Add this to your meal plan for the week. You will not regret it. Speaking of meal plans, I’m thinking of adding a page or a link to weekly meal plans I’ve used. Would this be something you’d like to see on Pennies on a Platter? It’s only my husband and myself, so if you have children, you would have to adjust it to fit your needs. But, it’s really helped me to sit down on Saturdays to plan our meals for the following week and then grocery shop right after church on Sundays. In the past, I’ve made multiple trips to the store during the week and only because I never planned my meals. Now that I plan ahead of time, I save time and…yes… money!
This Kung Pao Chicken was part of last week’s meals. Ben keeps asking if we’ll be having this again this week. Unfortunately, it’s not on the plan this week since I only had to plan two meals…because we’re heading to Detroit to visit my best friend!! yay!
Ben wasn’t the only one who loved this dish, it’s right up there on my top favorites right now, too. It is extremely easy to make, and has just the right amount of spiciness. We both agreed that the meal tasted so fresh…much better than ordering Chinese take-out.
I do not have a wok and was able to easily make this in my sauté pan. So, do not hesitate to try this recipe out if you don’t own a wok.
- 1 lb boneless-skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” pieces)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil*
- 3 tablespoons green onions (chopped)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts
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Toss the chicken and cornstarch in a small bowl to coat. Heat the sesame oil in a wok (or sauté pan) over medium heat, add chicken and stir fry 5-7 minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken from wok; set aside.
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If the pan is too dry, add a little more oil. Stir fry the green onions, garlic, red pepper flakes and ginger for 15 seconds.
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Whisk the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Add the sauce to the wok.
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Return chicken to the pan and toss with the sauce. Stir in roasted peanuts. Heat thoroughly. Serve over white or brown rice, garnishing with additional green onions, if desired.
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Adapted from Blog Chef
If you like more sauce, just double the vinegar, soy sauce and sugar.
*Penny Says: If you do not have any sesame oil on hand, try picking up some wok oil instead. I found it at half the price of sesame oil and it worked perfectly.
Chocolate Shavings says
March 8, 2009 at 3:51 PMThat recipe sounds great ! and much better than take out!
Molly Jean says
March 8, 2009 at 5:18 PMWe made kung pao chicken last night too! It was quite different from yours but this looks FABULOUS! I’ll have to try this version too 🙂
Tracey says
March 8, 2009 at 7:52 PMI’d really like to see meal plans. I’ve been wanting to start planning our meals so it’d be great to see some examples! This chicken looks delicious 🙂
Philomena says
March 8, 2009 at 8:25 PMThis looks fantastic – a great weeknight dinner.
Debbie says
March 9, 2009 at 7:16 AMIt is so much easier to plan meals ahead of time especially if you have children. I try to that as much as I can. It saves trips to the grocery store and that saves money!! The chicken looks great. I have to try that sometime.
ingrid says
March 9, 2009 at 11:36 AMOh, you are so right. I already know this is going to be a winner at my house. My kiddos love Asian flavors. I’m gonna print this out.
Btw, yes, I do like my light box, but I need to get some fabric and props to spruce up my photos. I’m lame. The photography part of blogging is my least fave part of it all. I really need to get my butt in gear. Except for a mac-daddy camera (mine is still a nice one) I have everything I need to be successful. No excuses.
~ingrid
nievebonita says
March 9, 2009 at 12:01 PMmeal plans would be wonderful!
this recipe looks soo delicious..Thank you for sharing! love your page!
Daniel says
March 9, 2009 at 5:51 PMYum. Thanks for the post!
Amber says
March 10, 2009 at 8:28 PMThis looks great and sounds so easy to do. I’m not supposed to eat peanuts so it seems this will work perfectly. I can make my serving first and then make a serving with peanuts for my husband. 🙂
Jacqui says
March 13, 2009 at 7:40 AMI made this last night….it was wonderful and so easy!!
Thanks for the great recipe.
Melissa Fitzpatrick says
March 14, 2009 at 4:28 PMThis looks amazing Nikki. I’m going to make this next week. I got off Facebook, so I just wanted to say hello and that I’m still a serious fan of Pennies on a Platter!
Amber says
March 22, 2009 at 6:24 PMThis looks awesome. I might have to add it to my menu next week.
Amber says
March 28, 2009 at 10:29 PMI made this for dinner tonight and it was great! I made extra so hubby and I will have lunch for Monday.
stephanie crabb says
April 13, 2009 at 7:23 PMi just tried this the other week and LOVED it. i’m not a spicy person, so we just left out a little of the “pow” and both my husband and i loved it.
Laura says
November 2, 2009 at 8:36 AMJust wanted to say, I LOVE this recipe. I’ve made it a handful of times and it’s on my list for this week. YUM!!
Stephanie says
November 12, 2009 at 7:17 PMI just made this (and blogged it) and I am obsessed. We both loved it!
Stacy says
June 15, 2010 at 6:53 PMMade this tonight. It was so good! I made more sauce because that is how we are! :o) A new favorite and a new addition to the meal plan routine. It was very easy to do! Thank you!
Cara says
September 3, 2010 at 8:25 PMWe loved it!!! Next time, I will double the recipe so we can have leftovers. 🙂
Alyson says
February 18, 2011 at 10:54 AMI think we are officially recipe soul mates! Since I’ve been looking on your site (yesterday and today) I have loved almost every recipe idea. But when I saw this one I had to say something. I LOVE Kung Pao Chicken, but I haven’t found a good Chinese restaurant in the 5 years I’ve been in Iowa. In fact, I was commenting this morning the on the very subject. Thank you for this God-send!
Heather says
September 19, 2011 at 4:49 AMThis is awesome. I made it with tofu instead of chicken–YUM.
Brenna says
October 4, 2011 at 10:13 PMI linked back to this on my own blog http://paisleybarnoriginals.blogspot.com/ Best and easiest Chinese food recipe! Better than takeout
Kristin says
February 25, 2012 at 3:38 AMWow, this dish was GOOD!! It will definitely be a regular in our home.
Kristin says
February 27, 2012 at 4:43 PMThis recipe is phenomenal! It ranks right up there in our all-time favorites!
Nikki says
February 27, 2012 at 8:22 PMGreat to hear!! 🙂
Cori Walkden says
April 2, 2012 at 5:45 PMMeal plans is exactly what I was searching for tonight, I was thinking there was one that was linked to grocery store sales, but anything would be great at this point. And this recipe looks so yummy!
Nicole says
July 22, 2012 at 11:37 AMOH MY GOSH!! Came across this recipe by accident…and Im soooo glad I did. This is amazing and I have given the recipe to friends and we all agree A+! Thank You!
Nikki says
July 22, 2012 at 1:06 PMThanks, Nicole! 🙂