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Everyone who comes over for dinner begs for us to make this awesome Baked Kung Pao Chicken. Holy crispy, saucy chicken that everyone loves to devour!
Hello hello! I am so excited to be over here at Sweet Basil’s pad today. My name is Alyssa and I blog over at The Recipe Critic. You see, Carrian and I go way back. And when I say way back, its been about 2 years since we met for the first time at a blog conference. But 2 years is a long time in blog years and Carrian and I became instant friends. She is literally the sweetest thing on the planet. It is so much fun to meet up with her. I adore Carrian!
As you have heard in Carrian’s post here, she is expecting another sweet babe! But pregnancies aren’t the easiest for her and I can’t imagine being as sick as she is. It breaks my heart! So I am here today to bring Carrian dinner. And you guys are going to love it. So much that it will become an instant favorite just like it is at our house.
The breading on this chicken is exactly what you would order at a nice chinese restaurant. The technique is spot on and couldn’t be better. My favorite comment that I have gotten about this chicken is, “My husband was checking the garbage because he didn’t believe that I made this. He thought that I ordered take out because it was so good!” The chicken bakes at a low temperature and it browns the chicken up perfectly and thickens up the sauce. Of course, you can just cook the chicken on the stove and toss it in the sauce, but I love how it comes out of the oven and is so delicious.
Kung Pao is one of my favorite kinds. I love how it has just enough of a kick but isn’t too spicy. The peppers and peanuts throughout add a delicious texture and crunch. This dish was absolutely incredible! The ingredients are simple but it is so full of flavor. You won’t even be able to believe how yummy it is when you make it!
As soon as I pulled it out of the oven and had my first bite my mind was blown. This is hands down one of the best things that I have ever made. The flavor turned out perfectly and this is going to be a dish that your family will love! Try it out for yourself. You won’t regret it.
What is Kung Pao Chicken?
Kung Pao Chicken is a spicy, stir-fried Chinese dish made with chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers.
Is Rice Gluten Free?
Yes, all rice is gluten-free.
This includes brown rice, white rice and wild rice.
Can You Substitute Quinoa for Rice?
One cup of quinoa has about 40 fewer calories than one cup of rice.
It is high in protein and has about 15 times less carbohydrates than white rice.
Quinoa is a good, healthier substitute for rice.
Baked Kung Pao Chicken
Baked Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
- 3-4 Chicken Breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 1½ Cup Cornstarch
- 3 Eggs, beaten
- ¼ Cup Canola Oil
- 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
- 1/4 Cup Vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon Red Chili Paste, like Sriracha
- 1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/2 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 Red Pepper, chopped
- 1/4 Cup Peanuts
- Green Onions, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.3-4 Chicken Breasts, Salt and Pepper to taste
- In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs.1½ Cup Cornstarch, 3 Eggs
- Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture. (Yes you dip the chicken in cornstarch first, then the egg.. trust me. :))
- Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned.¼ Cup Canola Oil
- Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, red chili paste, minced garlic, brown sugar, and cornstarch.1/4 Cup Soy Sauce, 1/4 Cup Vinegar, 1 Tablespoon Red Chili Paste, 1 teaspoon Garlic, 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar, 1/2 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- Pour over chicken and toss to coat.
- Add the chopped red peppers and peanuts on top.1 Red Pepper, 1/4 Cup Peanuts
- Bake for 1 hour.
- I stirred the chicken every 15 minutes so that it coated them in the sauce.Green Onions
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Orange Chicken
Whenever we went out for takeout my go-to pick was that awesome orange chicken until I learned that I could make an even better version at home!
Cashew Chicken
There’s nothing like a big pile of cashew chicken on top of sticky white rice.
So incredibly good and much healthier than what you get in restaurants – no MSG and less salt. For a gluten free version, I swap the soy sauce for low sodium Tamari and it is a family favorite.
Oh my gosh yaasss!! I’m so happy to hear it!!!
This was awful!! It was sour and flavorless!
I’m sorry you didn’t have a positive experience with this! It has always turned out great for us!
This has to be my favorite recipe in the whole world. Its gluten free, so I can have it, and my husband will actually finish it off if I don’t get my seconds quick enough, haha.
I make this a few times a year, but I would make it more often if it weren’t quite as messy, for how clumsy I am.
(I just end up flinging the corn starch all over the kitchen…)
I use white wine vinegar instead of regular white vinegar, and it just does something magical to the flavor of this dish, in my opinion.
I seriously get corn starch all over the place every single time I use it. What is it about corn starch?! We are so happy you enjoy this dish! Thank you for leaving a comment!
Your recipes look awesome! I came here because of a picture of your orange chicken but that recipe seems to be down is it coming back soon?
Stupid question. Salted or unsalted peanuts? Going to make tonight!
You can actually use either, but just keep an eye on the salt you add if you use salted. 🙂
does this bake covered or uncovered?
Hi Beth, it bakes uncovered. Hope you love it!
Does it really need to go in the oven for a full hour? It seems like the chicken would be really overlooked; is it not?
Hi Ali, one hour is correct to get that caramelized, sticky flavor, however you can do as little as 30 minutes if you need to.
Probably a dumb question…what kind of vinegar? 🙂 Thanks for sharing your recipe!
You can use white or apple cider but generally white is used.