If you all didn’t know by now, Asian food is in one of my favorite categories of food. Prior to keto, grabbing take-out was the time of the week I looked forward to the most. From Sweet and Sour Chicken to Grilled Short Ribs, I’ve tried to recreate as many favorites as I can into keto friendly recipes that everyone can enjoy.
Kung Pao Chicken is traditionally a spicy stir fry made with chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers. It normally calls for Sichuan peppercorns, but since they can be a bit expensive and for some hard to get – we replace that with the bird’s eye chili for heat. They’re available in most grocery stores and they pack a real punch!
It’s a relatively spicy dish, but the flavors sing and each note comes through perfectly. The green pepper, scallions, peanuts, and chili paste really come together for a great bite each and every time. If you’re not much of a fan of spicy, try cutting this down to 1 or 1 1/2 chili pepper. Definitely make sure you have room to serve these over some cauliflower fried rice (in bacon fat!) or over some zoodles.
Yields 3 servings of Keto Kung Pao Chicken
The Preparation
Chicken Stir-Fry:
- 7 1/2 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 medium green bell pepper
- 30 grams green onion
- 4 bird's eye chile pepper, deseeded
- 1/4 cup peanuts
Kung Pao Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or coconut aminos
- 2 teaspoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chili-garlic paste, such as sambal oelek with garlic
- 1 tablespoon low-carb ketchup
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon maple extract
- 10 drops liquid stevia
The Execution
1. Debone chicken using kitchen shears. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Season with salt, pepper, and ground ginger.
2. Heat a pan over medium-high heat and once very hot, add chicken. Let chicken cook until browned (about 10 minutes). I advise using a splatter screen or covering the pan with paper towels as there will be grease splash-back.
3. Chop up and prep vegetables and chilis. Set aside.
4. Prepare sauce by combining all ingredients together and mixing well.
5. Once the chicken is browned, stir everything together and let cook for a few minutes more. Add vegetables and peanuts to the pan and allow to cook down (about 3-4 minutes).
6. Add sauce to the pan and let it boil down to reduce slightly. It should have almost a sticky texture once done.
7. Serve on top of your favorite side dish. For us, it’s fried cauliflower rice!
This makes a total of 3 servings of Keto Kung Pao Chicken. Each serving comes out to be 232 calories, 16.5g fats, 4.2g net carbs, and 16.6g protein.
| NUTRITION | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | FIBER | NET CARBS | PROTEIN |
| 7 1/2 ounce boneless, skinless chicken thighs | 304 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36.1 |
| — salt and pepper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 teaspoon ground ginger | 6 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1 | 0.2 |
| 1/2 medium green bell pepper | 12 | 0.1 | 2.7 | 1 | 1.7 | 0.5 |
| 30 gram green onion | 10 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.5 |
| 4 bird's eye chile pepper | 2 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 |
| 1/4 cup peanuts | 214 | 18.1 | 7.8 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 8.9 |
| 1 tablespoon soy sauce | 8 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 1.3 |
| 2 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 tablespoon chili-garlic paste | 44 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 0.2 | 2 | 2.3 |
| 1 tablespoon low-carb ketchup | 9 | 0 | 0.9 | 0 | 0.9 | 0 |
| 2 teaspoon sesame oil | 80 | 9.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1/2 teaspoon maple extract | 6 | 0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0.3 | 0 |
| 10 drop liquid stevia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 696 | 49.4 | 18.5 | 5.5 | 13 | 49.9 |
| Per Serving (/3) | 232 | 16.5 | 6.2 | 1.8 | 4.3 | 16.6 |
Keto Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken Stir-Fry:
- 7 ½ ounce boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ medium green bell pepper
- 30 gram green onion
- 4 bird's eye chile pepper deseeded
- ¼ cup peanuts
Kung Pao Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 2 teaspoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoon chili-garlic paste such as sambal oelek with garlic
- 1 tablespoon low-carb ketchup
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon maple extract
- 10 drop liquid stevia
Instructions
- Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt, pepper, and ground ginger.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat and add the chicken once very hot. Let cook until browned (about 10 minutes). I advise using a splatter screen or covering the pan with paper towels, as there will be quite a lot of grease splatter.
- Chop up and prep the vegetables and chiles. Set aside.
- Prepare the sauce by combining all sauce ingredients and mixing well.
- Once the chicken is browned, stir it well and let cook for a few more minutes. Add the vegetables and peanuts to the pan and let the mixture cook down (about 3–4 minutes).
- Add the sauce to the pan, letting it boil down and reduce slightly. It should have a nearly sticky texture once done.
- Serve and enjoy!
