Kung Pao Chicken

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon rice wine
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced

Directions

In a non-reactive bowl, prepare the marinade. Combine the rice wine, peanut oil, soy sauce, salt and cornstarch. Stir in the chicken pieces and refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes.

Sauce:

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons peanut oil

4 dried red chiles remove stems and cut in halves

1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced, smashed

1 garlic, smashed

1 green onion, cut the white part into 1/2 -inch pieces, julienne the green parts

1/4 cup deep-fried peanuts

2 tablespoons chicken stock plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed together to make slurry

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.

Over high heat, in a wok, bring the peanut oil to almost smoking temperature. Stir-fry the chilies, ginger, garlic and white part of the green onions for 30 to 40 seconds, or until the chilies turn dark. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden in color.

Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the peanuts. Thicken with the slurry and continue to cook until glossy. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with julienne green onions.