Kung Pao Chicken

I've become a fan of spicy things.  Over the past few years, I've developed quite the affinity for sriracha and crushed red pepper in dishes, and have even grown to love jalapeños.  I decided to try my own Kung Pao Chicken recipe, which is a chicken dish served with stir fry vegetables slathered in a sauce with bit of kick.  I made my own sauce mix, combining soy sauce and sriracha for maximum flavor.

I did use a recipe for quantities, and utilized cornstarch as a thickener.

First, I marinated the chicken in a mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar, white wine vinegar, crushed red pepper and a combination of cornstarch and water for 45 minutes.  The cornstarch helps coat the chicken.  In a large skillet, I cooked the chicken until it was no longer pink, then added some frozen stir fry vegetables and peas to the mix.

To make the sauce, I combined sriracha, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, rice vinegar, minced garlic, crushed red pepper and mixed well. 

I added the sauce to the pan next, heating just until the sauce warmed up.

And the finished Kung Pao chicken was served over some good old fashioned white rice.

I really enjoyed this variety of the classic chicken and rice dish.  Though I used white rice, the sauce has a strong flavor and would go great with brown rice, quinoa, or even couscous.  The spice was certainly enough to singe the tongue a bit, so if you like a milder flavor just cut back the sriracha a bit.  For an easy dinner, this was a definite success and the sauce is a great go to for a simple meal.  Give spice a chance!

Kung Pao Chicken Recipe

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 chicken breasts
1 cup frozen mixed stir-fry vegetables

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons sriracha
1 1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cups cooked rice

Instructions:

Combine soy sauce, rice vinegar,  white wine vinegar, crushed red pepper, and a mixture of cornstarch dissolved in water.  Cut chicken into cubes and marinate chicken for 30-45 minutes.  Cook in a large skillet over medium high heat until no longer pink.  Add vegetables and cook another Cook for 2-3 minutes.  In a small bowl, make sauce by mixing soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, sriracha, rice vinegar, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper together.  Add sauce to skillet and heat until warmed.  Serve over cooked rice.