Kung Pao Chicken

About This Recipe

A vegetable heavy dish that provides an easy way to get your daily servings.  Stir fry’s are great to get in a wide variety of vegetables.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 bunch broccoli
• 1 large zucchini
• 1 medium green pepper
• 1 medium red pepper
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 Tbsp ginger (minced)
• 2 Tbsp garlic (minced)
• 2 carrot⁣⁣s
• ¼ cup dry roasted peanuts
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 ½ cups cooked rice
• 1 ⅓ Tbsp rice wine vinegar (or dry sherry)
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• 1 ⅓ Tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 ⅓ Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 ⅓ Tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

1. Cook the rice using your preferred method (rice cooker or saucepan). Be sure you make enough to have 2 ½ cups worth of cooked rice.
2. Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes and trim the fat. Add to a bowl along with the ingredients for the marinade. Allow to marinate for 20 minutes.
3. Steam the broccoli for 3-5 minutes to allow it to soften. You still want to have a little crunch to the broccoli as it will cook further with the remaining vegetables.
4. Cut the onions into strips. Cut the peppers and zucchini into a large dice. Cut the carrots on a bias into thin slices.
5. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of oil over medium high heat. Once the pan has heated, add the red pepper flakes and cook for a few seconds then add 2 Tbsp garlic and ginger. Stir frequently.
6. Cook the vegetables in order of how long they take to cook. You want to make sure you don’t overcrowd the skillet, use two if necessary. Once the garlic and ginger has cooked for a minute add in the onions, cook for 2 minutes then add in the carrots.
7. Once the carrots have cooked for a few minutes add in the peppers and zucchini. Add in the broccoli once everything is finished and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the skillet.
8. Add 1 Tbsp of oil to the skillet and cook the chicken. Again don’t overcrowd the pan, cook in batches if necessary.
9. Once all of the chicken has cooked add everything into the skillet and stir in the peanuts and the sauce. Stir to incorporate and cook for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. This recipe makes 5 servings. Divide the ingredients evenly between your containers and add ½ cup of rice to each.