Keto Kung Pao Chicken with Peanuts

This Keto Kung Pao Chicken with Peanuts is made with bell pepper, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, peanuts and dried chilies. 

If you are looking for a keto version of Kung Pao Chicken, this is it. Take out food can have a ton of food chemicals you do not want to consume. This is a quick stir fry that is super healthy and keto, which is an amazing alternative to such a delicious dish.

If you love this recipe, feel free to try my Keto General Tso Chicken or my Quick and Easy Pho Tai.

Jump to:

• Why you will love this recipe
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Equipment
• Storage
• Top tip
• Keto Kung Pao Chicken with Peanuts
• Food safety

Why you will love this recipe

Versatile: Chicken is so versatile since it has a neutral flavor. Feel free to add more or less erythritol or soy sauce. You can modify to your liking.

Full of flavor: The combination of the soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, dried chilies gives the chicken such a rich, spicy flavor.

Kid Friendly: If you omit the dried chilies, your kids will go crazy for this recipe.

Great for any weather: I love making this dish in the summer and winter months.

Ingredients

You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:

• Vegetable oil
• Chicken breasts
• Soy sauce
• Apple cider vinegar
• Xanthan gum
• Baking soda
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Bell pepper
• Sesame oil
• Dried chilies
• Chicken broth
• Erythritol
• Scallions
• Roasted peanuts

See recipe card for quantities for this Keto Kung Pao Chicken with Peanuts.

Instructions

1. Marinate the chicken: Add the chicken, soy sauce, rice vinegar, xanthin gum and baking soda in a bowl or ziplock for 45 minutes to 4 hours (the longer the better) in the refrigerator. We will use the vegetable oil later.
2. Make the sauce: Combine the chicken stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut butter, dark soy sauce, erythritol and xanthan gum in a bowl and whisk. Set aside.
3. Brown the chicken: Heat a large saucepan on medium heat, add vegetable oil and wait for it to shimmer. Add the chicken and shallow fry for and fry about 4 minutes on each side. Set aside on a plate when you are done. 
4. Cook the vegetables: In the same pan on medium heat, add the sesame oil and stir in the garlic, ginger, bell peppers, and dried chilies, and stir for 4 minutes, until soft.
5. Combine:  Pour the sauce in a bring to a boil. The sauce will thicken so keep stirring. Add the chicken back into the pan and keep stirring for another 3 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
6. Garnish with scallions and peanuts.

Hint: When you pour the sauce in, lower the heat to prevent burning. Make sure to keep stirring at low heat.

Substitutions

Vegetable oil: I love using vegetable oil for this although you can use avocado or canola oil.

Chicken: Chicken breast is ideal for this recipe because it cooks quickly. Make sure to cut into 1-inch cubes.

Soy sauce: I love using light soy sauce for this. You can use dark soy sauce or tamari.

Vinegar: I used rice vinegar for this although you could use apple cider vinegar instead.

Xanthan gum: Traditionally, this uses cornstarch. Since this is a low carb Kung Pao Chicken, I used xanthan as the thickening agent.

Dried chilies: If you cannot find dried chilies for this recipe, feel free to use red pepper flakes instead.

Variations

Cooking is a chance to be creative! Have fun with it and feel free to make your own variation.

• Spicy - add red pepper flakes while cooking to imbue heat into the dish.
• Kid friendly - omit spice and add crushed wonton chips.

Check out this Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen.

Equipment

Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Stone bakeware takes longer to heat up than metal pans, and also retain heat for longer, which could make the recipe more watery, or burnt on the outsides.

I love using my Caraway pots, pans and baking sheets for best quality.

Storage

This will be good in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

Top tip

When you pour the sauce in, lower the heat to prevent burning. Make sure to keep stirring at low heat.

Print

Food safety

• Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.