Kung Pao Chicken

As seen in my article on YorkRegion.com - Renata’s Table: Kung Pao chicken packs a punch

Kung Pao Chicken (or Kung POW Chicken because of the secret ingredient!) is one of my favourite dinner recipes. It’s a quick, delicious, spicy and nourishing stir-fry dish that’ll make your taste buds happy! Traditionally made with chicken – hence the name – vegetarians can omit and add additional veggies, tempeh or firm pressed tofu. It’s the sauce that makes this so good! My little trick is to add a very untraditional condiment – hot sauce.

The nutritional benefits of this dish are great - vitamins and minerals from the veggies, protein from the chicken (or alternate), healthy fat from the coconut and sesame oils and add a carb of rice or rice noodles to have a complete and balanced meal.

As always, when you make this recipe, please post a photo of your Kung Pao goodness and tag my IG account or leave a comment with your thoughts!

Prep time: 15 Minutes / Cook Time: 25 Minutes / Total: 40 minutes / Number of Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs or Breasts (or both) – cut into bite-sized pieces

• Salt and Pepper - to taste

• 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (divided)

• 4 Cups Vegetables (Peppers, Broccoli, Zucchini, Celery – or any veggies of your choice)

• 1 Medium Cooking Onion - sliced

• ¾ Cup Cashews

• Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon Arrowroot Powder (or Corn Starch)

• 2½ Tablespoons Maple Syrup

• 1/3 Cup Hoisin Sauce

• 2 teaspoons Rice Vinegar (or Regular Vinegar)

• 3/4 Cup Veggie Bouillon (or Chicken Broth)

• 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil

• 3 Cloves Garlic - minced

• 1½ Tablespoon Fresh Ginger – minced

• ¼ teaspoon Cayenne

• ¼ teaspoon Turmeric (optional)

• ½ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes - or more if you like it hot

• 1½ teaspoons Hot Sauce

How It’s Made:

• Season the bite-sized chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

• Heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.

• Add the seasoned chicken and sauté until it is cooked through.

• While the chicken is cooking, chop the vegetables into bite-size pieces.

• Once cooked through, spoon the chicken from the pan into a bowl and set aside.

• Add the remaining tablespoon of coconut oil and the onion and chopped vegetables to the pan.

• Sauté until the veggies start to soften but are still crisp.

• While the veggies are cooking, whisk the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl.

• Return the chicken to the pan with the veggies, add the cashews, pour in the sauce and stir.

• Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture gently simmer for about 10 minutes., stirring occasionally.

• Serve with rice noodles, rice or cauliflower rice.

Enjoy!

Variations:

• Use whatever veggies you have in your fridge. Just cut them in similar sizes to make sure they will cook at the same time. If you use a harder veggie like a carrot or a sweet potato, add them in first before the more tender veggies and cook them for a couple of minutes before you put in the remaining veggies, like zucchini or leafy greens.

• To speed up the making of this dish and for meal prep, cut up the chicken and veggies and keep them in separate containers in the fridge until you are ready to cook. Same with the sauce – make it up and keep it in a glass jar in your fridge.