Shanghai Kung Pao Chicken

with Stir-Fried Peas, Sweet Peppers, & Bird’s Eye Chile

Shanghai Kung Pao Chicken

with Stir-Fried Peas, Sweet Peppers, & Bird’s Eye Chile

For six weeks, Blue Apron is teaming with Airbnb to bring you the best home cooking from around the world. This week, we’re traveling to Shanghai with a Kung Pao chicken recipe from Cici, a local chef who teaches Chinese cooking techniques in her Airbnb Experience. This take highlights fiery bird’s eye chile, sautéed with the chicken and vegetables to help deliver some of the dish’s traditional heat.

40 minutes

Ingredients

10 oz Chopped Chicken Breast
1/2 c Jasmine Rice
2 Garlic
2 Scallions
4 oz Snow Peas
4 oz Sweet Peppers
3 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
3 tbsp Cumin & Sichuan Peppercorn Sauce
2 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Mirin
1 tbsp Rice Vinegar
1 Bird's Eye Chile Pepper

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients & make the sauce:

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut off and discard the stems of the sweet peppers; remove and discard the cores, then quarter lengthwise. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Roughly chop the peanuts. Cut off and discard the stem of the chile pepper; halve lengthwise (for a milder dish, remove and discard the ribs and seeds). Thoroughly wash your hands immediately after handling. In a bowl, combine the cumin-Sichuan sauce, soy sauce, mirin, and vinegar.

Cook the rice:

In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, a big pinch of salt, and 1 cup of water; heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, without stirring, 12 to 14 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and fluff with a fork. Cover to keep warm.

Cook the chicken:

While the rice cooks, pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned chicken in an even layer; cook, without stirring, 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan, transfer to a plate.

Cook the vegetables:

While the rice continues to cook, add the quartered sweet peppers to the pan of reserved fond (if the pan seems dry, add a drizzle of olive oil). Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the snow peas, chopped garlic, sliced white bottoms of the scallions, and halved chile pepper; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly softened.

Finish & serve your dish:

To the pan, add the cooked chicken and sauce (carefully, as the liquid may splatter). Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until combined. Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Carefully remove and discard the chile pepper. Serve the cooked rice with the finished chicken, vegetables, and sauce. Garnish with the chopped peanuts and sliced green tops of the scallions. Enjoy