Kung Pao Chicken by Claire Carpenter

Basic recipe (serves 2)

2 boned chicken breasts
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup peanuts (unsalted)
10 whole dried chiles
2 scallions cut in ½ inch lengths
2 cloves minced garlic

Cube the chicken breasts and mix them with the egg white and cornstarch. Cook chicken over high flame until tender. While chicken is cooking, prepare the sauce:

1 teaspoon chili paste with garlic
¼ cup low sodium chicken stock
2 Tablespoons dark low sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon cooking sherry
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

When chicken is cooked, add garlic, peppers, peanuts, and onions. When everything is hot (but not limp), add the sauce and simmer until hot and thick. Serve over steamed rice.

Tips: My family likes more sauce than this recipe makes, so for a single batch, I double or even triple the sauce portion of the basic recipe. Usually, we serve from 5 to 10 people so the recipe is increased even more.

One precaution: you can increase all the ingredients proportionally except for the chili paste with garlic; this is what adds the heat (and the flavor). If increasing the chicken recipe by 6 and the sauce recipe by 8, we would increase the chili garlic paste by only 5 (spicy, but not unbearable), etc. You will have to play around with it to find the best ratio for your family’s taste—Enjoy!