Kung Pao Chicken

By lorik

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 4 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 3 tbsp. shaoxing (Chinese rice wine)
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 3 tbsp. chicken stock
• 4 tsp. Chinkiang vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp. Asian sesame oil
• 2 tsp. Chinese dark soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. peanut oil
• 12 dried hot red chiles, stemmed, halved crosswise, and seeded
• 5 scallions, white part only, thickly sliced crosswise
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled, ends trimmed off, and thinly sliced
• 1 (1⁄2") piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 1 ⁄2 cup shelled raw skinless peanuts

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from saveur.com

Preparation

Step 1

Mix together cornstarch and 1 tbsp. of the soy sauce in a medium bowl, add chicken, toss well, and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix together the remaining 3 tbsp. soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, stock, vinegar, sesame oil, and dark soy sauce. Set aside.

Heat peanut oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Add chiles, half the scallions, garlic, ginger, and chicken and stir-fry until chicken is golden, 3–5 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture and stir-fry until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Stir in peanuts. Garnish with remaining scallions.