Sweet and Spicy Kung Pao Chicken {Slow Cooker}

I love a quick meal that is done in the slow cooker for anytime of the year. Very satisfying to have an Asian delicious dinner like this Sweet and Spicy Kung Pao Chicken {Slow Cooker} made and waiting for you at the end of the day!!

Today we are reviewing a cookbook by a great group of women who I work along side with as they are bloggers also, The Crock-Pot Ladies. They came out with their first cookbook featuring 275 recipes in this The Big Book of Slow Cooker Dinners. The ladies are Heidi Kennedy, Katie Handing and Sarah Ince. 

Nobody knows Crock-Pots like these ladies and it shows in this delicious recipe. This recipe packs a punch of spicy heat but doesn’t have to if you are not into that. Tone it down as you like. It is also a healthy choice to feed your family. 

This Chinese dish has lots of wonderful sauce that is great with white or brown rice or even quinoa. Put away the large skillet and pull out the slow cooker to make this great recipe that is taken to the next level. 

Big Book of Slow Cooker Dinners

Heidi, Katie and Sarah, the authors of Big Book of Slow Cooker Dinners are three awesome cooks. They have a brood of 10 children among them plus a variety of husbands, grandkids and other relatives that need to be fed! 

All of them maintain a super-busy work-at-home schedule (which I can relate to), with their wildly popular website, Crock Pot Ladies. Their readers all rely on nutritious and flavorful recipes that are delivered in an easy slow cooker meal. 

Over half of the recipes have never been seen before as they have not been shared on their website previously. Recipes are offered up from a variety of categories like soups and stews, dips and spreads, sides and casseroles and big protein packed main courses. 

Nobody knows crock-pots like these ladies so they pass along a lot of helpful tips and tricks. This cookbook you can rely on day in and day out for great recipes that the whole family will love!!

What is Kung Pao Chicken?

Kung Pao Chicken is a spicy, normally stir-fried Chinese dish made with chicken, peanuts, vegetables, and chili peppers. In this version a red bell pepper is used along with zucchini for the vegetables. The peanuts have been changed up to a cashew.

The classic dish in Szechuan cuisine originated in China and has become very popular all over the world. Many restaurants specialize in Kung Pao Chicken like PF Chang’s or Panda Express but you can make this version easily at home and with little effort using the crock-pot. 

Is Kung Pao Chicken Spicy?

The history behind this dish is that Kung Pao Chicken is made to be spicy but if you don’t like the heat then tame it down to your liking. You can use whole dried red chile peppers or crushed red chile flakes, which in my mind is easier to maintain the heat that you like. 

Using a scant teaspoon as we did will give you a nice hit of heat without being too powerful. Use even less if you like. There is an additional 1/4 tsp. in the sauce ingredients too. 

How to Make Kung Pao Chicken

Chinese food is a welcomed meal in our home. I love making homemade as I know exactly what I am putting in it and absolutely no MSG. Making this dish in the crock-pot also saves you from standing over a hot stove doing a stir fry at the end of a long day. 

The meal is made and if need be, out the door you go for evening activities. This makes a great healthy weeknight meal. 

The chicken pieces are first cooked in the Kung Pao sauce for 3 hours, then a slurry is made to thicken and then the vegetables are added along with the slurry. A further 30 min. to 1 hour is needed to cook the vegetables but not to overcook them. 

Try this recipe, grab the cookbook and enjoy both, I know you will!!

Sweet and Spicy Kung Pao Chicken {Slow Cooker}

Tara Noland

This recipe packs some heat and spice from the chile peppers and crushed red pepper flakes. Feel free to tone it down by reducing the amount of chile pepper added. Or, if you like it on the spicy side, go ahead and add more! This chicken is great served over steamed white or brown rice or cooked quinoa.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 4 hours hrs

Total Time 4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course Crock-Pot and Instant Pot

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 4 -6 servings

Calories 278 kcal

Ingredients

 

• 1½ –2 pounds 680 g to about 1 kg boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground
• black pepper
• 4 –6 whole dried red chile peppers or add an additional teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ⅔ cup 90 g roasted
• unsalted cashews
• 1 medium red bell pepper seeded and diced
• 1 medium zucchini diced
• 3 tablespoons 45 ml cold water
• 2 tablespoons 18 g cornstarch
• FOR THE SAUCE:
• ½ cup 120 ml low-sodium soy sauce
• ½ cup 120 ml water
• ¼ cup 125 g hoisin sauce
• ¼ cup 85 g honey
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

 

• 1. Add the chicken to the slow cooker and season with salt and pepper.
• 2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the slow cooker.
• 3. Cover the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 3 hours.
• 4. Add chile peppers (if desired), cashews, bell peppers, and zucchini.
• 5. In a small bowl, mix together the cold water and cornstarch to create a slurry to thicken the sauce.
• 6. Pour the cornstarch slurry in the slow cooker and stir everything to combine.
• 7. Cover the slow cooker. Cook for an additional 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 278kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 16gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 1075mgFiber: 7gSugar: 34g

Nutrition calculation is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Recipe with permission from Harvard Common Press.