Kung Pao Chicken

Tags

Asian, bell peppers, chicken, food, kung pao chicken, main dish, stir-fry

Stir fry is one of the healthiest, quickest meals. Very little prep time required. Dinner on the table in 30 minutes flat. Thanks Stefan for the great recipe!

Kung Pao Chicken (from Stefan’s Gourmet Blog)

• 1/2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
• 2 yellow bell peppers, diced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
• dried chile peppers (1 = mild, 2 = medium, 3 = hot, 4 or more = very hot)
• 1 tsp sichuan peppercorns
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tbsp oil for stir-frying

For the marinade:

• 1 tsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp shaohsing rice wine

For the sauce:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp shaohsing rice wine
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp rice vinegar (optional)

Combine the chicken in a bowl with 1 tsp corn starch, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp shaohsing rice wine. Stir until well mixed and the chicken is coated with the marinade on all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for about 25 minutes at room temperature. Meanwhile, prep the veggies. Clean the bell peppers and cut into pieces about the size of the chicken. Chop the green onions and separate the green part. Mince the garlic. Roughly chop the dried chile peppers and remove the seeds. Mix the ingredients for the sauce (2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp shaohsing rice wine, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp rice vinegar) in a small bowl. Whole sichuan peppercorns are not nice to have in the final dish because of the texture. To extract their flavor, heat the oil in a wok, add the sichuan pepper corns, lower the heat, and allow the sichuan peppercorns to flavor the oil. Remove the sichuan peppercorns with a slotted spoon before you continue. Now heat the oil over very high heat. Add the chicken when the oil is very hot. Stir-fry just until golden. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon. It should be only 80% cooked at this time. Chicken should be cooked through, but do not overcook it or it will become dry and tasteless.  Add the bell pepper, chile peppers, garlic, and white part of the green onions to the wok. Add the peanuts as well if using raw peanuts. If you like your peanuts well-roasted, you could even start by roasting them first. Stir-fry for a few minutes. Lower the heat and add the sauce. Stir and cook for a minute until the sauce has reduced somewhat. Add the chicken and green part of the green onions. This is where you add roasted peanuts if using. Stir and cook for another minute until the chicken is coated with the sauce and warmed through.

Kung Pao Chicken

Tags

Asia, celebration, chicken, Dinner, kung pao chicken, New Year, Supper

I made this chicken as part of our Chinese New Year/100th post celebration. I liked it but I think next time I am going to increase the sauce and add veggies like baby corn, red peppers, and broccoli.

Kung Pao Chicken

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup white wine, divided
• 1/4 cup soy sauce, divided
• 1/4 cup sesame oil, divided
• 1/4 cup cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• 2 ounces hot chile paste
• 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 8 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 2 (8 ounce) cans water chestnuts
• Chopped peanuts, garnish if desired

Marinade: 

In a bowl, combine half of the wine, soy sauce, oil, and cornstarch mixture.  Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

Sauce:

In a bowl, combine remaining wine, soy sauce, oil, and cornstarch mixture with the chili paste, vinegar, and sugar. Add green onion, garlic, water chestnuts and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.

Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in a separate large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens. Serve over rice.