Enjoy the authentic flavors of Copycat Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken with fresh veggies and crunchy peanuts in an easy ginger garlic sauce!
Dive into the rich tapestry of Asian cuisine with these similar mouthwatering recipes. You’ll love the sizzling Spicy Cashew Chicken, the ever-popular Orange Chicken, and our delicious Teriyaki Chicken, there’s always something special waiting for your palate!

Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken (Copycat) is a classic stir-fried dish from the Sichuan province and has won hearts worldwide with its impeccable fusion of spicy, sweet, and savory flavors. This homemade copycat version captures the essence of the beloved dish while allowing you to adjust the heat level to your preference. The chicken, combined with a symphony of sauce ingredients, offers an explosion of taste in every bite. While traditional versions in Sichuan might lean towards a fiercer heat, the beauty of making it at home means customizing it to your liking.
Another name often given to this dish is “Compound Chicken” which sounds the same when verbalized! What makes this recipe truly stand out is its authenticity. And if you’re in the mood to explore more, don’t miss out on the Panda Express Orange Chicken (Copycat) that’s equally delightful.
More Easy Panda Express Copycat Recipes
How to Make Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken (Copycat)
Unleash your inner chef and bring the magic of Panda Express right to your own kitchen. With easily available ingredients and simple steps, you can recreate this Asian delicacy in no time. Check it out!
- Ingredients: Get fresh chicken breast, and ensure your pantry is stocked with all the sauce ingredients. For that classic stir-fry touch, ensure you have roasted peanuts and vegetables at hand.
- Preparing the Chicken – Begin by cutting the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces. Season it well and ensure it’s ready for the stir-fry process. To make the chicken more like Panda Express, cut the chicken into large cubes and then pulse it twice in the food processor for just a ½ second each just to break it apart and give it the same unique look.
- Sauce Base – In a small bowl add the wine, soy sauce, and water and set aside.
- Stir Fry – Heat oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and stir fry until they’re golden brown. Push chicken to the side, add vegetables, and stir fry until they’re slightly tender. Pour in the sauce and stir everything together.
- Serve – Once everything’s well-combined and cooked, dish it out and sprinkle roasted peanuts for that added crunch and chopped green onions for a pop of color. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken breast is recommended because of its lean texture and ability to soak up the flavorful sauce. But you can use any chicken you have on hand.
For the best flavor, we highly recommend letting the chicken marinate for at least an hour, even overnight if you’d like! But it technically doesn’t need to be marinaded.
While traditional Kung Pao Chicken is known for its spicy flavor, this recipe allows you to adjust the spiciness according to your preference. Just add more pepper flakes if you’d like more spice, or less pepper flakes and chilis if you prefer less.
Absolutely! Feel free to substitute with cashews or almonds, though peanuts offer the most authentic flavor.
You’ll love this Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken, even if you have never enjoyed it at Panda because the amount of oil per serving is just 1 tablespoon, and with the addition of white meat chicken, zucchini, and bell peppers, this dish is very healthy even though it is “take out.”
If you want to cut down the fat even further you can either ditch the peanuts in the pan and just sprinkle a couple of crushed peanuts on top or cut down on the oil by using half.

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Key Ingredients in Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken (Copycat)
Creating an authentic Kung Pao Chicken dish starts with the ingredients. The beauty of this dish lies in the marriage of fresh components with flavor-packed seasonings, resulting in a stir-fry that’s both robust and comforting. Many would argue that the essence of a good Kung Pao is its sauce, and the base for that lies in our key ingredients. Here’s what makes it so good:
- Soy Sauce: This is a fundamental ingredient in many Asian cuisines, it provides depth, color, and a salty umami flavor to the dish. While light-sodium soy sauce is often used, regular can give a richer taste.
- Chicken Breast: While you can go for chicken thighs for a juicier outcome, tender chicken breasts provide a cleaner taste, allowing sauce ingredients to shine through.
- Ginger & Garlic: A tablespoon of fresh ginger and about 2 cloves garlic grated are good to use if you don’t have the dried version utilized in this recipe.
- Red Chili: For this recipe, we are using dried red chile de árbol (arbol chile) which can easily be found in the Latino section in most grocery stores.
- Sesame Oil: The rich umami flavor of sesame oil gives a deep flavor to each bite. We are using regular untoasted sesame oil, but you can use a variant if that is what you have available. Just make sure it is 100% sesame oil.
Can Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken (Copycat) Be Made Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! Kung Pao Chicken is a dish that tastes even better the next day when flavors have had the time to meld. Prepare the stir-fry, let it cool, and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, reheat on the stovetop, adding a splash of water or broth if it appears too thick. If you’re making it for guests, you can prep the chicken and sauce a day or two in advance, and simply stir-fry before serving. Be sure to serve it within 2 days of making it. Add fresh peanuts and chopped green onion before serving.
Substitutions in Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken (Copycat)
- Soy Sauce: Tamari or coconut aminos can be great alternatives, especially for those with gluten intolerance or soy allergies.
- Chicken: For a vegetarian twist, use tofu or tempeh. Adjust cooking times accordingly.
- Peanuts: Allergic to peanuts? Cashews or almonds can be a delightful replacement.
- White Wine: You can always use white grape juice as a substitute. Rice vinegar is also a good substitute.

Variations on Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken (Copycat)
Diversity is the spice of life. While the classic Kung Pao Chicken is undeniably delicious, a few tweaks can present a whole new dish.
- Shrimp Kung Pao: Swap chicken for shrimp for a seafood twist. Adjust the cooking time as shrimp cooks faster.
- Veggie-Loaded Kung Pao: Amp up the nutrition by adding a plethora of vegetables like extra bell peppers, baby corn, mushrooms, and snap peas.
- Panda Express Kung Pao Sauce: If you don’t want to make the sauce yourself you can buy the bottled variety and follow the recipe for the vegetables and chicken to complete the dish.
More Easy Asian Takeout Meals
How to Store Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken (Copycat)
- Serve: Serve hot and keep covered when not being served. Don’t leave the dish out for more than two hours.
- Store: In an airtight container, it’ll last 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Freeze: Freezing is possible, though the texture might change slightly upon reheating. Store in a sealed container and use within 2-3 months.


Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts , diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 large egg
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kung Pao Base
- 1 teaspoon cooking wine , white wine works
- 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil , divided
- 12 chili peppers , smaller than 3 inches; if longer, cut in half
- 1/4 cup green onion , diced, white part only, in 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger , dried (or use a full tablespoon fresh ginger)
- 1 teaspoon ground garlic , dried (or use a full tablespoon of fresh garlic)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch , make it a slurry mixed with ½ tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 ounces dry roasted peanuts
- 1 red bell pepper , cut into ¾ inch cubes
- 1 large zucchini , cut into ¾ inch cubes
Instructions
- Combine the chicken, ¼ cup water, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ egg, ¼ cup cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- In a small bowl add the wine, soy sauce and water and set aside.
- Heat wok/skillet on high heat 60 seconds, you want that pan to be nice and hot!
- Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
- Remove chicken from marinade and add to wok, cooking on high heat for 60 seconds.
- Remove the chicken from the pan, add another ½ tablespoon of oil and the red bell pepper and zucchini.
- Cook on high and cook for 1-2 minutes, until just caramelized and slightly cooked.
- Remove vegetables and add the chili peppers.
- Stir until they darken a bit, then add the green onions, peanuts, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper, and sesame oil.
- Stir throughouly and immediately add the wine/soy/water mixture.
- Bring it to a boil, then add the cornstarch and water mix and stir until it has thickened.
- Add the chicken and vegetables back in, stir to combine.
Nutrition

Photos used in a previous version of this post.






I replaced the chicken with Mahi-Mahi, and my family and I LOVED it! Thank you!
Thanks for the suggestion! So glad you all loved it!
I love Kung Pao chicken and can’t wait to try this recipe… thanks for posting it! Can the wine be replaced with something else, though? If yes, what would you recommend I use?
You can use white grape juice as a substituion for the wine if you’d like. 🙂
Very delicious! I had the Panda Kung Pao sauce in a bottle that you buy at the grocery store but prepared everything as instructed and added like 1/4 cup of the bottled sauce. It was delicious before I added the sauce. My boyfriend wants me to make this again and it hasn’t even been a week! Just printed the recipe to have on hand. Thank you!
That’s so awesome!! So glad you both enjoyed it!
This recipe is delicious. I lived in Asia for two years and I think this recipe is as good as I remember.
Just made it tonight, and you have no idea how happy I was to see the end result looked so pretty, colorful and tasted amazing, just like the one at Panda Express!! Thank you for a great and easy recipe!!
How fantastic! I’m so glad you loved it!
Just made this, it is great! Added extra red pepper because I like it spicy and it was sooooooo good. Definitely keeping the recipe and will make again! So quick too!
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Question on sesame oil: untoasted, or, if toasted, light toast or dark toast?
You could use either but personally, I used untoasted for this recipe.
Easy to follow directions. Tasty dish with plenty of flavor. My husband loved it. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks for the 5 stars!!
The recipe doesn’t say if the ginger and garlic are fresh ground or dried. I am assuming dry, please let me know if this is correct or not. Can’t rate it yet as I have not tasted it. Hoping I will love it!
Yes, I used dry ginger and garlic for this recipe. 🙂
If I want to make this for a large crowd, do I just double everything or is there another recipe? I’m making for 40 people
Wow, that’s a lot of people 🙂 The recipe serves 4 so if you’re looking to feed 40, I would suggest making it in batches and the keeping it some type of warmer until served.
The spices are on point, very close to Panda, increasing the wine and garlic powder used seemed to make it an even better match imo.
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Just tried this recipe today, I’m not sure if it was just me, but cooking the chicken for 60 seconds was not enough, parts were still raw. I also was not a big fan on the egg in the recipe, the flavor however was great. I used a wok and followed the instruction step by step. I think next time I will omit the egg. Thank you! (:
Sorry this comment took so long to get to, it ended up in my spam filter somehow! How big were you cutting the chicken? If on a high heat in small chunks they should cook quite quickly. Another possible reason it could’ve taken longer is if your pan may have been a bit too full? Glad the flavor was good though!
Do you know how many carbs are in this recipe?
Sorry I don’t have the nutritional facts for recipes on the site but I know there are a lot of free resources on the internet from when I’ve cooked for clients with low calorie diets.
How many calories is this meal?
Sorry this comment took so long to get to, it ended up in my spam filter somehow! I don’t have a nutrition calculator on the recipes, but I know there are quite a lot of them available on the web for free from back in the day I used to cook for clients on low calorie diets.
I made the Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken tonight. It was AMAZING! This is my favorite dish at Panda and I actually liked this one better. Thanks!
Thanks, Andrea! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe is great! Followed step by step but bought the wrong soy sauce and that threw it off a bit. Still very delicious!!
Hello! I’ve just made this for the first time. I’m packing away my ingredients and wonder when the sesame oil is supposed to be used? It is in the ingredients list, but not in the method.
We drizzled some on the top to get the flavor, but it would be good to incorporate it into the recipe.
Thank you!
So sorry about that! The sesame oil is supposed to be added at the same time as a the green onions and peanuts – I just had a brain fart and left it out! The recipe is fixed now, thanks for bringing it to my attention!
We’re gluten free and can never eat chinese takeout. I’m so happy because all I have to do is substitute regular soy sauce for GF Tamari…YEAH !!!!!!!!!
Absolutely! I hope you love it!
I love copycat recipes! They tend to be healthier for us and we can make them over and over without spending a ton of money! My son is dying to try this one!
YES! When you actually make it at home it feels so rewarding!
This looks really delish! I love everything from Panda Express so this is great to have the recipe for at home.
Me too! I just couldn’t get over the fact it was an authentic recipe.
I’ve never had this at Panda Express before, but it looks delicious! If you could figure out how to make Applebee’s Hot Artichoke and Spinach Dip or their burger, I’d be all over those recipes.
Ohh I love a good Artichoke and Spinach Dip! I should look into it!
Congrats on outgrowing your server! That’s some exciting stuff right there. This Kung Pao Chicken looks amazing. I cook a lot of stirfry at home, but I’ve never made Kung Pao before. I bet my kids would love it.
Thanks! It is so exciting but the downtime is always scary to me!
That looks fantastic and something my family would enjoy. Thank you for the delicious recipe idea!
My pleasure 🙂
Kung Pao Chicken In one of my favorites. I have to try this.
Hope you love it!
This is mouthwatering literally, drooling on my keyboard .Delish !
Aww how sweet, thanks!
What a great meal idea. It looks absolutely tasty.
Thanks Stacie!
Oh I am so excited to make this! My husband loves this stuff!
Awesome! I hope he loves it 🙂
Tasty looking. Lots of vegies and good stuff.
Thanks Aubrey!
I could totally go for some of this! I’d love to make some for the family to try out. I need to get better at making Chinese dishes.
Yeah I love making Chinese food too 🙂
Love love love Asian flavors, and one of my favorite tastes is that of Kung Pao. I’m vegan so can’t do meat, BUT, the best thing about kung pao is that the flavor transcends everything. Gonna adopt this for sure!
Absolutely! I would totally so this vegan too! Maybe with eggplant or cauliflower or some drained/pressed tofu.
I love copycat recipes as much as my family loved Panda Express. I will have to make this!
Me too, copycat recipes are the best 🙂
Kung Pao Chicken is one of my favorite dishes. I have never tried to make it myself before. I am excited to try this recipe.
Awesome, hope you love it!
This looks so good. I am going to get the ingredients i need so i can make this for dinner tomorrow.
Wonderful! Hope you love it!
This recipe is going to make my family so very happy. They love Chinese food but I believe homemade is the best.
Awesome, hope you all love it Cathi!
I love Panda Express. I bet this is so tasty.
Oh this sounds delicious. I always crave Asian food, but it can be so expensive. This is a much better idea, than ordering out. Thanks for the recipe.
My favorite take out is Kung Pao chicken, so this is right up my alley! I even have all the ingredients to make it!
Yay! I hope you love it!
Deliciousness! I love Asian food and Panda Express so I’m really excited about making this at home! Tweaking it to my liking. I think my kids would really enjoy this! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! I hope you guys enjoy it!
That looks great! I bet it is much healthier to make at home than to eat at a fast food place. I love Chinese food.
Thanks!
Kung Pao chicken is a favorite at our house, but I’ve never made it at home before, your version sounds delicious, I will have to give it a try!
Awesome, I hope you love it Joy!
my husband absolutely loves King Pao chicken! This is a recipe he will love to have in our cupboard! It looks amazing.
Awesome! I hope he loves it Amber!
Oh my goodness, this looks so flavorful! My fiance and I have been craving some good Chinese food lately. He doesn’t like spicy foods, so I would have to omit the peppers, but that’s okay because I know this recipe would still be good. Just looking at these pictures is making me hungry.
Yep even without the pepper the flavors would be amazing!
This is one of my favorite Thai dishes! I love how spicy it is. I have to try this out at home for sure.
Awesome! I hope you love it!
I can’t wait to try this. Your copycat recipes are always fantastic!
Thanks Dawn! That is so sweet!
Yes! Absolutely yes! There’s a Panda Express 5 minutes from us, and we eat there all the time.
Yep same here!
I love making panda recipes at home! This one looks delicious and is one we haven’t tried recreating yet!
Paige
Yay! I hope you enjoy it and it makes it into your rotation!
Oh my gosh that looks so delicious. I have a lot of eggplant from my garden and I bet it would be good in here too.
Yes! Eggplant would be a great substitute!
This looks like an amazing meal, my family would love. I love the addition of the veggies, I am sure this would taste fresh and Delicious.
Thanks Susan!
We don’t have Panda Express around here, so I will have to make it myself if I want to try it 🙂
My husband would eat at Panda Express everyday if possible. He’s going to love that I found this recipe!
Yay! I hope he loves it 🙂
I’m a Kung Pao fanatic and this copycat recipe looks fantastic!
Yay, I hope you love the recreation!
Ok, hands down this was THE most delicious Kung Pao chicken I’ve ever tasted, better than at Panda. My family raved about it! Great job.