Kung Pao Chicken

I've come to realize the importance of setting aside time to plan meals/shop for groceries for the week. I've also come to realize that it's hard to do this during the summer, when we're traveling pretty much every weekend. Busy summer = no time to plan = meals thrown together at the last minute = blog fail (hence the reason for my serious lack of posting lately). This week I'm attempting to get back on track. If it doesn't work, I'll see you in October (kidding....hopefully).

While this recipe for Kung Pao Chicken was good, if you like it spicy, it might not live up to your expectations. It was all Kung, and not a whole lot of Pao. In the future, I'll probably kick up the heat a little, either by doubling the red pepper flakes or jalapeño, or maybe even adding in a little Sriracha.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp bottled minced ginger
1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbsp dark sesame oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 chicken breasts, about 5 oz each, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large red pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup snow peas
1 jalapeño, diced

2 servings of your favorite rice

Yield: 2 servings

Combine first six ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk until sugar and corn starch are dissolved. Set aside.

Heat sesame oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until it begins to soften. Add in the garlic and stir for a few seconds.

Add in chicken, and saute until chicken begins to brown (about 3 to 5 minutes). Pour the water/soy sauce mixture into the pan and bring to a boil.

Add in the peppers, snow peas, and jalapeño. Cook until vegetables just start to soften and sauce becomes thick.

You could serve this as a meal by itself, or over rice. You could play around with the veggies you use. You could top with red pepper flakes or hot sauce - lots of options!

Source: Adapted slightly from this Cooking Light recipe.