Description
A flavorful Slow Cooker Kung Pao Chicken featuring tender chicken pieces, vibrant vegetables, and a tangy, sweet, and spicy sauce with peanuts. This easy recipe combines classic Asian flavors and convenience with slow cooker simplicity.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken cut into bite size pieces
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons oil
- 8 dried red chilies seeded and sliced
- 1 red bell pepper cubed
- 1 zucchini cubed
Sauce Ingredients
- ⅓ cup water
- ⅓ cup lite soy sauce
- ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons ketchup
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅓ cup peanuts
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Toss the cubed chicken with the cornstarch until evenly coated, to help create a light crust during browning.
- Brown the chicken: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Quickly brown the chicken pieces until they develop color, but do not cook through.
- Assemble in slow cooker: Transfer the browned chicken to the slow cooker. Add the cubed red bell pepper, cubed zucchini, and sliced dried red chilies on top.
- Mix the sauce: In a mixing bowl, combine the water, lite soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, minced garlic, ground ginger, and peanuts. Stir well.
- Cook: Pour the sauce mixture over the chicken and vegetables in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours until the chicken is tender and flavors meld.
Notes
- Browning the chicken adds extra flavor but you can skip this step to save time.
- Seed the red chilies to reduce heat intensity if desired.
- Use a low sodium soy sauce for a less salty dish.
- Serve over steamed rice or noodles for a complete meal.
- Substitute peanuts with cashews for a different nut flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
