Recipe for chinese honey chicken

How to Prepare / Make / Cook - ?Recipe for chinese honey chicken

This is a famous Szechuan dish known as Kung Pao Chi ting. At the time of the Qin (pronounced ch’in) dynasty, the person in charge of protecting the heir apparent to the throne held the title of Kung Pao, Kung meaning castle and Pao, to protect. During one period, theKung Pao was a man from Szechuan Province whose favorite dish was spicy diced chicken with peanuts. It came to be named after him.

1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into ¾ inch cubes (about 2 cus)
3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
2 to 4 dried chilies, seeds removed
3 tablespoons canola, corn, or peanut oil
½ teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, toasted and ground
1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced
1 scallion, green and white parts, cut into 1 ½ inch lengths, bulb split, plus
2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
2 slices unpeeled gingerroot, 1 X 1/8 inch each
½ cup unsalted blanched peanuts, toasted, or unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

1. Place the chicken in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, salt, and cornstarch and mix well. Set aside. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce together in a small bowl with the sherry, sugar, vinegar, and sesame seed oil. Set aside.

2. Pour the cooking oil into a cold wok or stir-fry pan and add the chilies. Heat the pan over medium-high heat and stir the peppers until they turn dark brown. Add the peppercorns, garlic, scallion pieces, and gingerroot and stir a moment or two. Mix up the chicken again and pour it into the pan. Stir briskly.

3. After stirring for about 1 minute, add the soy sauce mixture, the peanuts, and the thinly sliced scallions. Turn the heat up to high and stir for about 30 seconds until well mixed. Remove the chilies and gingerroot, if desired. Serve hot.

Note You may substitute 1 to 3 teaspoons crushed red pepper for the dried chilies. Add with the peppercorns, garlic, and scallions.