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Whole30 Kung-Pao Chicken

Kung-Pao Chicken is a spicy stir-fry Chinese dish made with chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers. This highly addictive stir-fry continues to be one of the most popular Chinese dishes in America thanks to its decadent sweet, savory and spicy sauce.  I know all of you are going to LOVE this Whole30 Kung-Pao Chicken, whether you are Whole30 or not.

If you are a spicy food lover and you don’t have Sichuan Peppercorns, be sure to stock up next time you visit your local Asian grocery store– or you can even find them on Amazon. I love the numbing effect they have. This Whole30 Kung-Pao Chicken can be made without the Sichuan pepper and it still tastes great, you can just adjust the red chiles to your taste. 

Whole30 Kung-Pao Chicken
Serves 4
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
35 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
20 min
Total Time
35 min
Ingredients
  1. 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  2. salt and pepper, to taste
  3. 1 tbsp. arrowroot starch
  4. 2 tbsp. olive or avocado oil
  5. 1 red bell pepper, seeds and stem removed and diced
  6. 1 green bell pepper, seeds and stem removed and diced
  7. 2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
  8. 6 scallions, white portions only, cut into ¾” pieces
  9. 1 tsp. freshly grated ginger
  10. 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
  11. 4 dried red chilies, seeds removed and sliced (or 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes)
  12. 1/2 tsp. ground sichuan peppercorns (I ground mine with a mortar and pestle)-- if you can't find these you can omit and just adjust the red chiles to your taste.
  13. 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
  14. 1/4 cup coconut aminos
  15. 1/2 tsp. fish sauce
  16. 1.5 cups roasted + salted cashews, loosely chopped
Instructions
  1. Cut chicken breasts into 3/4 inch cubes and place in a bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper and add the arrowroot. Toss until chicken is evenly coated.
  2. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tbsp. oil. When hot, but not smoking, add the chicken to the skillet and cook until the chicken is seared and golden brown on all sides and cooked through, about 7 minutes.
  3. Add the bell peppers, dried chiles, sichuan pepper, onion, and garlic to the skillet and continue to saute for another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add in the coconut aminos, rice vinegar, fish sauce, ginger, and cashews. Let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, another 4 minutes (more or less).
  5. Taste and add salt if needed.
  6. Enjoy!
The Defined Dish https://thedefineddish.com/

Welcome! I’m Alex.

I’m a food lover sharing healthy, simple, delicious, recipes from my kitchen to yours. Here you’ll find lots of Whole30, lots of healthy, and a little indulgence here and there because…it’s all about balance y’all!

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5 Comments

  1. I found this recipe during the pandemic and we love it! We make it at least twice a month. I omit the chiles and add chile crisp at the end (100% not whole30, but I’m not making this for its whole30-ness…). We also add green beans in with the peppers to amp up the vegetable content. Thank you for this!

    Reply

  2. Hi!
    In your recipes that you use rice vinegar, do you use brown or white rice vinegar? Or no real preference?
    Thank you!!

    Reply

    1. either one is fine! Since it’s vinegar, it doesn’t matter. I have organic white rice vinegar just because its easier to find 😉

      Reply

  3. I found fiesta brand dried red chilis. Do they need to be rehydrated before cooking? Or just chopped dry and added to the pan?

    Reply