Kung Pao Chicken

Do you know that Kung Pao chicken has some black vinegar in the sauce? Maybe you already do... but I never knew.  I was craving for some kung pao chicken and decided to google for some recipes to refer to. After googling around, I noticed a common ingredient in the recipe that I never expected, Chinese Black Vinegar. As I happen to have a bottle of ChinKiang Black Vinegar handy, this dish was  just perfect to try out. Plus, I have a stash of sichuan peppercorn and I was dying to use it somewhere.

Using this recipe by Terri of A Daily Obsession and this recipe by Bee Yinn or Rasa Malaysia as references, I proudly cooked up a pretty yummy Kung Pao chicken for the husband and I! I made it a second time this week with a slight change, and preferred the version I made the first time. Here's the recipe I made the first time and enjoyed it very much. The use of yellow pepper in the recipe is totally optional........ again, I like the pop of color it gives the dish!

KUNG PAO CHICKEN RECIPE
*Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 4 Pieces Boneless & Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut into Bite Size Pieces
• 6-8 Pieces Dried Chili, Cut into Half and Deseeded ( Keep some seeds for spicier chicken)
• 3 Inch Ginger, Cut & Smashed
• 2 -3 Cloves Garlic, Smashed
• 1 Stalk Green Onion, Cut into 1 Inch
• 2-3 Tsp Sichuan Peppercorns
• 1/2 Yellow Pepper (Optional)
• 2-3 Tbsp Roasted Peanuts
• 1/2 Cup Oil

Marinade Ingredients:

• 2 Tsp Soy Sauce
• 2 Tsp Rice Wine
• 1 Tsp Dark Sweet Soy Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Corn Starch

Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Chin Kiang Black Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Sweet Dark Soy Sauce
• 1-1/2 Tbsp Light Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 2 Tsp Sugar
• 4 Tsp Corn Flour
• 1/4 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Stock
• 2 Tbsp Water

Method
Mix the marinade ingredients with the chicken and set aside for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Mix all the ingredients in the sauce and set aside.  Heat oil in a pan over medium high heat. Fry the marinated chicken until slightly golden brown and remove the chicken and set aside. Remove the oil from the pan and keep only about 2 tbsp of oil.

Stir fry dried chili, ginger and garlic until fragrant. Then stir in cooked chicken, options yellow pepper,  and sichuan peppercorn. Next pour in the sauce mixture and stir fry until the sauce thickens. Add green onions, roasted peanuts and transfer dish to a plate. Serve immediately with warm rice. Enjoy!

Simply June