Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

Name: Kung Pao Chicken Tacos
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 4 serving(s)
Ingredients: 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces; 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, divided; 1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided; 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided; 1 1/2 tablespoons honey; 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil; 2 teaspoons rice vinegar; 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste); 1 large garlic clove, minced; 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts; 3/4 cup diagonally sliced celery (about 2 stalks); 8 (6 inch) corn tortillas; 1/3 cup sliced green onion; 1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced; 4 lime wedges

Submitted by Pinay0618

"Recipe is from Cooking Light."

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Ready In:: 1hr
Ingredients:: 16
Serves:: 4

ingredients

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, divided
¹⁄₄ cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided
¹⁄₄ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)
1 large garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped dry roasted peanuts
³⁄₄ cup diagonally sliced celery (about 2 stalks)
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
¹⁄₃ cup sliced green onion
¹⁄₂ medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 lime wedges

directions

Place chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce to bag; seal. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place 1/4 cup cornstarch in a shallow dish. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Add chicken to cornstarch in dish, and toss chicken to thoroughly coat. Shake off excess cornstarch.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of coated chicken; sauté for 6 minutes or until done, turning to brown. Remove chicken from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Repeat the procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil and coated chicken.
Combine remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, honey, and next 3 ingredients (through sambal oelek) in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Microwave at HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring twice. Stir in garlic. Combine soy sauce mixture, chicken, peanuts, and celery; toss to coat chicken.
Toast tortillas under broiler or on a griddle until lightly blistered, turning frequently. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates; divide chicken mixture evenly among tortillas. Top each taco with green onions and bell pepper strips; serve with lime wedges.

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Reviews

Excellent! We loved these tasty little tacos. The only change I made was to use boneless skinless chicken breast instead of thighs. DH was practically drooling as I was cooking these.They looked great, best of all the flavors balanced really well. I broiled the tortillas as directed and thought that was a mistake when I took them off the cookies sheet because they were kind of leathery, but it's because of that that they held the filling so well. Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe. I'll be making these again.

Lucky in Bayview
Freaking awesome! Saw this recipe on cookinglight.com and thought it could be good, but wondered...kung pao with corn tortillas?? Everyone loved it! And they're all picky. I'd suggest dumping the cooked chicken into a fresh skillet, then adding the rest of the ingredients. I used chopped frozen red pepper (because I had a bunch), and added with the chicken for a minute before stirring in the celery and peanuts. Used the broiler for the tortillas which worked well although they need to be used right away. I'll double this next time, people are already inquiring about leftovers. Thanks for posting!

LonghornMama