4 January, 2017
Sichuan Style Stir Fried Chicken with Peanuts
This might be as close to “take out” as I’ve ever come.
Most of the time when the recipe claims just like take out – it’s not, and it is usually pretty gross!
So this is a keeper and a winner. It has been in our arsenal for a while, i just forgot how good it was and for some reason thought it was hard to make. Memory is a terrible thing to waste! Note: it definitely doesn’t taste like kung pao chicken, but it is super delicious!
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon chili paste with garlic
- 1 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
- 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 2 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar or Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 7 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon chili paste with garlic
- 3/4 cup unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts
- 1 To prepare marinade, combine first 6 Ingredients: in a medium bowl; cover and chill 20 minutes.
- 2 Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken mixture; stir-fry 4 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove from pan; set aside.
- 3 To prepare sauce, combine broth and next 6 Ingredients: (broth through 1 teaspoon sesame oil); stir well with a whisk. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in pan. Add ginger, garlic, and chili paste, and stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add broth mixture, and cook 1 minute or until thick, stirring constantly.
- 4 Stir in cooked chicken, cook for 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.
- Water chestnuts
- Green onions
I made this recipe for the 2 of us, by just including a single chicken breast cut into pieces. The sauce is till at the level of the full recipe, so you can add chicken up to 4 breasts. We like sauce… so we are happy with just 1 breast!
I also like to keep my calories lower, so i left the peanuts off in a bowl for the hubby to sprinkle on top. And i put my chicken over spinach, kinda like a warm, wilted salad.
Pre-Prep
- Make the marinade, except for the cornstarch (add the corn starch when you are ready to add the chicken). Store it in a container.
- Marinade chicken anywhere from 20 min to over night
- Make the sauce and store it separately
Day-of
- Follow the instructions in the recipe.
- Garlic and ginger can be grated while the chicken cooks.
Suggested Sides
- Cauliflower Rice
- Quinoa Cakes
- Broccoli
- Asian Cucumber Salad
- Rice