Full of veggies, tender chicken and full flavored sauce, this keto kung pao chicken is a great all in one dinner with easy cleanup!
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Keto Kung Pao Chicken
Who else LOVES kung pao chicken? Have you had a keto kung pao chicken yet? I had not had one until I made this one.
I tend to focus a lot on making easy keto desserts and don’t put as much time as I should into creating amazing and wonderful easy keto dinners.
I mean, I cook them all the time for my family, but I rarely write them down. That is going to change! Because recipes like this are just too awesome NOT to share!
How to Make Keto Kung Pao Chicken
(The ingredient list and amounts are down below in the recipe card)
Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once it is hot, add the chicken to the skillet and cook until almost done, stirring often.
Add the pepper, celery onion and peanuts to the skillet when the chicken is almost cooked through.
Continue cooking and stirring until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Sauce
Meanwhile, prepare the kung pao sauce as instructed (super easy)!
Pour the sauce over the chicken and veggies. Mix well.
Cook an additional 3 minutes or until the sauce has reduced.
(optional) Sprinkle xanthan gum over the chicken and stir until the sauce is thicker.
Is Kung Pao Chicken Spicy?
Traditionally, yes. Kung Pao Sauce is usually a perfect blend of hot and spicy with a tad bit of sweetness. The sauce used here is no different.
But it does use red pepper flakes instead of chili peppers to make it a little milder and much more family friendly (for those with kids or even those sensitive to too much spice).
What is Kung Pao Chicken Made Of?
This stays pretty true to traditional kung pao chicken.
This keto kung pao chicken recipe uses chicken, peanuts, veggies and homemade kung pao sauce.
You can swap out veggies for whatever you want, but we use red peppers, red onions, and celery. The perfect combination.
Are Peanuts Keto Friendly?
In terms of being a low carb nut, yes they are keto friendly! Peanuts have about 3 net carbs per 1/4 cup. Which is not bad at all compared to other nuts.
Now, peanuts are a legume, so if you are staying away from inflammatory foods, you might have to decide if you want to include them or not.
When I buy peanuts, I generally buy them in bulk from Natural Grocers. It is kind of funny that this label says NON-GMO. The reason is that, to my understanding as of today, there are no commercial GMO peanuts anyway!
But still….
Is Kung Pao Sauce Keto Friendly?
It sure is, so long as you make it yourself! In this recipe, we use a quick and easy homemade kung pao sauce. It only takes 5 minutes and stores well.
Hint – I doubled the batch of sauce and added the amount in that the recipe called for and then saved some to pour over the dish for leftovers.
Other Easy Keto Dinners From The Keto Option
Keto Garlic Scallops in Cream Sauce
Keto Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thighs cubed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 1 red onion cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1/4 cup peanuts
Sauce
- Keto Kung Pao Sauce Use this quick and easy recipe
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until almost done, stirring often.
- Add the pepper, celery and onion to the skillet when the chicken is almost cooked through.
- Continue cooking and stirring until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
Sauce
- Meanwhile prepare sauce as instructed (super easy)
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and veggies. Mix well.
- Cook an additional 3 minutes or until the sauce has reduced.
- (optional) Sprinkle xanthan gum over the chicken and stir until the sauce is thicker.
Video
Nutrition
Trina Krug is a Holistic Nutritionist, Integrative Health Coach and host of the Carbless Conversations Podcast. With a Master’s Degree in Complementary and Alternative Medicine, her single mission in life is to facilitate self-healing in herself and those around her through awareness, lifestyle shifts and low-carb eating. As a current Doctor of Science student, she continues her studies in functional nutrition.