Kung Pao Chicken

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It’s been awhile since we’ve made any Chinese food here. Probably mostly because it’s been awhile since we’ve both been around and in the swing of making dinner every night. It’s been nice getting back to that. Life has just seemed quite crazy lately.

I saw this recipe here on Taste and Tell. I’ve made several recipes from Deborah ‘s site and they have all been wonderful! On her site, she reviews cookbooks monthly, and this recipe comes from the Shun Lee Cookbook.

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Kung Pao Chicken is usually a pretty spicy dish. This one was no different, so I would take it down a notch by decreasing the number of dried chiles if you don’t like your food really spicy. I also didn’t bread the chicken. I never do when we make Chinese dishes at home. It’s a great way to cut calories and fat from Chinese dishes, and I promise you that we don’t miss the breading.

Overall, it was a great dish that came together quite easily. It does require quite a few “Asian ingredients.” However, I’ve found that these ingredients are often repeated in  other Chinese dishes, so I promise you will use them! Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Kung Pao Chicken
Adapted from the Shun Lee Cookbook seen on Taste and Tell

Ingredients:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
vegetable oil
6 scallions, white and green parts, trimmed and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
10 small dried hot chiles (fewer if you like it more mild)
1-1/2 tsp. chili garlic sauce
1 tsp. dark sesame oil
brown rice, prepared according to package directions

Sauce:
1/4 c. rice wine or dry sherry
2 Tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. cornstarch
cold water

To begin the sauce, mix the rice wine, soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl and set it aside. Dissolve the cornstarch in 2 Tablespoons of cold water in another bowl and set it aside. 

Heat a large wok over medium-high heat. Add enough oil to stir fry the chicken pieces. Add the chicken and cook through until no longer pink. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside. Add a little more oil to the pan and heat through. Add the scallions, garlic, chiles, and chili garlic sauce and stir-fry until the scallions wilt, about 30 seconds. Return the chicken to the wok, add the rice wine mixture, and stir-fry chicken until it is heated through. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until the sauce thickens, a few seconds more. Add the sesame oil and mix well. Remove the dried chiles and discard. Serve immediately with brown rice.