Before my husband and I had kids we spent a lot of time lounging around in restaurants, trying every new location that sparked an interest. Our entire weekends were planned around where we planned to eat. Flash forward five years and we’re lucky if we can get a few nights out each year. We eat most of our meals at home now, and to tell the truth, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
There are so many reasons families are choosing to cook more meals at home. It’s definitely more budget-friendly. And if you have young children like me, it means that you have a better chance of finishing the meal with your mental stability in tact. But my biggest reason for cooking at home rather than eating out is that I can control every single ingredient. Earlier this year after being told she may have ADHD we discovered that my daughter had a chemical sensitivity to artificial ingredients in her food. Very simply, I cut out artificial chemicals from our diet and we have a brand new daughter.
So these days we make eating at home a priority. Instead of eating out I try to make our favorite restaurant meals at home using all natural, wholesome ingredients. On Saturday nights we sometimes feed the kids early and wait until they go to bed before enjoying our own meal along with the peace and quiet. It’s a little bit of bliss I tell ya.
This week I’m sharing my recipe for Kung Pao Chicken. It’s one of my favorite meals to order from the Chinese restaurant, but since my husband isn’t what I’d call a fan of most Chinese dishes I’ve been hesitant about attempting a home version. This week I found myself unable to resist, and since I do the cooking I usually win when there’s an argument over the menu. Boy, am I glad I stuck with this one. It turned out even better than I expected, with plenty of lightly spicy, savory flavor. The sauce was just right – not too heavy or too light. It’s easy to control the spiciness of this dish too, in case you’re not a fan of the heat. Start with the lower amount of the crushed red pepper and work up from there to get it where you want.
Don’t just save this recipe for a weekend. It takes very little time to pull the whole thing together, so it’s perfect for a weeknight. And the leftovers make an excellent lunch the next day.
Kung Pao Chicken
serves 4
1/2 cup peanuts (you could substitute cashews)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided
1/2 cup water
8 green onions, green parts chopped into 1/2 pieces
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place the peanuts on a baking sheet and roast 5-10 minutes, or until peanuts are heated through and just beginning to brown. Remove and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl combine the chicken with half of the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, garlic, and ginger. Set aside.
In a small bowl mix together the honey, vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and water. Set aside.
In a large frying pan heat the remaining sesame oil. Add the chicken mixture and cook until almost done, about 2-3 minutes. Add the remaining soy sauce mixture, green onions, and crushed red pepper. Continue cooking until chicken is completely done, about 2-3 minutes more. Stir in the peanuts. Serve immediately over rice.
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This looks absolutely delicious & a heck of a lot healthier than the restaurant version. It's going in the queue this week, thanks!
Samina, it is a simple, paired down version of what you'd get from a restaurant. Hopefully the only thing you'll miss will be the preservatives!
You are absolutely right to keep your daughter out of rstaurants! It was very difficult to eat out with our daughter when she had the same problems. Once we had eaten out and then gone shopping and while in a small open store she grabbed a stuffed animal and was talking to all the other customers with it in a very loud voice! We said loudly to her "Come on, you've eaten something you are allergic to and we need to go home so you can take your medicine!" We were more cautious after that! Antiistamines did help her with her reactions if she ingested it accidentally.
Making this right now. Smells great. What is the second tbsp of cornstarch and the honey,vinegar,oil,water mixture used for? I see to mix it together but dilont see where its added.
Hi Jenny, you should add the soy sauce mixture to the pan after the chicken is browned. It's written in the instructions but I probably should have emphasized it a little more so it didn't get lost. I hope you were able to improvise and make things work.
Thanks. I did add the soy sauce mixture as noted, but don't know where to add the "In a small bowl mix together the honey, vinegar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, and water. Set aside." It's in the instructions just before "In a large frying pan heat the remaining sesame oil."
I added it to the chicken and soy sauce mixture in the wok and it tasted great.
Also, didn't see where it called for the second Tbsp of cornstarch. (2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided – one was used in the soysauce, garlic ginger combo).
A perfect quick and tasty recipe to add to my favs. Thanks
I know that it’s not quite the same without peanuts or cashews but my son is allergic to both of those- do you think almonds would mesh flavorwise?
Slivered almonds might work in place of the other nuts. They would give you the crunch and they have a mild flavor, so I say go for it!
Im making this now and realize you never answer Jenny’s question…
When is the 2nd TBSP of Cornstarch added
And
When is the Honey mixture added ??
I’m so sorry! I just saw your comment, and I guess I missed the comment before yours too. It looks like a line or two got deleted from this recipe – I will try to get figure out what’s missing tonight. I hope your dinner wasn’t ruined because of my mistake!