How to Use kung pao in a Sentence

kung pao

adjective
  • The kung pao chicken packed a perfectly spicy and peanutty punch.
    — Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 19 Oct. 2020
  • And if not fried chicken, then go with a spicy kung pao iteration served with plenty of hot rice.
    — Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2020
  • Chefs from the city flew in to teach students how to make Chinese pastries and kung pao chicken.
    — Shibani Mahtani, Washington Post, 10 July 2023
  • Chef specialties include orange-peel chicken and a house kung pao.
    — Roger Naylor, AZCentral.com, 6 Dec. 2025
  • Stateside, chefs such as Danny Bowien turned diners on to kung pao pastrami.
    — Oliver Staley, Quartzy, 29 Nov. 2019
  • Its options include sweet and sour chicken, kung pao, pad Thai, bulgogi chicken and more.
    — Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Menu options include meals such as chimichurri beef and vegetables, kung pao chicken with sweet potatoes, and hearty vegetable taco soup.
    — Good Housekeeping, 9 Sep. 2022
  • Special flavors for baseball games will includes buffalo chicken dumplings, kung pao chicken dumplings, and wagyu beef dumplings.
    — Melissa Kravitz Hoeffner, Forbes, 18 Mar. 2025
  • There are classics like speedy pot roast and shredded beef, as well as unexpected favorites like kung pao chicken and broccoli-cheddar soup.
    — Audrey Bruno, SELF, 8 Mar. 2018
  • Menu items include lettuce wraps, kung pao Brussels sprouts, Mongolian beef, sweet and sour chicken, lo mein and the like.
    — Sarah Blaskovich, Dallas News, 28 June 2021
  • From that menu came good kung pao chicken with lots of peanuts, a smart stir-fry of tofu and vegetables and a savory plate of wide and sticky ho fan noodles loaded with beef.
    — Mike Sutter, ExpressNews.com, 7 Nov. 2019
  • Chengdu Cuisine specializes in spicy Sichuan dishes such as mapo tofu and kung pao chicken.
    — Bob Carlton, Southern Living, 16 Mar. 2026
  • The discount diner who is ordering the kung pao chicken dumplings or steak and cheese sandwiches at a great price pays a fraction of the value of the food ordered.
    — Susan Tompor, Detroit Free Press, 20 Apr. 2022
  • The menu brought levels of spice that made noses run, and dishes like kung pao pastrami effortlessly blended culinary influences.
    — Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 19 Nov. 2025
  • The restaurant offers entrees like kung pao, sweet and sour and teriyaki chicken in addition to a variety of stir fry, curry and soup offerings.
    — Garrett Moore, Arkansas Online, 7 Jan. 2022
  • Plan those last couple of barbecues and al fresco gatherings—kung pao chicken kebabs, a miso flank steak salad, and smoky summer corn will satisfy guests.
    — Sarah Yang, Sunset Magazine, 1 Aug. 2024
  • There are also Chinese classics, like kung pao chicken (sadly devoid of peanuts) and beef with broccoli, but Japanese is the strength.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 27 Apr. 2021
  • The red oil might be more familiar to those who’ve eaten Sichuan versions of dishes like mapo tofu or kung pao chicken, but the strikingly fragrant green oil is a revelation.
    — Andy Wang, Robb Report, 1 Feb. 2022
  • Your dining guide to a dozen metro Phoenix steakhouses Scottsdale restaurant closing one bar to open another Making kung pao chicken is fast and easy.
    — Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 13 June 2023
  • Fan, wearing a blue polo that matched his mask, explained to Grace Shi in Chinese which meals were spicy — the kung pao chicken — and which were vegetarian.
    — Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2020
  • The celebration featured a menu that included kung pao cauliflower, citrus salad, roasted chicken, king salmon, a grains bowl and chocolate chip cookies and fruit for dessert.
    — Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Oct. 2023
  • The other is offering fragrant meat slices, spicy hot pot, kung pao chicken, and a tomato and egg dish, its menu lit up on a fluorescent LED board overhead.
    — Jenni Marsh, CNN, 7 June 2018
  • The four-course dinner is $45 and highlights dishes ranging from Rose's signature lychee salad with pork and habaneros to kung pao tofu and Greek chicken.
    — The Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2020
  • Inside, a towering trompo of pork revolves next to ingredients for popular Chinese, Thai and Japanese dishes like kung pao pork, pad thai and chicken teriyaki.
    — Ariel Cheung, chicagotribune.com, 29 Dec. 2021
  • John Mariani The menu is unnecessarily long––which seems to be a given in Chinese restaurants everywhere––and will appeal to those who still wish to order wonton soup, chao mein and kung pao chicken.
    — John Mariani, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025
  • The Coronado School District uses Robby in its central kitchen to make everything from kung pao chicken to Philly cheesesteaks for its students.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Both eventually trickled out into the wider American subconscious and took root, with Thai risottos, farm-to-table kung pao chicken and restaurants like Lou’s Takeaway as its fruit.
    — Soleil Ho, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 Feb. 2021
  • For many American Jews, Christmas simply isn’t Christmas without kung pao chicken and afternoon tickets to the latest holiday blockbuster.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 26 Dec. 2023
  • The ones that make the cut — Swedish turkey meatballs, kung pao sweet potato — have been approved by a board of medical professionals with a range of backgrounds, from clinical nutrition to traditional Chinese medicine.
    — Lindsey Tramuta Roxanne Fequiere Luke Fortney Gisela Williams Megan O’Sullivan, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
  • While attractive-looking raw-fish offerings such as salmon, spicy tuna and Idaho rolls are big sellers, the restaurant also offers traditional Chinese cuisine such as kung pao and Mongolian beef.
    — Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 1 July 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kung pao.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: