Print

Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

This usually sodium-laden dish is remade with only 265 mg per serving.

SODIUM COUNT: 265 mg per serving; 1725 mg in the whole batch

Ingredients

Scale

The Rice

  • 1 cup rice ((uncooked))
  • water ((for cooking))

The Chicken

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts ((thinly sliced))
  • 2 cloves garlic ((minced))
  • 2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar

The Sauce

  • 1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp sriracha sauce
  • 2 Tbsp water

The Veggies

  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil ((divided))
  • 8 whole dried red chiles (chiles de arbol)*
  • 2 large stalks celery ((cut into 1/4″ slices))
  • 1 medium zucchini ((quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ slices))
  • 1 small red bell pepper ((cut into 1/4″ slices))
  • 4 medium green onions ((thinly sliced))

Toppings

  • 2 ounces unsalted dry roasted peanuts ((a scant 1/2 cup))

Instructions

The Rice

  1. Cook the rice according to package directions.

Prep the Chicken

  1. Place the sliced chicken into a medium bowl with the minced garlic.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together the rice vinegar, cornstarch, and sugar.
  3. Stir the cornstarch mixture into to the chicken and garlic. Set aside for 10 minutes (while you slice the veggies)

Put it all together:

  1. In a small bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
  2. In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 ½ teaspoons of oil over medium high heat. Add the dried chiles and cook until the chilies begin to brown and become fragrant.
  3. Add the chicken to the pan and fry until nearly cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
  4. Move the chicken to the side of the pan and add the remaining 1 ½ teaspoons of oil to the pan. Add the celery, zucchini, and red bell pepper to the pan and continue to cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables will still be crisp.
  5. Add the balsamic sauce to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes.
  6. Stir the green onions into the pan and immediately remove from heat. Remove the dried red chiles before serving.
  7. Serve on rice topped with the roasted unsalted peanuts.

Notes

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION Yield: 4 servings
Sodium: 265.7 mg, Calories: 431.3, Total Fat: 12.6 g, Saturated Fat: 3.3 g, Cholesterol: 65.8 mg, Carbohydrates: 44.8 g, Fiber: 5.4 g, Sugar: 5.0 g, Protein: 34.9 g.

* I have two notes on the chiles. First, if you can’t find them, you can omit them.  They add some richness, but it will taste okay without them.  Second, be careful with these – if they come open and the little seeds come out, your Kung Pao Chicken will get very spicy.  If this is an issue for you, do your best to pull out the little seeds before you move on to the next step.

Find it online: https://www.sodiumoptional.com/kung-pao-chicken/