Kung Pao Chicken - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Marinade
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
8 ounces boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
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 chilies, stems removed and discarded, pods cut in halves
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, thinly sliced, smashed
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 green onion, white part cut into 1/2 -inch pieces, green part cut into julienne strips
1/4 cup deep-fried peanuts
2 tablespoons cold chicken stock or 2 tablespoons good-quality canned chicken broth, plus
1 tablespoon cornstarch, stirred together until the cornstarch dissolves to make a slurry

Preparation

1. In a nonreactive 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.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the ingredients for the Sauce. Set aside.
3. 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.
4. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the peanuts. Stir in the slurry and continue stirring until the sauce is glossy and thick enough to coat the chicken. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with julienned green onions.