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Debi's Simplified Kung Pao Chicken

Somewhat spicy and less sweet than many versions out there. No exotic ingredients, no complicated ingredients.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Chinese
Author Debi Simons

Ingredients

Stir-Fry Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and any tendons, cut into 1" pieces You could use thighs, but for this recipe I think white meat is better.
  • 3-4 cups thinly-sliced peppers, red or green bell and/or poblanos
  • 2-4 jalapenos, depending on size, ribs and seeds removed, optional, for additional heat
  • 1 small thinly-sliced onion, optional*
  • 4 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil, or as needed

Sauce:

  • 1/3 cup chicken stock**
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup sherry, or rice wine, if you have it
  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup finely-grated fresh ginger, or about a 2-inch piece***
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, finely pressed or minced
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 heaping teaspoon chili-garlic sauce/paste,**** or to taste

Toppings:

  • 1 cup dry-roasted peanuts or cashews
  • 4-6 scallions, thinly sliced, including as much green as possible, for serving

Instructions

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons in a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir fry chicken in batches, adding oil as needed, cooking only as long as needed to cook through. Chicken won't brown much. If you're unsure about doneness, cut open a piece to see if it's white all through. Chicken will cook briefly at the end when you combine everything to reheat. Remove chicken to a plate.

  2. Add extra oil to pan, if needed, and stir-fry vegetables. You can do this in the authentic way, in which the veggies are still very crisp, or you can do it my way and get them somewhat caramelized/browned.

  3. Mix together sauce ingredients, making sure to get all lumps out of cornstarch. The easiest way to do this is to use your trusty 2-cup Pyrex liquid measuring cup. Put the 3 1/3-cup ingredients in first, to go up to 1 cup, then add the 1/4 cup of vinegar. Now you can add the other ingredients and stir it up right in the measuring cup, with no need to mess up a bowl or additional measuring cups. Pour into pan over vegetables and let come to a boil and thicken. Add chicken back in and reheat briefly.

  4. Serve over rice, sprinkled with peanuts or cashews and scallions.

Recipe Notes

*If you have some other vegetables you'd like to use, or use up, feel free to do so--mushrooms, thinly-sliced carrots, broccoli, even asparagus. The red peppers are traditional, but who cares? Use what you have and like.

**You do have "Better than Bouillon" chicken stock base on hand, don't you? Then just use 1/3 cup water and a good heaping teaspoon of the base.

***I never actually measure grated ginger, but this is a good ballpark amount. Do take the time to peel the ginger.

****This is an easily-findable ingredient in the "Asian foods" aisle at the grocery store, with the soy sauce and curry paste and coconut milk. Mine is from Vietnam and very, very hot. Use with care!