kung pao chicken

chicken marinade:

1 lb of chicken breasts, cut into cubes

1 tbsp of soy sauce

1 tbsps of rice wine 

1 tbsp of sesame oil

1 tsp of cornstarch

1/2 tsp of brown sugar

1-2 dried chilies, optional for added spice

kung pao sauce:

1/3 cup of chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1 tbsp of rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp of hoisin

1 tbsp of soy sauce

1 tbsp of oyster sauce

1 tbsp of brown sugar

1 tsp of sesame oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp of ginger, fresh grated

other ingredients:

canola oil, as needed for cooking

1 zucchini, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

5-10 dried red chilis, varies depending your spice level

1/3 cup peanuts, more for serving (if desired) roughly chopped

1/4 cup of green onions, chopped, optional

Supplies:

Mixing bowls

Wok or cast iron pan

directions:

in a bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade, along with the chicken. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to 24 hours.
when ready to cook, heat a wok or cast iron pan over high heat and add in the canola oil. once the the pan is hot, add the chicken pieces into the pan in a flat layer. Do not add the the marinade into the pan. Sear and cook the chicken through, about 1 minute per side. Once cooked, remove the chicken from the pan and add the zucchini, red bell pepper, dried red chilis, and peanuts to the pan. sautee for 2 - 3 minutes.
while the vegetables cook, mix up the kung pao sauce. once the vegetables are cooked, turn the stove heat down to medium and add the chicken and kung pao sauce into the pan. Cook everything together for about 2 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Top with chopped green onions and additional chopped peanuts, if desired, and serve.

Note: if you don’t want to mix up your own Kung Pao sauce, you can buy a store bought sauce.