Life, Love and my passion for cooking

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Carson City, NV, United States
I grew up in Illinois in a small town. I moved to California in May of 2000.In that time I have experienced life, love and my passion for cooking. We now live in Nevada. I hope to take my passion for cooking to a new level.

gourmetpompey

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Kung Pao Chicken



2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
5 green onions chopped
2 tablespoons canola oil, I also added a few dashes of hot sesame oil
15-20 dried red chilies
2/3 cup roasted unsalted peanuts

Veggies:
One whole onion chopped in bit size squares.
3 bell peppers red, green and yellow chopped into bite size squares

Sauté all the veggies in a separate pan until almost cooked but still crispy. I tossed them with hot sesame oil, salt and pepper. Then add these right before you add the peanuts.


For the Marinade
½ tsp salt
1 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1-tablespoon black bean sauce
1-teaspoon dry cooking sherry
2-¼ teaspoons cornstarch
1-tablespoon water

For the sauce
3 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1-teaspoon low sodium soy sauce
1-teaspoon hot sesame oil
3 teaspoons rice vinegar
1-teaspoon chicken stock



Cut the chicken into cubes. Place in a bowl with the marinade. Let it sit for at least 20 minutes if you have more time for the marinade then cover and let it marinade for longer in the refrigerator.

Peel and chop the garlic and ginger. Chop scallions into chunks. Snap the chilies in half using gloves. I cut them up a little so they were not large pieces.

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Season the deep pan or wok. Add two tablespoons of oil heat over high flame. When it’s hot not smoking, add the chilies. Stir until they are crispy and fragrant. Don’t burn them! Then add the ginger and garlic toss for a few seconds. Then quickly add the chicken tossing it all evenly. Then add some of the green onions and toss. Cover the pan for 5-6 minutes let the chicken cook through. Then test one large piece and see if it’s done. If it’s not pink and the juices run clear then it’s done.

Add the sauce to the pan and stir and toss. Then add the veggies. Roast the peanuts in the pan the veggies were in with some sesame oil and toss them in to the pan. Give everything a good toss and serve over white rice.


NOTES: if you can get the really hot dried chiles from an asian market it really makes this dish spicy!

I also use Empire Kosher brand chicken from Trader Joes best taste and it doesn’t dry out.