King Pao Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Marinade:

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

For the Stir-Fry Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water

For the Stir-Fry:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger, minced
• 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts or cashews
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 4-6 dried red chilies (adjust to taste)
• 3-4 green onions, chopped (white and green parts separated)
• Cooked white rice, for serving

Instructions:

1. Marinate the Chicken:

1. In a bowl, combine the chicken pieces with soy sauce, rice wine or dry sherry, and cornstarch. Mix well to coat the chicken evenly. Set aside to marinate for about 15-20 minutes.

2. Prepare the Stir-Fry Sauce:

1. In another bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, cornstarch, and water until smooth. Set aside.

3. Stir-Fry:

1. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
2. Add minced garlic and ginger to the skillet and stir-fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the marinated chicken pieces to the skillet in a single layer. Allow them to sear without stirring for about 2-3 minutes until browned on one side.
4. Add peanuts or cashews, diced bell pepper, zucchini, carrots, and dried red chilies to the skillet. Stir-fry for another 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are crisp-tender and the chicken is cooked through.
5. Pour the prepared stir-fry sauce over the chicken and vegetables. Stir well to coat everything in the sauce.
6. Continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken and vegetables evenly.
7. Stir in the chopped green onions (white parts) and cook for another minute.
8. Remove the skillet from heat.

4. Serve:

1. Serve the Kung Pao chicken hot over cooked white rice.
2. Garnish with the remaining chopped green onions (green parts) before serving.
3. Enjoy the deliciously savory and slightly spicy Kung Pao chicken with crunchy peanuts and colorful vegetables!