Ground Kung Pao Chicken (1 Pan!)

4 Servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ground Kung Pao Chicken with chopped zucchini, bell peppers and crunchy peanuts in Panda Express copycat sauce and done in 20 minutes!

Ground Kung Pao Chicken with chopped zucchini, bell peppers and crunchy peanuts in Panda Express copycat sauce and done in 20 minutes!Ground Kung Pao Chicken was the logical next step after we started making Ground Orange Chicken.

Just like the Ground Orange Chicken the crisp texture the chicken has because we brown it well before breaking it apart is amazing and it still has that amazing Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken Sauce that we all love.

With the use of ground chicken and finely chopped vegetables this dish literally takes 20 minutes to make, and that is at a leisurely pace.

In fact the sauce in this recipe is authentic and released by Panda Express. Sometimes they release them in obscure places like the Spicy Cashew Chicken that was only shared on a morning show on a local broadcast or this sauce recipe which was shared in a local news story about a location opening up in Honolulu in 2007. Sometimes being an internet detective pays off!

20 minutes to make this Ground Kung Pao Chicken with Panda Express Copycat Sauce!

Set your rice to cook in the rice cooker, start cooking the chicken, and wash and cut up some broccoli to steam in the microwave (glass bowl, a bit of water and a wet paper towel over the top for 3 minutes). By the time the rice is done cooking, so is dinner.

Want more Chinese Food Recipes?

The WHOLE FAMILY loved this Ground Kung Pao Chicken! Plus the veggies were so finely minced they were hidden!

Tools Used in the making of the Ground Kung Pao Chicken:
Wok: Great for high heat, quick cooking. This wok is a great addition to your kitchen if you love cooking Chinese food or stir fries in general.
Large Frying Pan: I use this Cuisinart for most of my non cast iron cooking unless I am going with a stainless steel option, then I choose my All Clad.
Soy Sauce: Nothing much to say here except Kikkoman has the best flavor overall and I always recommend reduced sodium.
Sesame Oil: The flavor of sesame oil in this dish is unmistakeable and not really able to be substituted. Some Asian grocery stores will try and sell less expensive options that aren’t actually sesame oil, so just be sure the one you’re buying is authentic sesame oil.
Rice Wine: Adds an authentic flavor to the sauce, in a pinch if you absolutely can’t find it you can substitute white wine, but it will make it taste slightly different.

Pin this recipe now to remember it later

Pin Recipe

Ground Kung Pao Chicken

Ground Kung Pao Chicken with chopped zucchini, bell peppers and crunchy peanuts in Panda Express copycat sauce and done in 20 minutes!
Yield 4 Servings
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound ground chicken
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided
  • 1 red bell pepper , minced
  • 1 large zucchini , minced
  • 1/4 cup diced green onion , white part only, in 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground garlic
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon cooking wine (I used white wine)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoons water
  • 2 ounces dry roasted peanuts , crushed

Instructions

  • Heat wok/skillet on high heat 10 seconds, you want that pan to be nice and hot!
  • To a large pan add 1 tablespoon canola oil and ground chicken.
  • Cook until a good crust forms before breaking apart, then finish cooking by breaking it apart with a spatula and cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes.
  • Remove the chicken from the pan, add the other tablespoon of canola oil, red bell pepper and zucchini.
  • Cook on high and cook for 1-2 minutes, until just caramelized and slightly cooked.
  • Add the crushed red pepper, green onions, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper, sesame oil and cooked ground chicken.
  • Stir for 2-3 seconds and immediately add the wine, soy sauce and water mixed with cornstarch.
  • Bring it to a boil for a minute or so until the sauce has thickened.
  • Garnish with crushed peanuts if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 355kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 808mg | Potassium: 936mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1240IU | Vitamin C: 47.9mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2.1mg
Keyword: ground kung pao chicken, kung pao chicken
The WHOLE FAMILY loved this Ground Kung Pao Chicken! Plus the veggies were so finely minced they were hidden! Made with Panda Express Copycat Sauce!
Ground Kung Pao Chicken with chopped zucchini, bell peppers and crunchy peanuts in Panda Express copycat sauce and done in 20 minutes!
20 minutes to make this Ground Kung Pao Chicken with Panda Express Copycat Sauce!

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

Categories

Leave a comment & rating

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. My husband and I loved this! The only thing I did differently was go a little light on the crushed red pepper, and add a bit more sesame oil than called for. Ours also was not red in color. We thought the flavor was just right. I don’t think I’d attempt to feed this to my kids (positive they’d turn their noses up), but for us grownups it’s going to be a staple!

    1. Hi Val. The sauce in this recipe is authentic and released by Panda Express. Sometimes they release them in obscure places like the Spicy Cashew Chicken that was only shared on a morning show on a local broadcast or this sauce recipe which was shared in a local news story about a location opening up in Honolulu in 2007. Sometimes being an internet detective pays off! The sauce is created by the ingredients listed in the recipe! Enjoy.

  2. This sounds so yummy! I have this on my dinner list for next week. Can you put the red pepper and zucchini in a food processor to cut down on prep time?

    1. Use Pulse on the food processor and carefully watch – you don’t your vegetables to be to small