P.F. Chang's Kung Pao Chicken
Ingredients
Kung Pao Chicken
2 skinless chicken breast fillets
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 to 3 cups vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsalted roasted peanuts
5 to 6 dried arbol chilis
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
Marinade Sauce
3 tablespoon soy sauce
4 teaspoons mirin
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon chili oil
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
On The Side
cooked white or brown rice
Directions
Make the marinade by combining all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
Cut the chicken into bite-size chunks, then stir it into the marinade, cover, and chill for 1 hour. Stir the chicken a couple of times as it marinates.
After 1 hour, drain the chicken, reserving the sauce. Put the chicken into a medium bowl and sprinkle it with the cornstarch while tossing to coat each piece evenly.
Heat 2 to 3 cups of oil in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer (around 300 degrees F), drop the chicken into the oil and cook it for about 2 minutes, or until the chicken begins to brown.
Remove the chicken to a plate, then preheat a large saute pan over medium heat. If using a wok, rinse the wok and preheat over medium heat.
When your pan or wok is hot, add the strained sauce, peanuts, dried chilies, garlic and chile flakes.
When the sauce begins to boil, add the chicken and cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Add the green onion and cook for 1 more minute, or until the sauce has thickened and the chicken has darkened.
Pour out onto a serving plate and serve with white or brown rice.
Serves 2.
Notes
Menu Description: “Quick-fired with peanuts, chili peppers and scallions. Our hot favorite.”
My personal favorite chicken dish at P.F. Chang’s is also the top spicy chicken entrée at the 89-unit China bistro chain. The secret for a great clone is in combining the right ingredients for the perfect marinade that will also become the sauce. Soy sauce and oyster sauce provide the saltiness. Mirin, which is sweetened sake, contributes the sweet flavor component. Chili oil gives the sauce its spicy kick and a little rice vinegar adds the necessary acid. Sliced chicken breasts take a soak in this sauce for about an hour, then the chicken is dusted with a little cornstarch and flash-fried in peanut oil. You can use a wok for the frying stage and then rinse it out for the final sauté, or you can use a medium saucepan to fry the chicken and a sauté pan to finish cooking everything with the reserved sauce. Either way, you’ll get a great clone that goes perfect with a side of white or brown rice. I admit, figuring out this clone took some time, but it was still a lot easier than trying to pick up peanuts with chopsticks. Still working on that.