CPK’s Kung Pao Spaghetti
A copycat recipe that you can make right at home in less than 20 minutes. And it tastes even better than the restaurant version!
Have you ever had California Pizza Kitchen’s Kung Pao Spaghetti? I’ve had it on many occasions but as good as it is, I’m just not comfortable spending $15 on a lunch dish for myself, especially when it’s during my lunch break. But now, I never have to order this because I can make it right at home in just 20 minutes!
Now if you’ve never had the CPK version, this is really a Chinese take-out favorite tossed in spaghetti noodles. It’s wonderfully flavorful and savory with that extra spicy kick to it, and there’s plenty of chicken to go around for everyone, unlike CPK who adds in a couple of pieces of chicken and then charges an additional $3 for it.
And f you want it completely vegetarian, you could even add some fried tofu cubes. That actually sounds better than the chicken. I’ll definitely be trying that next time!
CPK's Kung Pao Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup dry roasted peanuts
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
For the sauce
- ½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup dry sherry
- 2 tablespoons red chili paste with garlic, or more, to taste
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, chicken broth, dry sherry, red chili paste, sugar, red wine vinegar, cornstarch and sesame oil; set aside.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces; set aside.
- Add garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in pasta, chicken, peanuts and green onions.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I just made this to take for lunch this week. I used sake instead of sherry and cashews instead of peanuts. The results are fantastic! I just ate at CPK a couple nights ago and was tempted to order this, but went with another choice. Now I must try it so I can compare, can’t imagine it being any better than this!
Could I do this with zucchini noodles…just add them after the heat is turned off after everything else is heated through? I am a diabetic looking for great recipes that are low carb and this sounds so great!
That sounds like a great idea but without further recipe testing, I cannot say with certainty how this will turn out. Please use your best judgment.
We made this for dinner tonight and it was seriously delicious. I’ve never had the original version, but no need. This was so great! I used linguine noodles and added sliced mushrooms and shelled edamame to get some veggies in the dinner, but otherwise followed the recipe as written. So, so good! Thank you!
can you please suggest an alternative for cornstarch? thank you
Rhoda, the cornstarch is a thickener and without it (or by using a substitution), you may not be able to achieve a thickness to coat the noodles. That being said, it is always best to use all of the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Arrowroot powder (found in the spice aisle can be used 1:1 in place of cornstarch, and much healthier too. I always use it instead of cornstarch-works like a charm!
I made this exactly as described and it came out perfect!! I’ve made a lot of chinese recipes and none of them are ever worth making again. Too vinegar-y, no flavor, etc. This was really, really, good!! I used linguine noodles.
Thanks for responding. I always follow a recipe exactly the first time I make it. That said, I did use low sodium soy sauce. I wouldn’t think that that would affect the taste though. My issue was that it tasted like soy sauce dumped on noodles. No other flavors came through. I re read the recipe afterwards, and followed exactly. Then I read all the other comments, and saw they were all favorable, so I can’t figure out what went wrong. We were so disappointed because we love Kung Pao, and had a craving for it. I made everyone a sandwich instead. I’d like to try this recipe again, so any feed back would be appreciated. Thanks
I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well. But I understand that we all have different taste preferences. Perhaps this just isn’t your cup of tea? Or maybe your sherry had gone bad? The sherry here plays a huge role in balancing out the heavy saltiness of the soy sauce.
Either way, I really hope you get a chance to try this again with exceptional results!
I left a comment asking for advice when this did not turn out as I had expected, and my post was erased and I never got an answer. Is the comment box only for favorable reviews ?
Not at all – sometimes comments are automatically flagged as spam. That being said, I’d love to hear what your issues were. Did you follow the recipe exactly as written without any substitutions?
One of our favourite recipes. Making again tonight. Best Kung Pao chicken I’ve tried in a long time
Can I omit the cornstarch? I don’t have any, and not sure what it will do without it. Is it just for a thickener? Thanks!
Yes, the cornstarch acts as a thickener. Without it, there is nothing that will have the sauce stick to the noodles.
My husband and kids (10 and 2) are singing praises for this recipe tonight! I sautéed broccoli, red pepper and mushrooms and added with everything at the end. Super YUM!
I worked for cpk for awhile. This was my favorite dish on the menu, with a few tweeks of course. I always use rotini noodles, as they hold the sauce better and I use red pepper flakes instead of the chilis. I also double the peanuts which my fiance hates lol. This recipe is phenomenal.
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOUR KILLING ME! THANKS FOR THE RECIEPE—-yuum
This made loads and was delicious. I added grated carrot and peas. Can you freeze this dish?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! I recommend using your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
how can I use the hoisin sauce that I bought in a jar?
Thanks
Sylvia, unfortunately, this recipe does not call for hoisin sauce.
Just made this for my family, and there were no leftovers! Two picky teenagers and two toddlers actually ate without one single complaint tonight! Wonderful recipe, I’ll be sharing it with everyone I know 🙂
If I wanted to use Udon noodles instead, what should I do? Thanks!
If you are using the same amount of noodles, there shouldn’t be anything to change!
Did you use chili garlic sauce by huy fong foods? This is the only one I could find but it doesn’t say red chili garlic sauce. Is this the right one?
Yes, that’s exactly right!
Dry or sweet sherry?
Stephanie, please refer to the recipe as it indicates dry sherry.
I made this last night and it was delicious. I couldn’t find the red chili paste at the store so I just used sriracha. Instead of green onions, I put in baby corn, sliced water chestnuts and bamboo shoots. I added a garnish of cilantro. It was SO good! The sesame oil is key! Next time I think I will double the sauce, though. Thanks for the recipe!
BTW there is a very good sub for Dry Sherry. 1 tablespoon rice vinegar and enough chicken stock to bring it to 1/2 cup. The first time I made this recipe I had dry sherry so I used it, the next time I did not and didn’t feel like going to get some so I used the substitute. You can not taste the difference. I will make this recipe quite a few more times and from now on I’m using the substitute for the convenience and cost and especially the no lose of flavor. Thanks for the post, great recipe.
thank you for the tip!