This version of Kung Pao chicken has all the flavors you’d expect from the classic dish, but in a comforting, homestyle spaghetti and meatballs package!
A classic Asian takeout meal combines with a hearty Italian comfort meal in these Kung Pao chicken spaghetti and meatballs. ย This dish has great spicy/savory flavors in a fun to eat style meal… once you try this Asian-Italian fusion style meal, you may not want regular Kung Pao chicken again!
When we order takeout from our local Chinese place, I rarely get Kung Pao chicken. ย Why, you ask? ย Because I’m a bit of a spiciness wimp lol. ย I prefer to make it at home, that way I can control the heat level ๐ ย One time I ordered it and couldn’t eat more than a few bites… now that’s a tragedy!
Easy to make, this meal is one you can make the parts up ahead of time, which makes for a fast meal!
This spaghetti and meatballs probably isn’t one for your kiddos, but that makes it perfect for a date night ๐
I wish I could take credit for creating the sauce recipe and the meatball recipe, but I can’t… I got the sauce recipe from Damn Delicious and found the meatballs through Fit Foodie Finds. ย Once I saw both of them on Pinterest it just hit me… why not combine the two and make an Asian spaghetti and meatballs!
Feeling vegetarian at the moment? ย Omit the meatballs and enjoy the yummy Kung Pao spaghetti on it’s own!
You can also add whatever veggies you’d like to the dish… the sky is the limit!
The next time you’re feeling like ordering some takeout… try this Kung Pao chicken spaghetti and meatballs instead!!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- KUNG PAO SPAGHETTI:
- 1 pound spaghetti or linguini
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts roughly chopped
- 2 green onions sliced
- 2/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 cup dry sherry can substitute with equal amount of chicken broth or stock
- 2 Tbsp red chili paste with garlic to taste
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
- CHICKEN MEATBALLS:
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/3 cup yellow onion finely diced or grated
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup oats
- 1 Tbsp sriracha sauce
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- FOR THE MEATBALL SAUCE:
- 4 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp sriracha sauce
- 2 Tbsp red chili paste with garlic
- 2 Tbsp honey
Instructions
- MAKE THE KUNG PAO SPAGHETTI:
- Whisk together soy sauce, chicken broth, sherry, chili paste, brown sugar, rice vinegar, cornstarch and sesame oil in a small mixing bowl and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add some salt and cook spaghetti according to package directions for al dente. Drain and toss with a drizzle of vegetable oil to keep from clumping.
- In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil over MED heat and add minced garlic. Saute, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds.
- Pour in reserved sauce mixture, bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and let cook until slightly thickened. This will take about 2 minutes.
- Toss drained pasta in the sauce.
- MAKE THE KUNG PAO CHICKEN MEATBALLS:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- To a mixing bowl, combine meatball ingredients and mix until well combined. Careful not to over mix though, otherwise the meatballs will be tough.
- Scoop meat mixture into tablespoon sized balls and roll into a ball. If the meat sticks to your hands too much, wet your hands slightly with water.
- Place meatballs on prepared cookie sheet and bake approximately 25 minutes, until they begin to turn golden brown and are cooked through.
- To a small mixing bowl, whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Once meatballs are done, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.
- Toss meatballs in sauce.
- TO SERVE:
- Serve a plate of the Kung Pao spaghetti with several chicken meatballs on top. Garnish with sesame seeds, sliced green onions, and chopped peanuts.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Laura says
I made this recipe last night, exactly as written, and it was FABULOUS!! We love all kinds of Asian food, especially spicy dishes. Thank you for sharing your recipe. It is being saved to my “Favorites” board.
Cheryl says
This was soooo fabulous. Our family loved it. Even my daughter who is a picky eater loved it. The only change I made was using ground turkey for the meatballs and they turned out great!ย
I will definitely be making this again.ย
Kelli says
This meal was absolutely delicious!!! I made it exactly as the recipe indicated. I had to stop myself from eating it all in one sitting. My boyfriend loved it as well. Definitely a keeper for us!!
Rabea says
Hey! Can you recommend a brand for the chilli sauce with garlic. Thanks
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Rabea ๐ I just checked my refrigerator, and the brand I use is Lee Kum Lee ๐
Julie | This Gal Cooks says
WHOA! This meal looks amazing! Your photos are freaking gorgeous, too! ๐
Judy Doud says
Had this once and have to have it one more time, than maybe next week also. I made all the sauces first and found it really easy to put together. Shared with friends who raved about it! I used ground turkey 85%.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Judy! I’m SO happy to hear that you all loved this recipe ๐ Great idea using the ground turkey as well!
S. A. Matthews says
This was fabulous…really was. I only eyeball ingredients I have to say, but delicious and a very pretty dish. Thank you for sharing!
The Chunky Chef says
I’m SO glad you loved this dish! ๐
S. A. Matthews says
I am going to next time, make extra meatballs and freeze so they are ready to go, will make it a quick and easy meal.
V says
Mmm! I made this tonight. Well, most of it. I had some veggie meatballs that I wanted to use up so substituted them in. It was delicious, love the spiciness with a bit of sweetness in the pasta and the sauce on the meatballs was perfect.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi V ๐ I’m SO happy to hear that you loved these!!! The veggie meatball substitution sounds yummy too ๐
Ashley - Baker by Nature says
Whoa! This looks and sounds so incredible! I love kung pao chicken and spaghetti and meatballs, so combining the two is a must try.
Rohan Singh says
As you mentioned, just pretending that chopped peanuts are there in the picture, good job with the photographs. the best part about this recipe is that you allow to add more veggies and said sky is limit. I want to try this recipe, kung pao.. yum..
Megan @ MegUnprocessed.com says
This looks good. I’m want to make it vegetarian style! ๐ Yum!
Wendy @ Wholistic Woman says
That looks so good! Never would have thought to combine these two things.
Liz says
This looks like heaven on a plate! I’m a huge fan of Asian noodles AND meatballs!
ally says
An outstanding recipe. Perfect in every way. Thank you for sharing your genius!
Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness says
What a combination! I love the look of this! I have never tried chicken meatballs before, but it sounds amazing!
Tracy | Baking Mischief says
I strongly disagree with your first statement. That is some seriously gorgeous and appetizing brown food!
I’m so with you on the kung pao chicken thing. I love it, but I can’t eat more than a bite because it’s always too spicy. This is such a great compromise. It looks delicious and sherry is one of my favorite ingredients to cook with, but I’ve never tried it in an Asian dish. I’m really excited to give it a try now.
Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs says
As a fellow food blogger I feel your pain, brown food is so difficult to photograph but this looks delicious. You’e done an amazing job, will totally forgive that the peanuts are missing ๐ fab recipe!
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table says
I’m totally squinting and picturing the peanuts there ๐ This fusion dish sounds incredible! Definitely a perfect date night food for the hubs and I after the kids go to bed. I love all the flavors here and while I am a spicy fan, I definitely prefer homemade. Pinning and can’t wait to give this a try!
Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction says
I absolutely love Asian dishes! This kung pao chicken meal looks so good!
Kavey says
I’m not always a fan of fusion – sometimes it’s so weird – but I have to say I love this one, I can really imagine the taste of the kung pao flavours with the meatballs!