Chef Joel & Jenn: Kung Pao Spaghetti
I'm hoping this is a trend that Jenn and I can continue. Two weeks, two new recipes. Last week we tried the crock pot Chicken Tikka Masala to less then great results. I just don't think chicken and crock pots mix very well. This past Sunday we decided it was time to try a completely different recipe, Kung Pao Spaghetti.
Unfortunately for this recipe we needed a ton of ingredients we didn't have already. We spent a lot of time in the Asian section of the grocery store picking up different sauces and oils. Once we had all the necessary ingredients it was time to start cooking. Jenn got busy chopping up the green onions and garlic.
While Jenn was doing that I got the water boiling for the spaghetti and a pan hot to cook the chicken breast. Sadly we did have a bit of an accident in the kitchen. When I put the chicken down in the pot the vegetable oil splashed all over my arms. Man did that burn. I absolutely had the pan on to hot. Lesson learned. We re-grouped got the chicken cooked perfectly and then put the cooked chicken breast to the side.
In the same pan we made the Kung Pao sauce. It was actually pretty incredible how quickly the sauce came together. We got it boiling in a few minutes and after a few minutes of simmering the sauce thickened and came together. After that we took the sauce, green onions, peanuts, and chicken and mixed them all up. Then it was time to mix the sauce with the spaghetti and bam, dinner was served.
First things first, this was a much better outcome then the Chicken Tikka Masala. The flavors were incredible if not on the spicy side. The big problem with this dish was that we both loved it for about half of the plate and then just got tired of it. It would be like having chow mien as your entree. It would be great but the greatness wears off after a while. I'm really glad we tried this one but I don't think this recipe is going to make our weekly rounds.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 2 tablespoons red chili paste with garlic, or more, to taste
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, chicken broth, dry sherry, red chili paste, sugar, red wine vinegar, cornstarch and sesame oil; set aside.
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste. Add to skillet and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let cool before dicing into bite-size pieces; set aside.
- Add garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in pasta, chicken, peanuts and green onions.
Recipe Source: DamnDelicious
