Skip the takeout and make your own Gluten Free Kung Pao Chicken at home!
With the traditional sticky sauce with a punch of heat thanks to dried Szechuan chiles, this gluten free weeknight dinner recipe is a simple take on a classic.
Quick Look: Gluten Free Kung Pao Chicken
⏲️Ready In: 30 minutes
🍽Servings: 4
🥗Nutrition: 547 Calories / 46g Protein
🥘Main Ingredients: Chicken breast, tamari/soy sauce, Szechuan (red) chiles, honey, rice vinegar
📋Dietary Notes: Gluten free, Dairy free, Grain free, Nut free
⭐Why You'll Love It: Kung pao chicken makes a fast, spicy weeknight dinner that goes with rice or cauliflower rice!
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Fast, high protein meals have been a big focus on Chelsea Joy Eats - just check out favorites like Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls and Easy Pork & Rice Bowls with Peanut Sauce!
If you like these kinds of quick gluten free weeknight dinners, try Gluten Free Chicken Teriyaki Bowls or Ground Beef & Broccoli Stir Fry.
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Key Ingredients
Chicken breast: Boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces is the protein for this recipe! I prefer chicken breast here for the high protein content.
Dried Szechuan chiles: These little chiles provide the heat for kung pao chicken - and they will definitely pack a punch! Feel free to tone is down by reducing the amount. Or dial it up a notch and keep the seeds in.
Arrowroot flour: A dusting of arrowroot flour browns the chicken bites and helps the sauce cling like in Gluten Free Honey Sesame Chicken. You can substitute cassava flour or a gluten free 1 to 1 flour blend, if you'd like!
Tamari/soy sauce: I typically use gluten free tamari as a soy sauce alternative; you can use coconut aminos as another option with a touch of sweetness.
Cashews: This is my peanut-free substitute for the traditional kung pao chicken ingredient. It provides crunch that adds a lot to this meal! You can definitely use chopped peanuts if you'd like!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make Gluten Free Kung Pao Chicken
If you've made other skillet chicken recipes like Honey Garlic Chicken Bowls or Gluten Free Chicken Teriyaki Bowls, the steps here will look pretty similar!
Step 1: Add 1 ½" to 2" pieces of chicken to a bowl and toss with arrowroot flour.
Step 2: In a separate bowl, combine tamari/soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil.
Step 3: Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring once or twice, until browned on all sides (but not completely cooked through).
Step 4: Add scallions (white parts), ginger, garlic, and deseeded and chopped red chiles. Cook for another 2-4 minutes.
Step 4: Add the sauce and bring to a boil, stirring occassionally to prevent burning. Continue to cook for 5-6 minutes.
Step 6: Once sauce has thickened to your liking and the chicken is cooked through, add cashews. Serve over rice and sprinkle with green scallions.
Top tips from Chelsea
For the best browned chicken, don't stir it too frequently. Only stir the chicken once or twice before adding the sauce. Stir it too frequently, and the Maillard reaction won't have a chance to do its thing to brown and sear the meat.
Add veggies: To fill this out for a meal, add sliced bell peppers, snap peas, or fresh green beans when adding the ginger/garlic/scallions/red chiles!
Enhance crunch: For more of a crunch from the cashews, use roasted cashews or toast them yourself by spreading on a sheet pan and roasting at 350 degrees F for about 10 minutes!
Gluten Free Kung Pao Chicken FAQs
Szechuan chiles do tend to add a punch of heat to Kung Pao chicken.
However, you can moderate the spice level by removing seeds from the chiles or reducing the amount in the recipe.
Typically, Kung Pao chicken is made with lots of Szechuan chiles, Sichuan peppercorns, and peanuts for crunch.
In this recipe, I tried to keep the ingredients list grocery store friendly. Then I made a few swaps to make this classic gluten free and a healthy weeknight option!
Yes! Go ahead and add sliced bell peppers, snap peas, or fresh green beans when adding the ginger/garlic/scallions/red chiles!
Serving suggestions
While not included in the recipe card, serve Kung Pao chicken with rice or cauliflower rice.
You can add some vegetables to the skillet while cooking (like bell peppers, snap peas, or fresh green beans) or serve with roasted or raw vegetables if you'd like.
Alternatively, take a page out of Spicy Gochujang Salmon Bowls with Rice and chop some crunchy romaine lettuce and combine with rice and serve this chicken overtop!
More high protein chicken bowl recipes
Did you try gluten free kung pao chicken? I'd love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and rating or tag me on Instagram - I appreciate your feedback.
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Kung Pao Chicken Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: skillet
- Cuisine: Chinese
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
With the traditional sticky sauce with a punch of heat thanks to dried Szechuan chiles, this Gluten Free Kung Pao Chicken recipe makes a simple weeknight dinner without relying on takeout!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons tamari, soy sauce, or coconut aminos
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon raw honey (See Notes)
- 4 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 1 ½ pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 ½" - 2" cubes
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 12 dried red hot chiles, halved and seeded
- 5 scallions, white part only, thickly sliced
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- 1 (½") piece of ginger, minced
- ½ cup chopped cashews
Instructions
- Prepare chicken. In a large bowl, In a separate bowl, toss the cubed chicken breasts in arrowroot powder until each piece of chicken is coated. Set aside.
- Combine sauce. In a separate bowl, combine tamari, rice wine vinegar, honey, apple cider vinegar, and sesame oil in a medium bowl.
- Cook chicken. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring only once or twice, for 6-8 minutes. Remove to a plate or bowl and set aside. Add the dried chiles, half of the scallions, garlic, and ginger. Cook for another 2-4 minutes.
- Reduce sauce. Pour in the tamari mixture. Let the sauce boil and thicken for about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced and thickened. Add the chicken back to the skillet and stir to coat, cooking for another 1-2 mintues until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat. Add the cashews and remaining scallions, stirring to coat.
- Serve. Serve Kung Pao chicken over rice or cauliflower rice. Garnish with sliced scallions and additional cashews, if desired.
Notes
- Sweeten to taste: Honey adds sweetness to the sauce, but if you use coconut aminos you may find the sauce sweet enough. However, my recipes tend to not be as sweet as others; you can bump up the amount of honey if needed. Taste the sauce and adjust as you go!
- Swap out honey and use brown sugar or cane sugar instead.
- Watch the skillet: when you add the sauce, stir frequently to prevent burning. The sauce will quickly go from too thin to done, so keep an eye on the skillet!
- For the most crunch, toast the cashews in a 350 degree F oven for 10 minutes before adding to the finished dish.
Chelsea Joy says
High protein and simple with just the right amount of heat! We love this one!