This Authentic kung pao chicken recipe is the original Szechuan stir-fry dish made with juicy pieces of chicken breasts, long green onions, peanuts and chili peppers cooked in spicy Szechuan peppercorns. My keto kung pao chicken recipes uses keto friendly ingredients making this keto Chinese recipe completely soy free and sugar free.
What is Kung Pao Chicken?
Kung Pao Chicken, also known as 宫保鸡丁 (gong bao ji ding) is a classic Szechuan dish made with chicken, peanuts, long green onions (Japanese leeks) and Szechuan peppercorns. It can also sometimes be called Gong Bao Chicken depending on how it was translated from the pinyin.
The traditional dish traditionally doesn’t use any vegetables apart from the Japanese leeks, but its American counterpart, the famous Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken, will usually use bell peppers and zucchini with a different sauce that includes hoisin sauce in its recipe.
What is in Kung Pao Chicken?
Chinese Kung Pao chicken traditionally uses specialty ingredients like Shaoxing wine, Szechuan peppercorns, Szechuan chili peppers, raw peanuts and Japanese leeks. The chicken pieces are marinated in Shaoxing wine to enhance the flavor of the dish.
- [easyazon_link identifier=”B07K6VD6DL” locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]Shaoxing Wine[/easyazon_link]: If it’s hard to find, you can use Japanese sake. If that’s also not available, chicken bouillon will do. I personally prefer to use sake as it has less carbs.
- [easyazon_link identifier=”B071CX48ZS” locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]Szechuan Peppercorns[/easyazon_link]: They are usually flash fried into a pan to release their oils and spiciness. These peppercorns are the most important part of the dish as they give the dish its famous numbing flavor.
- [easyazon_link identifier=”B06XX51N55″ locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]Szechuan Chili Peppers[/easyazon_link]: It’s nearly impossible to find Szechuan chili peppers in grocery stores out of Asia, so it’s totally fine to use any kind of dried chili peppers you can find. If not, you can just use some chili flakes and that will give the heat the dish needs.
- [easyazon_link identifier=”B07VMB9NND” locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]Raw Peanuts[/easyazon_link]: They are often used in this dish and fried in the oil along with the spices before adding the chicken and leeks in. If you don’t like peanuts, you can also substitute it for cashew nuts.
- Long Green Onion: The white part of the Japanese leek, also called long green onions, is also used in this Chinese Kung Pao chicken recipe. If you live in Asia, you’ll find this leek anywhere, but if not, you’ll have to look in Asian supermarkets to see if they have it. If not, you can just use chopped onions or spring onions.
How many carbs in Kung Pao Chicken
In either the authentic Kung Pao chicken recipe or the Panda Express Kung Pao chicken, the carbs aren’t that high as the chicken isn’t breaded. The carbs will mostly come from the sauce which has a little bit of sugar in it. The original dishes have about 14g of carbs and this keto kung pao chicken has 4.7g net carbs.
To make this healthy Kung Pao chicken keto friendly, I’ve switched the traditional sugar and used keto brown sugar, Lakanto Golden, instead. I’ve also switched the corn starch for a bit of xanthan gum to create a low carb slurry.
How to make Authentic Kung Pao Chicken
It doesn’t take a lot of work to make this low carb kung pao chicken recipe.
First you’ll cut your chicken breasts and add the marinade ingredients. You’ll want to let it marinate for at least 20 minutes.roast the Szechuan peppercorns in a frying pan until the pan starts to smoke. This will allow the peppercorns to release their flavors and oil.
You’ll then cook the ginger, chili peppers and peppercorns a little bit. Add the long green onions and peanuts and stir fry just until soft.
Add the chicken breast and stir-fry 4-5 minutes on low-medium heat. It’s really important to stir fry the chicken on low-medium heat and not high heat so that your chicken breasts stay nice and juicy, instead of completely dried out.
The last step is to add the Kung Pao sauce and stir fry until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.
Slow Cooker Kung Pao Chicken
If you’d like to make this healthy kung pao chicken in the slow cooker or a crock pot, you’ll need to roast the peppercorns, peanuts and chili peppers in a frying pan before adding them to a slow cooker.
Once they’re all roasted, go ahead and add all of the ingredients into the slow cooker, mix well and cook for 2.5 to 4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the keto stir fry sauce made of?
The keto stir fry sauce for this keto Kung Pao chicken is a mix of coconut aminos, sesame oil, black vinegar, sake, keto brown sugar with lots of Szechuan peppercorns and chili peppers.
This recipe uses coconut aminos to keep it soy free, but you can also use tamari, soy sauce or liquid aminos. For the keto brown sugar, you’ll want to use a keto brand like [easyazon_link identifier=”B01ARKFXVS” locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]Sukrin Gold[/easyazon_link] or [easyazon_link identifier=”B01LDNBC86″ locale=”US” tag=”mypcoskitchen-20″]Lakanto Golden[/easyazon_link].
Why add baking soda to the chicken breast?
Adding baking soda to meat like chicken, pork and beef helps tenderize the meat, which helps it make it more soft and juicy in this low carb Kung Pao chicken recipe.
What to serve with Kung Pao chicken?
Kung Pao chicken is traditionally served over rice or noodles, but those are nether keto or paleo. Here are a few sides you can serve it with.
- Broccoli Rice
- Cauliflower Rice
- Shirataki Noodles
- Shirataki Rice
- Zucchini Noodles
- Sauteed Green Beans
How to Store Gong Bao Chicken
You’ll want to store this Chinese Kung Pao chicken recipe in a Tupperware in the fridge. It will last about 5 days in the fridge. It’s also freezer friendly so you can freeze individual portions in small Tupperwares or Ziploc bags. In the freezer, it should last about 2-3 months.
More Keto Asian Recipes
Here are some more keto Asian recipes, you’ll love to make!
- Keto Teriyaki Chicken: Juicy pieces of chicken thighs cooked in a sugar free teriyaki sauce with different vegetables.
- Thai Sweet Chili Chicken: These are keto deep fried chicken thighs coated in a sugar free sweet chili sauce.
- Healthy Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry: This easy stir fry is made in a frying pan and ready in less than 30 minutes!
- Thai Chicken Pad See Ew: A delicious low carb way to make a Thai stir fry with keto friendly noodles.
Final Tips & Substitutions
Make sure to read the following tips and substitutions before making this authentic Kong Pao chicken recipe!
- Make sure to add that baking soda to the chicken breasts. It really helps make them super soft and juicy!
- Make sure to use Szechuan peppercorns and not other kinds of peppercorns. This healthy kung pao chicken recipe is known for its famous numbing taste due to the Szechuan.
- Instead of chicken, feel free to use shrimp or beef!
- Instead of sake, you can use shaoxing wine. I chose to use sake because it has less carbs and is more available here in Japan than shaoxing wine.
- Instead of xanthan gum, you can use corn starch, arrowroot powder or taptioca starch to make a slurry.
- Instead of long green onions, you can use onions or spring onions.
- Instead of coconut aminos, you can use soy sauce, liquid aminos or tamari.
- Instead of peanuts, you can use cashew nuts.
Authentic Keto Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
Recipe Video
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 530 g (18.7 oz) boneless skinless chicken breast (2 large breasts)
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp cooking sake (or shaoxing wine)
- ½ tbsp baking soda
Kung Pao Spices
- 1 tsp ginger (grated)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
- 2 tbsp raw peanuts (or cashew nuts)
- 1-3 chili peppers
Kung Pao Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp black vinegar (or white vinegar)
- 2 tbsp cooking sake (or shaoxing wine)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp Lakanto Golden (keto brown sugar)
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum
- 1 long green onion (Japanese leek)
Instructions
- Slice the chicken breast into 1 inch/2 cm cubes.
- Place the chicken breast into a large bowl and cover with the coconut aminos, sake and baking soda. Mix well and let it marinate for 20 minutes.
- While the chicken is marinating, add the Szechuan peppercorns to a frying pan and put on medium heat. Roast them until the pan starts to smoke. Take them out of the frying pan and transfer them to a mortar and pestle. Crush as fine as you can.
- Grate the ginger, slice the chili peppers in 3, slice the long green onion in 1 inch/2cm pieces.
- In a large frying pan, add the Kung Pao spices ingredients and cook on medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the long green onion and cook for another minute.Add the marinated chicken pieces and start stir-frying. To get the most juicy pieces of chicken breast, make sure you cook it on low-medium heat. If you cook the chicken breast on high heat, they will dry out. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the Kung Pao sauce ingredients and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove from the heat and the dish is ready to serve!
Notes
- Make sure to add that baking soda to the chicken breasts. It really helps make them super soft and juicy!
- Make sure to use Szechuan peppercorns and not other kinds of peppercorns. This healthy kung pao chicken recipe is known for its famous numbing taste due to the Szechuan.
- Instead of chicken, feel free to use shrimp or beef!
- Instead of sake, you can use shaoxing wine. I chose to use sake because it has less carbs and is more available here in Japan than shaoxing wine.
- Instead of xanthan gum, you can use corn starch, arrowroot powder or taptioca starch to make a slurry.
- Instead of long green onions, you can use onions or spring onions.
- Instead of coconut aminos, you can use soy sauce, liquid aminos or tamari.
- Instead of peanuts, you can use cashew nuts.
Nutritional information is provided through calculations made on fatsecret.com. They are approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on mypcoskitchen.com. Sugar alcohols are included in the fiber count. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber (which include sugar alcohols).
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Radwa
That looks so delicious! I am a super fan of asian food.
Lisa Groom
I made a rendition of this and it was AHMAZING! Zucchini noodles helped us get rid on 2 medium zucchini noodles from our overflowing garden. I sautéed them in sesame oil with a bit of garlic. I swear this was the best stir fry I made! Brilliant call on the baking soda for the chicken!
5 out of 5 stars!