Skinnified Panda Express Recipe: Easy Stove Top Kung Pao Chicken

Nancy Fox can be found at SkinnyKitchen.com sharing amazing skinnified recipes, just like this delicious Kung Pao chicken.

I could hardly wait to share this fantastic skinny version of Kung Pao Chicken from Panda Express with you. This recipe is so simple, and an absolute favorite.

And honestly, it couldn’t be easier. Especially since I used a bottle of Panda Express sauce. To make it healthier, it’s loaded with vegetables, pineapple chunks and served over steamed cabbage. The pineapple works great to cool this dish down. Personally, I find Panda’s Kung Pao chicken to be a bit spicy. Mine has a wonderful kick but not at all overwhelming.

Each serving has 254 calories, 2 grams of fat and 4 Weight Watchers SmartPoints.

Skinny Copycat Recipe of Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound chicken breasts (boneless, skinless), cut into bite-size pieces

1 (18.75 oz) bottle Panda Express Kung Pao sauce, see shopping tip

2 cups zucchini, diced (slice down middle and cut each slice into 4)

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 cup celery sliced into thin pieces

1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks in 100% pineapple juice

1 cup scallions (green onions), diced

10 cups shredded cabbage, for serving

Instructions

1. Coat a large nonstick pan with cooking spray and place chicken inside pan. Pour the bottle of Kung Pao sauce on top. Mix well. Turn heat on high until pan surface begins to get hot. At that point, turn down to low, cover, and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes. Stir a few times while cooking. Add all remaining ingredients except scallions and cabbage. Mix well. Bring back up to high heat, turn down again to low heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Stir in scallions.

2. Serve over steamed cabbage. Steam cabbage in microwave for 1-2 minutes until soft. You could also consider serving this dish over brown rice, cauliflower rice, or whole grain spaghetti noodles, if desired. Zoodles would also be a fantastic addition!

Makes 6 servings (each serving, ~1 cup steamed cabbage topped with 1⅓ cups Kung Pao Chicken with sauce)

Healthy Tips

Since it’s loaded with veggies, pineapple and served over steamed cabbage, each serving has 6 grams of fiber. But, it’s very high in sodium due to the Panda Express sauce. If you’re on a lower sodium diet, this recipe would not be a good option for you.

To remain at zero points, you must opt to use either fresh pineapple, or unsweetened frozen pineapple or canned pineapple in its own juice, like in this recipe.

Shopping Tip

Panda Express locations sell this sauce. Most supermarkets sell the line of Panda Express sauces, too. You’ll usually find it in the Asian section.

Weight Watchers SmartPoints 4
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS 6
Weight Watchers (old points) 4

SKINNY FACTS: for 1 serving (1⅓ cups Kung Pao Chicken over 1 cup cabbage)
254 calories, 2g fat, 1g sat. fat, 37mg chol, 19g protein, 43g carbs, 6g fiber, 1830mg sod, 25g sugar

FACTS: for SmartPoints
147 calories, 1g sat. fat, 11g sugar, 17g protein

Nancy Fox

Nancy Fox is no stranger to the food industry. She founded Mrs. Beasley's, a gift-basket company featuring baskets full of decadent baked goods. It became the "hot" gift to give among the Hollywood community.  Nancy later opened 2 low fat restaurants called Nancy’s Healthy Kitchen. Her line of reduced-fat cookies were featured on "Oprah's Favorites" gift show. Continuing her passion for cooking and baking Nancy created a recipe website called Skinny Kitchen. Each week she shares skinny recipes, cooking and kitchen tips, food finds and the healthy benefits of many recipes. There’s also nutritional facts and Weight Watchers POINTS on each recipe.