Kung Pao Chicken for Two

"Original recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated however, I've made some adjustments to fit our taste. If preferred, pork can be substituted for the chicken."
 
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photo by Karen Elizabeth photo by Karen Elizabeth
photo by Karen Elizabeth
Ready In:
35mins
Ingredients:
17
Serves:
2
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ingredients

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directions

  • Toss chicken with sherry and soy sauce in medium bowl; marinate until breast have absorbed flavors, about 10 minutes.
  • Mix garlic, ginger, and 1 teaspoon oil in small bowl; set aside.
  • Combine peanuts and chiles in small bowl; set aside. Mix chicken broth, vinegar, sesame oil, oyster-flavored sauce, hoisin sauce, and cornstarch in small bowl or measuring cup; set aside.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch skillet over high heat until just beginning to smoke.
  • Add chicken and cook without stirring for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, allowing chicken to brown on one side; stir and cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes more, until no longer pink; stir peanuts and chiles into chicken and continue cooking until peanuts have darkened slightly, 30 to 40 seconds longer.
  • Transfer chicken, peanuts, and chiles to bowl; set aside.
  • Return skillet to burner and reheat briefly, 15 to 30 seconds.
  • Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil, swirl to coat pan, and add red bell pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 45 seconds.
  • Clear center of pan, add garlic-ginger mixture, mash into pan with spoon or spatula, and cook until fragrant, 10 to 15 seconds; stir into peppers until combined. Stir broth mixture to recombine, then add to skillet along with reserved chicken, peanuts, and chiles; cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan, until sauce has thickened to syrupy consistency, about 15 to 20 seconds.
  • Stir in scallions and serve.

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Reviews

  1. nice! - brenton vandenbosch
     
  2. I was a bit daunted by the long list of ingredients, but I persisted because it did look good, and I had the chicken breasts already thawed. I used the sherry instead of rice wine, and all peanut oil. The modifications I made were: I doubled the recipe, as that's how much chicken I had. I used 1/2 the amount of red pepper flakes to be kind to hubby. I used seasoned rice vinegar, because I didn't have the plain. I used untoasted sesame oil, because the bottle was already opened. I added some celery (2 stalks for the doubled recipe.) The flavor was wonderful, the ease of preparation was better than expected, and I will be making this again. I may use toasted sesame oil next time, but it was still wonderful with the untoasted kind. Thank you Galley Wench for a great recipe. (The number of servings does appear to be 2 per recipe, as I had 2 servings left over after doubling the recipe for hubby and I. However, if you want seconds, then . . .) Just a helpful hint: Drain the chicken before putting it in the pan. Otherwise, it will not brown. Also, make sure your chicken is fully thawed for the same reason - the thawing water from partially frozen chicken will prevent it from browning.
     
  3. A very good dish, quickly prepared to give you an outstanding meal in no time at all. I used the cashews and was generous with the red pepper flakes. I had to use a green bell pepper, which was a shame about the colour, but nonetheless was very good in this dish. The flavours came together well, I served this on steamed rice, and we felt we enjoyed a restaurant quality meal for very little effort. Thank you Galley Wench! Made for Unrated Asian Recipes Tag Game.
     
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"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside . . . Chardonnay in one hand . . .chocolate in the other; the body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO, what a ride!!"
 
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