Kung Pao Chicken

I love spicy food. The hotter, the better. The nice thing about this dish, though, is that you can control the level of heat to make it as mild or burn-your- face-off-hot as you’d like. I usually separate a little of the sauce to keep mild for the kids and then add the sriracha to the grown up portion.

I’ve been on quite the Asian food kick lately and I have no idea why. I guess it’s probably because the town I live in has no decent small Chinese restaurants and I am too cheap to head down to PF Chang’s whenever I’m craving it. It’s a good thing though because it’s given me the drive to learn how to cook things I’d never even thought of when I had easy access to them. People in larger cities often take their plentiful dining and shopping options for granted. I definitely did and while I miss the diversity immensely, in the long run it’s been for the best since cooking the same dishes at home is so much cheaper and I am broadening my culinary horizons.

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• Chicken Marinade:
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into chunks
• 2 tablespoons white wine
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• 
  
• Sauce:
• 3 tablespoons white wine
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons sesame oil
• 2-3 tablespoons sriracha (depending on how hot you’d like it)
• 3 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
• 6 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2  tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 3/4 cup chopped peanuts

To Make Marinade: Combine 2 tablespoons wine, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sesame oil, 1  tablespoon cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon water and whisk together. Place chicken pieces in a glass dish or bowl and add marinade. Toss to coat. Cover dish and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes.

To Make Sauce: In a small bowl combine 3 tablespoons wine, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water, 2-3 tablespoons sriracha, 3 teaspoons vinegar, and 6 teaspoons brown sugar. Mix together and add green onion, garlic, and peanuts. In a medium skillet, heat sauce slowly until aromatic.

Meanwhile, remove chicken from marinade and saute in a large skillet until meat is white and juices run clear. When sauce is aromatic, add sauteed chicken to it and let simmer together until sauce thickens. Serve over rice or noodles.