Kung Pao Chicken

I’ve been on a quest for the past few months to make awesome Chinese food.  For the most part I’ve had success thanks to Helen Chen’s Home Cooking. This cookbook is FANTASTIC!  It’s a great mix of traditional Chinese recipes and Chinese-American recipes.  Totally up my alley.

I was at work the other day and someone was eating Kung Pao Chicken and it smelled AMAZING.    So of course rather than putting in an order I figured I’d go home and make it.  Obviously.  What’s so great about this recipe is that I pretty much had everything on hand (except for peanuts which are easy enough to acquire and the Sichuan peppercorns but I used regular peppercorns instead).  I added some green peppers to the mix for a bit of “vegetable”.

Loved this recipe too!  It’s not a battered and fried version which is always a plus (but don’t get me wrong, I love me some batter) and the heat is great. AND I took leftovers for lunch and I ate actually at it all (I normally have issues with leftover chicken).  SOLD.

KUNG PAO CHICKEN

SERVES 3 TO 4

3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 3?4-inch cubes
1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 to 4 dried chiles, seeds removed
½ teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, toasted and ground (see Note)
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 scallion, bulb split, cut into 11?2-inch lengths, plus 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
2 slices unpeeled fresh ginger
½ cup unsalted blanched peanuts, toasted, or unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, the salt, and cornstarch. Add the chicken and mix well. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, the wine, sugar, vinegar, and sesame oil.

2. In a wok or stir-fry pan, heat the canola oil over medium-heat. Add the chiles and cook, stirring, until the chiles turn dark brown. Add the peppercorns, garlic, scallion lengths, and ginger and stir for a moment or two.

3. Stir up the chicken mixture and add it to the pan. Cook, stirring briskly, for about 1 minute, then add the soy sauce mixture, the peanuts and the thinly sliced scallions. Turn the heat up to high and cook, stirring, until well mixed, and the chicken is cooked through, about 30 seconds. Remove and discard the chiles and ginger, if desired. Serve immediately.

? NOTE: You may substitute 1 to 3 teaspoons crushed red pepper for the dried chiles. Add with the peppercorns, garlic, and scallions.

? NOTE: To toast Sichuan peppercorns, heat the peppercorns in an ungreased skillet over medium heat until the peppercorns are smoking and fragrant. Do not let them burn. Let the peppercorns cool, then grind them in a mortar and pestle or roll with a rolling pin between two pieces of paper. Sift and discard the larger pieces that do not pass through the strainer. Store the powder in a clean, tightly lidded glass jar in a dark, dry place.

(From Helen Chen’s Chinese Home Cooking)