Kung Pao Chicken

Cooking Class: Chinese, p. 72

3 ½ teaspoons cornstarch, divided

5 teaspoons soy sauce, divided

5 teaspoons dry sherry, divided

¼ teaspoon salt

3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chicken broth or water

 1 ½ teaspoons sugar

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

½ cup salted peanuts

6 to 8 small dried hot chili peppers

1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh ginger

2 green onions with tops, cut into 1 1/2 –inch pieces

Green onion and additional dried hot chili pepper for garnish

For marinade, combine 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sherry and salt in large bowl; mix well. Add chicken; stir to coat well. Let stand 30 minutes.

I'm not normally impressed with the effects of marinades, but this one had the asset of being a nice thick one that coated the chicken well.

Combine remaining 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch, 3 teaspoons soy sauce, 3 teaspoons sherry, vinegar, chicken broth and sugar in small bowl; mix well. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add peanuts; cook and stir until lightly toasted. Remove peanuts from wok; set aside.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in wok over medium heat. Add chili peppers; stir-fry until peppers just begin to char, about 1 minute.

This is where your spice comes from - and this is a pretty spicy dish!

Increase heat to high. Add chicken mixture; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add ginger; stir-fry until chicken is no longer pink in center, about 1 minute.

Add peanuts and onions. Stir cornstarch mixture; add to wok. 

The magic!

Cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens. Garnish, if desired. 

I decided it was pretty enough as it was, and served it up with white rice.

My Rating: 4/5 "Very peppy! The chicken is done well, the spice game is on point, and the peanuts add nice texture. I could handle just a smidge more sauce; other than that it's fantastic!"