Thursday, June 5, 2014

Kung Pao Chicken (Throwback Thursday)

Yum
2011 photo
 Kung Pao Chicken is a favorite in Chinese restaurants. Why not make it at home so you can control the ingredients and the amount of oil. This is an easy recipe that takes a little prep and comes together in less than 30 minutes.

The key to Chinese cooking is high heat and speed so get all your ingredients ready before you start to cook. Before you know it, you will be sitting down to a meal better than regular Chinese take out for a fraction of the cost.

 

 

Ingredients:
2lbs chicken breast cut into 2 inch pieces
2  cups coarsely sliced celery
1 large onion coarsely chopped
1 bunch green onions (scallions) sliced divide green and white part
1/2 cup peanuts- unsalted
handful of whole dried chilies

Cornstarch Slurry:
Heaping Tbs cornstarch mixed with 2-3 Tbs water


Kung Pao Sauce:
1/4 cup soy sauce (or more to taste for salt)
2-3 Tbs  Shao Hsing Chinese Rice Wine or substitute dry sherry
2 Tbs rice vinegar
2-3 Tbs hoisin sauce
2 Tbs of brown sugar
1-2 tsp of sesame oil
1/4 cup of water
2 Tbs grated fresh ginger
2-3 cloves garlic grated





Directions:
Step 1: Toss chicken with salt and black pepper and leave to marinate while you prep the vegetables  and sauce for the stir fry.


 Step 2:  Now it's time to start the Stir Frying.

Place your wok on high heat. Then put 1Tbs of oil (canola or peanut) into the wok and get it hot. You want it to get to the point the oil starts to ripple (almost smoke).

Add the chicken into the wok and cook until it's well browned.  Remove chicken from pan and set aside until later.

Next add 1/2 Tbs of oil to wok and then add the unsalted peanuts and whole dry chilies. Toss in oil until the peanuts become fragrant. The oil is hot so this should take less than a minute and you don't want to burn the peanuts. Take the peanuts and chilies out of the wok and place in a separate bowl until later.




Put 1 more tablespoon of oil into the wok and add your veggies. Toss in the oil until tender crisp (about 2-3 minutes).




Then add the cooked chicken, peanuts/chilies and sauce to the pan. Cook for 10 minutes.  Finally add the cornstarch slurry to the pan and cook stir well.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes until sauce thickens. Garnish with tops of green onions/scallions Serve hot over rice.  Enjoy. 




 Copyright: All recipes, content, and images (unless otherwise stated) are the sole property of Curry and Comfort. Please do not use without prior written consent. Unauthorized reproduction is strictly prohibited.

11 comments:

  1. Very interesting recipe. I will try it for sure. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your Kung Pao chicken version is sounding yummy! I have had this dish many times here in HK and so I am excited to try out at home! Thanks for the step-by-step recipe.
    http://cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love Kung Pao chicken! Chinese is so easy to make at home, and usually way better than take-out. Aside from fried rice - even my best attempts at that aren't the same.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love Kung Pao chicken, but I've never made it at home... thank you for the recipe!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, delicious! A little bit of prep work goes a LONG way with Chinese cookery... I love your recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yum your kung pao chicken looks great! Great recipe

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love take out kung pao chicken, but I agree making it at home is much healthier. Thanks for another great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is one of my favorite dishes too! I love working with the dried hot peppers. They are sure to add a bite to any dish.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've never made this at home before, thanks for the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have yet to try making kung pao chicken at home. This can be a lovely weekend meal to try out! :D

    ReplyDelete

Please leave a comment, we love to hear from you....