Recipe 1: Kung Pao Chicken

The first time I made this recipe I was less than thrilled, but Tom really liked it. I knew it had potential because it had a good basic flavor, but it needed a lot of help. I got online and looked at pictures of Kung Pao at Panda Express—theirs had vegetables and I knew that would help immensely with both looks and taste. It did. But the sauce amounts weren’t right and the flavor still needed a little umph. After a few more tries, I discovered the secret is the ginger. I increased it quite a bit from the original recipe and it helped so much. But I also learned that more doesn’t make it better. In this recipe I actually level out the ginger when measuring it—which I never ever do when cooking. And now after a number of tweaks, I can finally declare it good. If you like Chinese food and don’t mind following a recipe exactly and spending a little time in the kitchen, this recipe is for you. If that doesn’t describe you, head to Panda for your Kung Pao fix.

Kung Pao Chicken

3 boneless chicken breasts or 5-6 thighs
4 TBSP oil
½ cup peanuts
8-14 dried hot chili peppers, with the tops broken off
1 red bell pepper; largely diced
1 zucchini, cut into bite-sized wedges
3 ½ tsp minced fresh ginger
3 green onions with tops cut in ½” pieces

Bowl 1 Marinade:
½ tsp sugar
4 tsp cornstarch
¼ tsp salt
4 tsp water
4 tsp soy sauce

Bowl 2 Sauce:
3 tsp sugar
3 tsp cornstarch
6 tsp water
6 tsp soy sauce
2 TBSP red wine vinegar
4 TBSP chicken broth

Cut chicken into small pieces. Make mixtures. Pour marinade over chicken and let stand 30 minutes. Reserve sauce until cooking.

1. Heat 1 TBSP oil in wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add peanuts; stir and cook until lightly toasted. Remove peanuts and set aside.
2. Cook red pepper and zucchini in 1 TBSP oil. Stir fry until tender-crisp. Remove from pan.
3. Add 2 TBSP oil in skillet over medium heat. Add chili peppers. Stir-fry until peppers just begin to char, about 1 minute.
4. Increase the heat to high. Add chicken mixture; stir fry 2 minutes. Add ginger; stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 1 minute.
5. Add peanuts, vegetables (including green onions), and sauce mixture to skillet. Cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens. Serve over white rice.

A few notes.
~We like more peanuts---about 1 cup.
~Be very exact on measuring the ginger. (okay, already said that. . . but it is important!)
~The peppers are what give this dish the kick. We like a fair amount of heat so I use about 12. (also, the spicier it is, the more rice you need with it and in this way I can have enough for left overs—and it is way yummy the 2^nd day; Tom likes it with just one chili pepper left in over night, I like mine taken out. Leaving them in overnight will give it even more kick.)
~Following the steps exactly makes a big difference; I actually use the timer on this. If the cooking takes longer than the suggested time, your heat is not high enough.
~The coloring is a little different than you get in a restaurant—I think they may put a little coloring in it. I tried a little red once and it looked a little closer, but I decided not to bother with that issue. The flavor is awesome!

Email me at my real or fake address (chart@utwire.net) if you want the recipe in a printable version--on my copy, I have the marinade and the sauce mixtures side by side so I can easily make them at the same time because they are so similar, but blogger wouldn't allow me that option.