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These Kung Pao Chickpeas are cooked in a flavorful sauce that rivals your favorite take-out restaurant, and they couldn’t be much easier to prepare. Just throw the ingredients in your slow cooker in the morning and it will be ready for you by dinnertime!
I love using chickpeas as a substitute for chicken in vegetarian recipes because they’re loaded with filling fiber and plant-based protein. Chickpeas have about 15 grams of protein per cup!
Like other pulses, chickpeas are also a source of complex carbohydrates, which are thought to help balance your blood sugar levels and give you sustained energy.
Cooking this dish in a slow cooker allows the chickpeas to marinate in this flavorful Kung Pao sauce, for maximum flavor with minimum effort.
While developing this recipe, I noticed that other recipes for Kung Pao Chicken call for a prepared hoisin sauce and one or more types of chiles. I’ll be honest– those ingredients sound a little too complicated for me, so my goal was to make this version as easy as possible.
I hope you’ll enjoy this less-authentic (but still totally delicious) recipe that you can make with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry.
You can can add a handful of peanuts at the end for some added crunch, but I decided to make my recipe nut-free and more allergy friendly.
Either way, it’s a total crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients
- ½ red onion , chopped
- 1 red bell pepper , chopped
- 2 (15 oz.) cans chickpeas , drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup tamari (gluten-free soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (the more syrupy, the better)
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 minced garlic cloves)
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger (or 2 teaspoons fresh minced ginger)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 3 green onions , chopped
- sesame seeds , for garnish
- Cooked white rice , for serving (or cauliflower rice)
Instructions
- Add the red onion, bell pepper, and chickpeas into the bowl of your slow cooker.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the tamari, vinegar, maple syrup, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil. Pour the sauce into the slow cooker and stir well.
- Cover the slow cooker and set it to cook for 3 hours on high heat, or 6 hours on low heat. If you need to cook it longer due to your schedule, I’d recommend adding 2-4 tablespoons of water to the mixture to help prevent the sauce from over-cooking. (If you have a super-nice slow cooker, it might also give you the option to have the cooker start cooking later in the day on a timer.)
- Once the cooking is done, give the chickpeas a stir and serve them warm over a bed of white rice (or cauliflower rice) with a sprinkling of green onions and sesame seeds on top.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition information is for roughly a heaping 1/2 cup of cooked chickpeas in sauce. This information is automatically calculated and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
- You can use honey instead of maple syrup in this recipe if you don’t need it to be vegan.
- If you’re not gluten-free, you can use regular soy sauce if you prefer. (I use full-sodium soy sauce in my recipes, but you can use low-sodium if needed.)
Nutrition
If you try this recipe, let me know what you think in the comments below! I’d also love to hear from you if you make any substitutions. We can all benefit from your experience!
I make this recipe on a regular basis. So easy, economical, healthy and delicious. Thank you for such a great recipe!
This was excellent with minimal changes. I added fresh minced ginger and garlic in place of dried, and I used a frozen bell pepper and onion bag instead of fresh. Flavor of the sauce was excellent and this will be a repeat for sure! May even try subbing garbanzos for cauliflower or tofu next time! Thank you for putting out a genuinely delicious recipe.
Loved this recipe! Came together very quickly in the instant pot (4 mins). I did saute the veggies for a few minutes in the IP before cooking. In addition to vegetables noted I added celery. I doubled the sauce, but not the maple syrup and red pepper flakes. Per insight by another commenter I made the sauce thicker once done cooking by mixing 1 Tbsp tapioca flour and 1 Tbsp water together and then adding to the pot. Served with brown rice and broccoli and added a few cashews as a garnish.
Your have 2 cans of chickpeas for 1,2, and 3. So, I am using 4 cans to double recipe for church tomorrow.
How long do you cook it if you were to use the instant pot or stove top?
With the Instant Pot, I would add extra liquid (like 1/4 cup water) and try 4 minutes high pressure with a 10 minute natural release. For the stove top, I would saute the veggies in a large skillet until they are tender. Then add the sauce and chickpeas and stir until heated through.
I actually have some hoisin sauce on hand; curious how to incorporate into this recipe 🙂
Thank you!
Sooooo good – EASY too! Thanks! (I did it in the Instant Pot for 4 minutes after a brief saute of the veg.)
Made this in my sun oven today. Delicious!
Absolute family fav. Made this many times.
Can I add pre soaked dried chickpeas directly to the crockpot with this recipe. If so, how much extra liquid should I add?
No, I don’t think the slow cooker would be sufficient for cooking beans from scratch. I would cook the chickpeas first, then use them! I have tutorials for cooking them on the stove top and in the Instant Pot from scratch.