Slow Cooker Kung Pao Chicken
Spice up your mealtime with this flavorful Slow Cooker Kung Pao Chicken – tender, saucy, and bursting with sweet-heat perfection!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon grated ginger
- 6-10 dried red chili peppers split and seeds removed
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch + 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 zucchini cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup peanuts
- Green onions chopped, for garnish
- Rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, then brown on all sides. Transfer the chicken and dried chili peppers to the slow cooker.
- In a bowl, mix water, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, garlic, and ginger. Pour over the chicken in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
- Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Add to the chicken in the slow cooker at the end of cooking time and let it warm through for 5-10 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- While the sauce thickens, sauté the red pepper and zucchini in oil until slightly softened. Add the peppers, zucchini, and peanuts to the slow cooker, gently stirring to combine.
- Garnish with green onions and serve over rice if desired.
Notes
Notes: You can adjust the spice level by adding more or fewer dried chili peppers.