Note: This site contains affiliate links to products I use. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links; however, this does not impact my reviews, comparisons and preferences between products.

If you’re like me, a good Chinese Kung Pao Chicken always hits the spot! I think its the savory sauce and crunchy texture of the peanuts that get me every time! Not to mention, I’ve always had a love for entrees that serve up a variety of vegetables, anyway. (Note: Peanuts are not actually a nut but a legume so these can be substituted for cashews in my recipe.)

My love for vegetables was likely influenced by my mom’s Vietnamese and Asian cooking. She always knew how to whip up stir fries and curries with simple ingredients in the refrigerator, such as carrots, zucchini, onions, celery, bell peppers, and chicken. Of course, it always helps to have the typical Asian spices and herbs, including red chili flakes, fresh ginger root, curry, and cilantro, too!If you’d like to try my version of her spicy stir fry, I’d love to know what you think!

She has this amazing ability to taste something made from in a restaurant and discern which spices are in it, and I was hugely intrigued by that. As I got older and began cooking myself, she rarely would show me a recipe. She would just say as I was cooking, “Just taste it! This seemed like a rather hard place to start when you had no idea what you were doing with spices. Lol. Over time, however, I did find this discernment did become achievable. I just had to get the knack for combining the right spices together for various ethnic foods, along with tasting my way through salty, sweet, and acidic ingredients. When I began making a simple spaghetti or a stir fry dish, I was so excited to make it taste like Mom’s cooking. It was like scoring a home run!

Kung Pao Chicken was one of the dishes she used to bring home from work and that was always a favorite! Although, Sweet and Sour, Orange Chicken or Broccoli Beef dish were favorites in our household, too. Oh, what a treat it was for Mom to cook or bring home these savory leftovers!

Nowadays, I don’t often eat Chinese food, and I certainly don’t eat it out at restaurants. It’s especially hard to find many Asian dishes made without MSG, let alone clean, gluten-free sauces (oyster, hoisin, tamari, or coconut aminos), or even make shirataki rice at least a keto option! However, if I do eat it, it’s going to be made at home.

If you choose to make this dish, I’d love to know what you thought of it. Please consider leaving a review. I’d really appreciate it!

Low-Carb Kung Pao Chicken

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by J. Irish, Ketolicious Eats Course: DinnerCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Moderately Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Serve up some Kung Pao Chicken for a savory meal, lower in sugar and net carbs, when you make this at home!

Approximate macros (using Cronometer), including organic roasted unsalted peanuts:
355 calories; 28.6g protein; 12.6g net carbs; and 19.2g fat. Cashews, varying in total net carbs, will reduce the net carbs slightly if used as a substitute for peanuts.

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds 1-1/2 free-range chicken thighs, cut into 1/2″ pieces
1 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1/2” pieces
1 1 zucchini, sliced into 1/4″ thick 3/4” pieces (I prefer using the dark green over the yellow summer squash, just because it gives a nice color contrast to this dish)
1 bunch 1 green onions, cut into 1/2″ pieces, separating the white and the green parts
5 5 dried or fresh whole red chilis or 1/2 tbsp organic dried red chili flakes (It’s best to start with less and add more for added spiciness.)
4 tablespoons 4 Premier Japan brand organic gluten-free hoisin sauce (This is the cleanest brand I’ve seen.)
1/2 cup 1/2 organic free-range chicken bone broth
6 tablespoons 6 gluten-free oyster sauce or gluten-free “oyster style sauce” that does not contain juice from oysters
1/3 cup 1/3 gluten-free tamari sauce (this is also referred to as fermented soy sauce) or organic coconut aminos can be used, which has a sweeter taste than Tamari or regular soy sauce
2 tablespoons 2 organic rice vinegar
2 tablespoons 2 garlic, minced
2 tablespoons 2 organic chili oil
1 tablespoon 1 organic sesame oil (I like to use the organic one from Trader Joe’s)
1 tablespoon 1 ginger root, minced, or 3/4 tsp ginger powder
2 teaspoons 2 red pepper flakes
1-1/2 teaspoon 1-1/2 ground black pepper
1 teaspoon 1 non-GMO and carb-free xanthan gum (gluten-free thickener) or other a gum-free thickener such as Pamela’s Not Guar Not Gum
3/4 cup 3/4 organic roasted unsalted peanuts (these are actually legumes) or substitute using cashews
28 ounces 28 shirataki rice noodles or 24 to 36 oz cauliflower rice

Directions

Cook your shirataki rice noodles or cauliflower rice as instructed on the packaging. After the shirataki rice has been washed and drained, I like to put them back into the same pan, and cook off the excess water. Then, either set aside your rice (covered) and remove from heat, or turn the heat down to low.
In a large skillet with the burner set to medium, add the chicken, and sauté until the meat is cooked (about 10 minutes).
Then add the bell pepper, rice vinegar, oils, red chilis, spices, including the ginger root, and sauces. Allow them to warm and turn down the heat to medium low.
Next, add the zucchini squash, garlic, and the white parts of the green onions you cut. When making this dish or any other dish, such as stir fry, it is best to add the vegetables that cook fast near the end of your cooking so the veggies don’t overcook and get too mushy. As for the garlic, it retains more of its anti-inflammatory quality when eaten raw, or in this case, thrown in toward the end of your cooking.
As your sauce begins to warm up, add the non-GMO xanthan gum (or other gum-free thickener) to give your sauce a little bit of thickness. Note: Xanthan gum is probably the only processed ingredient I use as a thickener. Some of the other unprocessed replacements I use is arrowroot powder, which is basically like adding a gluten-free flour, but it will add additional net carbs. And, other gums may be used, but I do find they create a gel-like quality that may be better used for other purposes such as in a jam or jelly.
Next, add your peanuts or cashews, and mix well.
Now, you’re ready to serve your dish with a bed of your rice alternative(s), savory Kung Pao Chicken, and garnish with the remaining green onion cuttings! Enjoy your meal!