Kung Pao Chicken

I love this recipe. I’m not sure how authentic it really is, but it’s one of my favorites. My mom found it Winifred Jardine’s “Managing Your Meals” and made it several times when I was growing up. Sadly, the cookbook is out of print. I have a copy of it and I use it a lot; in fact, I use it so much the binding is shot. My husband, babe and I eat this meal several times a year and always love it.

One thing I like about the recipe is that you can adjust the spiciness to your family’s liking. My husband prefers the sensation of swallowing a live coal. Baby M and I, on the other hand, do not. The spiciness comes from the dried red peppers. To increase the spiciness, tear several open, and sprinkle the seeds into the skillet when you sauté the peppers and peanuts. The recipe is not spicy at all unless you sprinkle seeds into the skillet. I recommend 2-3 peppers worth of seeds. My husband recommends tearing all the peppers open and sautéing all the seeds. I let him add seeds to his finished plate at the end. Serve with steamed rice and steamed broccoli.

Kung Pao Chicken
recipe from “Managing Your Meals,” by Winifred Jardine
1 tablespoon pineapple juice (or other fruit juice)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 chicken breast halves, diced
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cooking sauce*
8-10 small dry chili peppers (found in the spice section of the grocery store)
½ cup salted peanuts
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 green onions, sliced (white separated from green)

In a medium bowl combine pineapple juice, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Add chicken; stir to coat, then stir in 1 tablespoon oil; let stand 15 minutes.  Prepare cooking sauce and set aside.

Heat wok or large skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon oil, chili peppers, seeds from peppers, and peanuts. Stir until peppers begin to char. Immediately remove peppers, seeds and peanuts.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and increase the heat to high. Add garlic and ginger, stirring constantly until browned. Add chicken. Stir fry until chicken becomes opaque and lightly browned. Add peppers, seeds, peanuts, and white pieces of onion to the skillet. Stir cooking sauce, pour into skillet, cook and stir until sauce thickens and
bubbles. Garnish with green pieces of the chopped green onion. Makes 4 servings.

*Cooking sauce:
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or other vinegar)
½ cup chicken broth or water
4 teaspoons sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir and set aside.

Printable version of Kung Pao Chicken