Kung Pao Chicken

This recipe is from Quick and Easy Chinese by Nancie McDermott. My mom gave me this cookbook for Christmas a few years ago and I absolutely LOVE it. Every recipe I have tried is easy to make and very tasty.

Ingredients:
There may be a lot of ingredients, but this is largely a matter of measuring out the two seasoning mixtures.

FOR THE CHICKEN MARINADE
3/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast (I use 1 lb. because I always freeze my chicken in 1 lb. portions)
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
1 T. cornstarch
1 t. vegetable oil

FOR THE SAUCE
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
1 T. red wine vinegar or Chenkiang vinegar
1 T. sugar
1 t. corn starch
1 t. salt

FOR COOKING THE CHICKEN
2 T. vegetable oil
5-10 small dried hot red chilies or 2 t. red pepper flakes (I used 2 t. red pepper once and it was hot. Now I generally only use 1 t.)
1 t. Szechuan peppercorns, toasted and crushed (optional)
1 T. coarsely chopped garlic
1 T. finely chopped fresh ginger
1/4 c. coarsely chopped green onion
3/4 c. roasted, salted peanuts
1 t. Asian sesame oil (sesame oil has a strong flavor so I don't usually use this much. I just drizzle a little over the dish, then toss)

Directions:
To prepare the chicken: Chop it into bite-sized chunks, about 1inch in diameter. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, and vegetable oil. Stir to mix everything well, and then add the chicken, tossing to coat it evenly. Set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

To make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir to dissolve the dry ingredients, and mix everything together well.

Prepare the remaining ingredients, and place everything by the stove (I find this to be very helpful because the cooking process is rather quick), along with a serving platter for the finished dish.

To cook the chicken, heat a wok or large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, and then add the vegetable oil. Swirl to coat the pan, and when it is hot but not smoking, add the chiles. Toss well for about 30 seconds, and then add the Szechuan peppercorns, if using. Cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant and shiny, tossing once or twice.

Scatter in the chicken and let it cook on one side for about 1 minute. Toss well, and then add the garlic, ginger, and green onion. Cook 1 to 2 minutes, tossing now and then, until the chicken has changed color and is cooked through.

Stir the sauce, and add it to the pan. Cook another minute, tossing often, and then add the peanuts and sesame oil. Toss once more, transfer to a serving platter, and serve hot or warm.

Serves 4


Don't be intimidated by this recipe just because of the lengthy list of ingredients and directions. It's really not a difficult recipe; the key here is to prep everything before starting. Once you have everything ready to drop in the pan the cooking process really only takes about 5 minutes. Also, I like to include some zuchinni and/or yellow squash to add a little more flavor and texture. I usually add it when I add the garlic, ginger, and green onion. You want to cook it through but you don't want to loose that bite that fresh vegetables should have. Something to consider as well: I gengerally 1.5x the sauce because I don't want the dish to be dry due to adding zuchinni and more chicken than is called for.

Pair this with some Jasmine rice and you've got yourself an easy, authentc tasting Asian dish. This recipe is SO worth trying.  请享用。