Kung Pao Chicken

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 3
• 5 teaspoons soy sauce, divided
• 5 teaspoons rice wine or 5 teaspoons dry sherry, divided
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, fat discarded,washed,dried,and cut in bite-size pieces
• 2 tablespoons chicken broth or 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
• 1/2 cup dry-roasted unsalted peanuts (don't use the seasoned ones; the will burn during toasting)
• 6 small dried hot chili peppers, to taste
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3 -4 green onions, cut into 1 inch pieces
• hot cooked rice, as accompaniment

Recipe

• 1 for marinade, combine 2 tsp soy sauce, 2 tsp rice wine, 2 tsp cornstarch, and salt in a medium bowl, and mix well.
• 2 add chicken, and stir to coat well.
• 3 let stand for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• 4 combine remaining 3 tsp soy sauce, 3 tsp rice wine, chicken broth, vinegar, sugar, and remaining 2 tsp cornstarch in a small bowl, mix well, and set aside.
• 5 heat 1 tbsp oil in wok or large skillet over medium heat.
• 6 add peanuts and cook until golden brown, being careful not to burn them; remove peanuts and set aside.
• 7 heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in wok over medium heat, and stir-fry until peppers just begin to darken.
• 8 increase heat to high, add chicken, and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
• 9 add ginger and garlic, and stir-fry until chicken is cooked through, about 1-2 minutes.
• 10 add green onions and peanuts.
• 11 stir cornstarch mixture, and add to pan.
• 12 cook, stirring constantly until sauce boils and thickens.
• 13 serve with hot cooked rice.