P.F. Chang’s Kung Pao Sauce Recipe
P.F. Chang’s Kung Pao Sauce is a bold, savory-sweet glaze with a spicy kick, crafted from soy, garlic, ginger and chilies to bring fiery balance to shrimp, chicken or vegetables.
Make our P.F. Chang’s Kung Pao Sauce Recipe at home. With our Secret Restaurant Recipe your Kung Pao Sauce will taste just like P.F. Chang’s.

Photo by Joits
P.F. Chang’s Kung Pao Sauce
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P.F. Chang’s
P.F. Chang’s is an influential American restaurant chain renowned for its fusion of Asian and Chinese-inspired cuisine. Established in 1993 in Scottsdale, Arizona, by Paul Fleming and Philip Chiang, the restaurant has since become a prominent player in the casual dining scene.
The cuisine at P.F. Chang’s reflects a contemporary interpretation of traditional Asian flavors, emphasizing fresh ingredients and bold combinations. The menu features a diverse array of dishes, from classics like Mongolian Beef and Kung Pao Chicken to innovative creations such as Dynamite Shrimp.
With its distinctive ambiance marked by iconic horse statues and modern Asian decor, P.F. Chang’s provides a unique dining experience. The restaurant’s name combines the initials of co-founder Philip Chiang with “P.F.,” representing Paul Fleming.
P.F. Chang’s has achieved a widespread reach, with locations across the United States and internationally. Its popularity is attributed to a commitment to culinary excellence, offering a blend of familiar and inventive dishes that cater to a broad range of tastes.
Favorite foods at P.F. Chang’s often include their famous lettuce wraps, allowing diners to assemble their own wraps with minced chicken or tofu. The restaurant’s success lies in its ability to balance tradition with innovation, creating an environment where guests can enjoy a modern and elevated take on Asian cuisine. With a rich history, global presence, and a menu that continues to evolve, P.F. Chang’s remains a notable destination for those seeking a fusion of Asian flavors in a contemporary dining setting.
Kung Pao Sauce
Kung Pao Sauce, with its rich, spicy-sweet complexity and distinctive Sichuan roots, is one of Chinese cuisine’s most enduring and beloved culinary exports. Originating from the Sichuan province in southwestern China, this fiery, aromatic sauce is steeped in both flavor and folklore. It takes its name from a Qing Dynasty official, Ding Baozhen—also known as “Kung Pao” Ding—whose love for bold, peppery dishes became legendary. At its heart, Kung Pao sauce balances soy sauce’s umami depth with the zing of ginger, the heat of dried red chilies, a hint of sugar, and a splash of vinegar. But the soul of the sauce lies in Sichuan peppercorns, which deliver that signature tingling heat known as “málà.”
Though its origins are rooted in a more subdued and subtly layered Chinese dish, Kung Pao sauce found its way to the West through Chinese-American kitchens, where it took on a richer, glossier persona. In places like P.F. Chang’s and countless neighborhood Chinese restaurants, it evolved into a thick, shiny glaze—less numbing, more sweet-savory, but no less addictive.
Today, Kung Pao is used beyond the traditional chicken—tossed with shrimp, tofu, and even Brussels sprouts, it serves as a spicy, craveable backbone. It thrives in stir-fries and bowls, and is beloved coast to coast for its ability to elevate the everyday.
Good renditions, from Los Angeles strip malls to New York fusion bistros, stay true to the dance of sweetness and fire. But the very best ones? They still whisper of Sichuan’s smoky hillsides, of sizzling woks, and of a flavor bold enough to be passed down through dynasties.
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P.F. Chang's Kung Pao Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh Ginger finely grated
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed Red Pepper Flakes adjusted to taste
- 2 tablespoons Hoisin Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing Wine or Dry Sherry
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons Water
- 1 teaspoon toasted Sesame Seeds
- 1 Green Onion finely sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Pour sesame and vegetable oil into a medium skillet. Place over medium heat.
- When oil is hot and shimmering, add ginger and garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in red pepper flakes.
- Whisk in hoisin, soy sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine and brown sugar.
- In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Whisk mixture into sauce. Bring to a low simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened to a glossy, pourable glaze, about 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in sesame seeds.
- Serve warm over seared shrimp or as a finishing sauce for stir-fry. Garnish with sliced green onions.
P.F. Chang's Kung Pao Sauce
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Photo of “kung pao shrimp” is by Joits and is used by permission under the Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/legalcode.en. Photo of “P.F. Chang’s” is by Rob Corder and is used by permission under the Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0) Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/legalcode. Thank you, Joits and Rob. Great Pictures. Photos may be “representative” of the recipe and not the actual finished dish. All photo licenses listed were correct at the time of the posting of the page. Recipe is original to Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes. Recipe created by Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes based on information from the restaurant and other sources on the internet – many courtesy of the Wayback Machine. Additional Information is from original research done by Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes and/or courtesy of Wikipedia and is used by permission.
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