Kung Po Chicken

This classic Sichuan stir-fry dish can be made with shrimp, pork, beef, or even tofu as well as chicken.  It’s a simple dish with just a few ingredients combined with crunchy peanuts for texture. The complex flavors come from the marinating and seasoning sauces.

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite-sized pieces

• 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, peanut preferred

• 4 to 6 whole dried red chiles, such as piquin or cayenne

• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic

• 2 teaspoons grated ginger

• 1/2 green bell pepper, cubed

• 1 small onion, cubed

• 2 teaspoons sesame oil

• ½ cup roasted peanuts

• Garnish: 1 green onion, chopped including some of the green

For the Marinating Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry

• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon sugar

For the Seasoning Sauce:

• 1/4 cup chicken broth

• 2 tablespoons Asian chile sauce

• 2 tablespoons hoison sauce

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Asian hot bean sauce

• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons rice vinegar

• 2 teaspoons ground Sichuan pepper*

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients for the marinating sauce along with 1 tablespoon of water in a large bowl and stir to mix. Toss the chicken in the sauce to coat and marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

In another bowl, combine all the ingredients for the seasoning sauce, stir to mix and set aside.

Heat a wok or heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot and add the oil. Add the chiles and stir-fry for a couple of minutes or until they start to blacken. Push them to the side of the wok, add the garlic and ginger, and stir-fry until fragrant.

Drain the chicken and add to the wok. Stir-fry the chicken for a couple of minutes until the chicken changes color. Remove, drain and keep warm. Add the onion and bell pepper and stir-fry until they just soften.

Add the seasoning sauce to the wok and cook until the sauce thickens. Return the chicken and toss to coat. Heat until the sauce forms a glaze over the chicken. Add the sesame oil, peanuts and toss until coated.

To serve, mound the chicken on a serving platter and garnish with the chopped green onions. Serve with plain white rice.