to taste, cook until crisp tender & add chop green onions, peanuts & sesame oil...if you want more sauce, simply combine cornstarch & stock until blended & add to the cooked Kung Pao mixture, high heat, stiring to cook & thicken the sauce...serve over steamed jasmine rice, pass the chop sticks & enjoy! I am from San Francisco so I know Chinese style cooking & Kung Pao chicken (or shrimp or beef) is one of my favorite dishes to order or make at home. Adding veggies such as brocolli, carrots, celery & mushrooms is spicy stir fry NOT Kung Pao chicken. This recipe is very nice but not authentic...Chinese cooks use thighs not expensive chicken breasts fyi, lol. Adding sesame oil at the end of cooking adds flavor as a finishing oil (like extra virgin oil in other non Asian recipes is a flavor enhancer). Also if you do not have fresh

I can't believe how good this came out! And it was not that difficult at all. I was skeptical but thought I'd give it a try and I just happen to have most of the ingredients on hand. I also added some chopped green bell pepper and a julienned carrot. I didn't have peanuts but as another reviewer suggested, I added some peanut butter. The family loved it, including my very picky teenage daughter! Great recipe and something different for a change. Thx!

I doubled the sauce and next time I will triple it. I used cashews instead of peanuts, and I used an 8 oz can of water chestnuts and an 8 oz can of bamboo shoots. I doubled the chili paste along with the rest of the sauce ingredients but I think next time I'll still only double the chili paste rather than tripling it - it is very spicy! It's good with broccoli and carrots, too - I added them to the sauce and cooked it all together before adding the cooked chicken. The veggies came out not crunchy, not mushy - perfect! The recipe didn't say whether to use salted or unsalted nuts; I was lucky enough to find "lightly salted" nuts and I used these with "light" (low sodium) soy sauce. Mmmm! This is one of my very favorite recipes now - definitely a good one for company.

I'm a beginner cook and I was able to make this recipe with virtually no problems!! It was rather flavorful and not at all difficult to make. My only problem was that the sauce thickened a bit too quickly so I added some extra soy sauce and white wine and it still tasted great! I also reduced the amount of chili paste since I didn't want it to be too spicy. I substituted Peanut oil for Sesame Oil and used Roasted Red Chile Paste. Overall, I recommend this, it wasn't a lot of work and it was very flavorful.

I've made this recipe a few times, and really like it. I tripled the sauce recipe so we'd have some extra to put on the rice that we like with it. I never had to add any water (which some other people recommended), but I didn't think the sauce was too thick without it at all. The marinade didn't seem to add all that much to the chicken the first time, so I stopped marinating it after that and just cook it in a little oil. Also, it was a little too spicy the first time, so I cut back on the chili paste after that as well. I used cashews instead of peanuts just because we like them better. I've also used the sauce with tofu, which is great.

This was probably the worst chicken dish I've ever made. It was probably my fault though because I made too many changes to the recipe. Don't make the same mistake I did. I made a lot of extra sauce like other reviewers suggested and used peanut butter in place of peanuts. Also I didn't have any cornstarch so I used flour instead. The sauce turned out really thick and goopy. My boyfriend was really turned off by the smell. The sesame oil was a little overpowering. I definitely won't be making this again.

I didn't have a lot of the ingrediants, so I substituted some of them for other things, but it still came out great!! I used peanut butter instead of peanuts, so that gave it a very different taste. It was still very good, and very easy!

I LOVE this recipe! If I could eat kung pao everyday then I would. I made mine sloppier with extra chili paste and soy sauce to make it really spicy. Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!!!

First I wanna say that I love Kung pao chicken! but wasn't sure about this one. I was OK as chicken and veggies but not sure if it was even close to the kung pao chicken at Panda Express!! sorry didn't really fell in love with this recipe. Maybe I did something wrong who knows, I am not trying to be mean, if it worked for you, good for you.

This recipe was way too much work marking out the recipe and then figuring out the ratios. Not exactly what a busy lady was looking to do on a busy weeknight. Because of the poor formatting and the ratios being so far off I only rated this as 3 stars it was a simple idea that should have been simple to execute. I now have a great recipe "my own" and it tastes just like I get it at the restaurant. The crucial things to make this dish excellent adjust the ratios for everything especially the sugar not much but enough. Don’t use anything but red pepper paste you want to at least use 2 1/2 xs more then what the original poster used to give it that same hotness you would expect at a restaurant. Chili sauce is not the same thing. Use seasoned rice vinegar found in Asian markets this will elevate this dish to restaurant worthy. Use sweet mirin wine, use a wok leave the peanuts whole fry them first for at least 25 seconds with the garlic to start off the dish being careful not to burn the garlic or peanuts. Use the leftover marinade to thin the sauce when it starts to get to thick don't use water to thin the sauce. Anything from the raw chicken being in the marinade will be cooked away from the heat. End with adding the onions at the last 25 seconds they will be perfect. Use one pan preferably a wok it will save time.

I didn't find this dish that flavorful - DH and I really wanted a nice, spicy hot Kung Pao - this was totally NOT spicy at all. In fact, it was so not spicy that the kids had no problem eating it. Since it had nuts, my daughter thought it was Peanut chicken, which she loved, so every scrap disappeared. But, to DH and I, it was not very flavorful, nor spicy, and so not what we were looking for. I followed the directions exactly, but tripled the marinade and sauce - and used chopped up pork loin instead of chicken.

Great Recipe! And you're not hungry 10 minutes after you eat. Ha...

To avoid the problem with the sauce in the dish being too pasty or thick while cooking, save the corn starch and add at the end when dish is done cooking. Use just 1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1.5 tbsp water, let simmer a few seconds to thicken.

This is for the person who asked about draining water chestnuts: Yes they should be drained unless specified otherwise in the recipe.

This is a pretty authentic recipe. I've made this couple of times. First, with Shaoshing wine and the last with white wine. Believe it or not, the white wine tasted much more authentic in this recipe. I used the siracha chile paste and it was perfect. I used thighs instead of breast since it's less dry in stir-fry. Didn't use peanuts since kids are not fans. Added a green and red pepper with fresh water chestnuts and tripled the recipe, except for the heat and corn starch.

This was not that great. Too thick of sauce, I tried to fix it with water, then it tasted watered down. Overall, it was a very disappointed dish.

This was a nice change for dinner. Served with steamed white rice and carrots. I subbed chili garlic sauce for the chili paste. It adds good flavor but not too much heat. We just aren't big on spicy foods here but do love Kung Pao Chicken.

I used rice vinegar instead. I left out the white wine (didn't have any) and it was still really good!

My family found the sauce very tasty, although my boyriend and my mother found it way too HOT; I think next time, I'll only add half of the chile paste it calls for... I doubled the sauce, as suggested by other reviewers, but it still didn't give me all much... I substituted the green onions for fresh chives from my mom's garden. This recipe was really easy (I'm a beginner cook)... I served the chicken on a bed of whole grain rice... Excellent!

Awesome! Just what I was looking for. I doubled the sauce and it was perfect. I substituted 2 tablespoons of chili & garlic sauce for chili paste and it was very hot -but we like it that way! I also recommend green pepper in this and enourage the use of cashews instead of peanuts.

I wasn't sure whether to drain the water chestnuts or not. I really didn't want that liquid in my dish so I opted to drain and then loosen the sauce with another liquid. Anyway, we thoroughly enjoyed it and adding some cayenne strips (deseeded) was a real flavor booster too.

I truly love this recipe and am about to make it for the fifth or sixth time. All the listed variations are helpful, but it stands on its own as listed. My favorite addition is fresh, crisp, green beans. Put them in late to avoid over-cooking. Bell peppers, chopped yellow onion, and most other vegetables work well. Great for cleaning out the fridge at the end of the week. Sambal Oelek is one of the more common (and cheap) chili pastes. They have it in most groceries. There's a rooster on the gold label. Its sits perfectly with this recipe.

Very good - but I don't think it's the atypical Kung Pao. It's a great stir fry with a little kick. Maybe I'd add the whole dried chili peppers like the restaurants do. Hubby and I ate it up though.

I did not care for this recipe. First, I tripled the marinade & sauce. There was way too much sesame oil flavor; also way too much cornstarch. If you use the amount it calls for (like I did), it ends up way too pasty.

Very good, but a little too spicy for me.

This recipe is fantastic! Better than most Chinese dishes I've tried in a lot of restaurants. The recipe is extremely easy. The sauce thickens up nicely with the chicken. I did cut back on the peanuts, it was too "peanuty" for me otherwise. I served it with noodles and it was a huge hit with the gang. Thanks for such a great recipe!

I rarely ever give a 5 stars, but this deserves 10. I am always trying to make chinese food and always fail, this was amazing. I tripled the marinade and quadrupled the sauce. I also cooked the chicken first and then when that had a nice brown to it I added the sauce until it became the consistency I preferred. I also in another pan cooked snow peas, garlic and water chestnuts with some of the sauce and then added the chicken to it because my hubby hates any veggies. I would make this again again and again, definitely was proud of myself for not screwing it up!!

I made this for my husband who loves kung pau chicken. He told me not to make it again because it was just ok. Only change I made was tripling the sauce.

This recipe was fantastic. Double the marinade and triple the sauce (careful tripling the chili paste, the GF and I LOVE spicy food and 3 ounces was too much for her. I would recommend 1.5 - 2 when tripling.). I brought a pot of water to boil (for pasta) and started to cook the chicken, marinade and all, and then shortly after started cooking the sauce. As other reviewers noted, when doubling the marinade and tripling the sauce, DO NOT double or triple the amounts of cornstarch. I only added 1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved into 1 tbsp of water into the sauce and it got thick very quickly. I would recommend keeping about a cup of water next to the stove because that's about how much I ended up adding. As soon as the chicken was done I added it to the sauce and threw in my pasta (highly recommend using "thick" spaghetti). Once my pasta was done, I strained, put it back into the pot, and dumped the sauce / chicken over it and mixed it in. It tastes JUST like California Pizza Kitchen's Kung Pao Spaghetti, SO SO good.

Awesome. I follow the recipe almost exactly except for a hungry family of four (and that includes two teenage boys with hollow legs), I have to really increase the recipe probably x6 and I substitute seasoned rice vinegar for regular vinegar. Oh, and you really don't have to marinate the chicken at all. I never do and it turns out beautiful. Almost never any leftovers and if there are, they go quick the next day for lunch.

This was an okay recipe that did in fact taste decent, but seemed to be missing something. I had some anxiety while making it because the aroma was so pungent that I wasn't sure how it would end up tasting - whether it would even be edible. Adding lots of water is probably the key here. I had taken some reviewers' advice and didn't use the cornstarch, but probably would use at least a little bit if I made this again, since it was a little too watery without it. I served it with egg-fried rice and spring rolls. Thanks.

Wonderful! I left out the water chestnuts and peanuts, doubled the garlic, nixed the chile paste (didn't have any). The sauce turned out a bit thicker than I like, but I just thinned it with 1/4 cup of H2O and it was perfect. Nomz!

Okay-when this was all done it didn't look appetizing! But the taste was amazing! Will work on my sauce to improve its visual appeal, but the taste is perfect.

Finally! Having tried to crack the code on making decent Chinese food at home for years, this was as close as I've come so far. Even winging it - substituted sherry for the wine, didn't have the green onions or peanuts...the sauce was awesome and very restaurant like, although I needed to add some liquid toward the end to thin it a bit (would have used wine if I'd had it so I used water) this was 'The Bomb'. Next time I'll have all the ingredients and definitely add some hot chilis.

This was great! I couldn't find hot chile paste so we used chili sauce and forgot to add something for kick, but will do that the next time. If you don't have sesame oil, get some! It really added a great flavor. I used 5 oz. of water chestnuts and some carrots, celery and onions. The dish was wonderful at first sitting, but didn't heat up well the next day. We'll have this again soon - thanks for the recipe!

I've been trying to make kung pao from scratch for years, and I've never *quite* got it.. but this recipe made a fantastic base! I used chicken thighs which give it that rich flavor and eliminate the need for cornstarch :P. I didn't use white wine, and I substituted stevia for sugar which worked just fine :). I separately quick fried my bell peppers, onions and celery in some coconut oil and added it to the chicken. I also quick fried some cabbage in coconut oil to put the chicken on top of. It was very good :)

Very good an authenic tasting. I added more garlic and chilli paste and chic broth to enhance an already great recipe! Thanks!

I would give this 10+ stars if I could!! AMAZING. I followed the recipe to the tee except I used 1/2 lbs cut up chicken tender meat, no onions or water chestnuts (ew) and I left the peanuts whole. WOW, this was fantastic. THANKS!

Good for a weeknight meal. Doesn't produce enough sauce for my liking. Consider doubling the sauce for next time to serve over the rice.

Very good! Definitely not enough sauce. I even doubled the sauce like suggested. I should have quadrupled the sauce.

Good recipe on the first try. I did double the sauce as suggested, but do not recommend doubling the corn starch, as it isnt necessary. I also did a few things to enrich the flavors: use half dark, half light soy sauce in the sauce, add some chipotle powder to the marinade and a little fresh ginger and extra minced garlic to the sauce as well. Great recipe.

I made exactly according to the recipe (minus water chestnuts- yuck) and it was delicious, but didn't taste like the King Pao I get at our local eateries.

Wonderful flavor but sauce is a bit think! Decrease amount of corn starch!! Double sauce (at least)

Really good. I took the other reviewers suggestions and doubled the sauce. Mine was super spicy, so I'll tone it down next time.

I needed to thin this out with about a 1/4 cup of water at the end. Delicious!

Excellent recipe... I added 1/4 cup more of brown sugar for some spicey sweetness.... it's a once a month meal for us now.

Deeeeeelish !!! First time I ever used hot chile paste. Doesn't have the same fire as chile garlic sauce. Had to triple the amount before we could start to feel the heat. Great recipe. Shared with a neighbor who said this was the best food she ever put in her mouth:)

Followed recipe exactly and this was not very good. Chicken definitely needs to be browned.

It is more of a spicy schezuan chicken than the kung pao that is served in the Chinese restaurants we have here, but still very tasty, and the leftovers were still excellent! I tripled the sauceas suggested by other reviewers. I used chili oil instead of sesame oil in the marinade and sauce to kick up the spicyness. I threw the chicken in the wok a minute and dumped the marinade and sauce in all together. Stirred vigorously and let it simmer for about 15 mins on medium heat. Only needed to add 1/4 cup of water in the process. The peanuts, water chestnuts and green onions were added towards the end (closer to when it was ready to serve.) Turned out with lots of sauce. Very delicious, very spicy! Thank you for the recipe! Will be making it again.

I believe the people who liked this recipe changed it pretty dramatically, as I did. We did enjoy my adaptation and would make it again. From reading the reviews I learned that the amount of cornstarch, sesame oil and hot chile paste are excessive and the recipe produces far too little sauce. Here is what I did. First I marinated the chicken as directed but without the cornstarch/water mixture. I didn’t have water chestnuts, so I sweated a mix of colored peppers in a little vegetable oil and removed them from the pan. I mixed up a triple batch of sauce, again omitting the cornstarch/water and significantly reducing the hot chile sauce and sesame oil to taste. I added a little more oil to the same pan, drained the marinade from the chicken, and quickly sautéed it until it was golden brown and cooked through and removed it from the pan. Then I deglazed the pan with the sauce. CAUTION: I’m not sure why, but even using a large 4-qt. pan, my sauce bubbled up extremely high. So much so, I had to remove it from the heat so it wouldn’t boil over. I mixed a rounded teaspoon of cornstarch with water and added it to the sauce until I reached the consistency I was after. I added the chicken back to heat through, but did not add the peppers because there was still not enough sauce, even after tripling it. Instead I microwaved the peppers to reheat and served them on the side. For those wanting to make this, read the reviews, both good and bad before proceeding!

10 stars, really! As others mentioned, definitely add the water to the sauce. About 1 cup, worked for me. I used cashews instead of peanuts. Made several times now, and each time has been a success! So easy and delicious. Leftovers make an excellent lunch!!

This was so good. I followed the other posts and made extra sauce. I added red bell peppers and dried chili peppers for an extra kick. I will be making it again

Excellent flavors, even though I only had chili sauce, not paste. I know it will be even better next time with chili paste. As everyone else said, the quantities for the sauce are unrealistic. 5X is the right amount to be served over rice. I made this along with brown rice and broccoli lo mein and busted my gut.

I made this last night and although it is tasty it is missing something. I can't really figure out exactly what though. I will try it again. .... OK...laughing at myself, I made this again, forgot that I had made it before and was going to say the same thing! I have decided that the marinade for the chicken is what is lacking. I will report back!

My Husaband and I love this recipe. We change it up a little, we use beef instead of chicken. It is always a big hit when I make it.

Excellent dish. Better than most restaurants! I followed the recipe to the letter, and in my opinion, it doesn't need changing at all (except for doubling the sauce, as others have recommended). This one's definitely a keeper!

My entire family loved it. Didn't realize that I hadn't put the chile past in until later that evening. It still had a little kick to it but not spicy - probably from the soy or vinegar. Def double the ingredients for the sauce EXCEPT the cornstarch. I'd reduce that significanly. Next time I'll probably get the sauce going and add the water/cornstartch as needed to thicken it instead of trying to thin it out. Yum yum!

So yummy!!! Double the sauce for sure. I used 1/2 a can of water chestnuts and chopped them up, otherwise it would have been too much for my liking. As others have mentions you will need to add some water. Add enough water to get your desired thickness. Thanks for the delicious recipe!

Good recipe...as close to the real thing as one can get w/o going out for Chinese! I did make a few minor adjustments based on what I had on hand. Once I saw how much the sauce made, I decided to triple it...it's not enough for the meat or rice if you choose to serve over rice. I used sherry in place of the wine, shrimp in place of chicken, peanuts in place of the cashews, and Wondra gravy mix in place of the cornstarch (it blends better than cornstarch or flour, so it's all I use). OUTSTANDING! This recipe is truly a keeper and I urge all to try it as is or with my minor changes.

I couldn't give this 5 stars although my end result was a 5; as is I felt it had no sauce! NOt sure why no one else mentioned but after I put the "sauce" in the pan and begun to heat it turned into some kind of paste so I ended up adding about 1/4 cup water. Over all the dish was tasty but I think you need to double or triple your sauce. I only had chili sauce so I added a dash of cayenne! My guys all liked this very much!

Wow! This was very hot but so good. I substituted tofu for chicken and added carrots, brocolli and bamboo shoots. Definitely double (or triple the recipe). Exact measurements aren't required either - I added more soy sauce for a saltier taste.

Very tasty. Can adjust heat with crushed red pepper as desired. Definitely double the sauce.

Spicy! I like it that way though!

We thoroughly enjoyed your recipe (thank you!). Halved main recipe, but kept sauce as written - sauce did thicken up a little too much, but nothing a little water couldn't fix. We added baby corn (spectacular) and some sliced Napa cabbage. Next time, will need to remember to cut meat quite small (I left too large), and perhaps add a sliver or two of ginger. I think some small red peppers would be a nice addition as well (we didn't find recipe spicy at all and ended up adding some hot chili sauce to compensate). UPDATE: had to come back and upgrade to a 5 (grin) - this stuff is just good!

Oh, yummy!!! A little spicy for my Anoose, but with less chili paste it is mad tasty. Oh yeah, oh yeah. I doubled the marinade and tripled the sauce. Pudgy hubby liked it too. Oh, and one more thing (oh yeah, oh yeah): don't add cornstarch mixture, don't add cornstarch mixture. Oh yeah, no need, oh yeah, oh yeah.

This was very good! I wavered between 4 and 5 stars, actually, but decided on 4 because I made a few little changes which improved it. Because we are a bit sensitive to spiciness, I cut the chili paste in about half. I also doubled the brown sugar and added extra water to the finished dish, which made more sauce. This recipe had excellent flavor and I will certainly be making it again!

Nice, easy, yummy recipe! I made very few modifications. Just doubled the amount of the marinade and tripled the sauce. I used less cornstarch than called for and still had to add more water. Nothing wrong with that. I'm just happy that the kids enjoyed it and that we didn't have to pay restaurant prices for a meal with an Asian flair.

My husband is very picky and a lover of chinese food. He gave this recipe a definite 5 stars (which is a first). I took previous reviewers advice and tripled the amount of sauce.

Just as good as eating out!

Excellent flavor but very spicy! Next time I will scale back on the amount of chili paste. I omitted the water chestnuts because I dislike them, and added thinly sliced carrots, onions and red bell pepper. I will definitely make this again. Thanks!

Very good, will make again. Doubled the marinade and tripled the sauce. Sauce ended up a bit thick so next time I'll triple everything except cornstarch/water mixture. Couldn't find chili paste so used Sesame Oil w/Chili. Came out spicy, but not too spicy for us.

This recipe was fantastic! My husband and I are trying to eat healthier so I changed a few things. I only used 1TBLSP of Sesame Seed oil for the whole recipe. I omitted the water chestnuts and peanuts and put in 1/2 tsp of reduced fat peanut butter. I didn't have chile paste so I used 1TBLSP Red Pepper Sauce and 1/2TBLSP of crushed red pepper flakes. We served it over brown rice. This turned out absolutely incredible. My husband loves Chinese food and said he thought it was the best Kung Pao Chicken he has ever had. This will be a staple at my house. Thanks for the recipe!!

not bad as stated, but will need to double the sauce.

5x the sauce other than the cornstarch part, left that as written. I added some extra veggies too. This was yummy delicious! Will definately add to my rotation!

Not sure whati did wrong but found the flavor a bit off and the texture too thick...

I gave this a 5 because it tasted good...even with my error! I accidentally put the chicken in the pan without browning first, and just cooked right in the sauce. I also added baby corn, some green pepper chunks and water chestnuts. Ate with the coconut rice from this site. I made according to the recipe other than my error (even the chile paste). Was just the right spice. Yum!

This was so flavorful and great! I did double the marinade and sauce and was glad I did (also added about 1/4 cup of water to sauce). I also followed others and added red pepper thinly sliced. I mistakenly added 1 can of bean sprouts and my husband and I really liked the added flavor. I wasn't sure about the chile paste because I'd never used it before and found a red pepper chile paste that seemed to work okay. I added about 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes and the dish had the perfect bite. I served this over steamed jasmine rice and it tasted perfect. Thanks for a great recipe that will be used frequently in my home.