Kung Pao Chicken

            Here is a recipe that I tweaked a bit here and there. I like my Asian food more on the saucy side so I added more of the wet ingredients. I also had a ton of veggies in my fridge that I wanted to use, so I threw them in too. And since we are becoming more “spicy” people, I added a touch of chili sauce.

            The result: one of the best Asian meals I’ve made yet! Really, I was so impressed with the outcome, I don’t think I stopped talking about it all night. Hubby also agreed it was one to remember. I liked the sweet to heat progression the spoonfuls produced. The extra veggies were nice too, in that they crunched just enough to counter the soft and saucy rice. By the end of dinner, I had troubles convincing myself that I had had enough. I eventually put my fork down once I realized I could bring it into lunch the next day!

            Needless to say, I’m glad I got around to making this- I definitely found a gem! Enjoy…

Kung Pao Chicken

Serves: 4

Adapted from: Food Snob 2.0

OBJ: TCW will get back to some Asian Cooking

Ingredients:

2 TBS canola oil
½  C broccoli florets
¼ C  water
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 large skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 cup fat-free, chicken broth
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

½ C diced or chopped carrot

½ C chopped onion

1 ½ C string beans, halved

Procedures:

1. Heat 1 TBS oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat

2. Add broccoli, carrots, onion and string beans and sauté 2 minute, stirring often

3. Add water, stir and Cover. Cook 3 minutes over medium flame or until veggies are crisp-tender. Remove veggies  from pan and keep warm

4. Heat remaining 1 TBS oil in pan, add crushed red pepper, and chicken. Cook 4-6 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned and cooked all the way through, stirring frequently

5. Meanwhile, combine the broth, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch and chili garlic sauce with a whisk in a small bowl

6. Once chicken is browned and cooked, add broth mixture to pan, cook two minutes over medium flame or until mixture thickens (stirring constantly)

7. Add veggies back to pan, toss well over medium flame for 2 minutes

8. Serve over rice