Sichuan Chicken Deliciousness

I love cooking Asian dishes, but it sometimes be a daunting task to try to procure the necessary ingredients. Luckily, I was able to pick up just one unusual item (dry sherry) for this Sichuan-Style Chicken with Peanuts. Notice all of the ingredients, below. Almost all of them are kitchen staples and can be easily found in grocery stores or specialty stores like Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. I already had stevia (instead of sugar), sesame oil, chicken broth, peanuts, balsamic vinegar, Noma Shoyu (instead of soy sauce), and garlic in my kitchen.

The recipe is from Eating Well and can be found here. I also listed it below:

4 servings, 1 cup each | Active Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

Sichuan Sauce

• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons Chinkiang rice vinegar, (see Note) or balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar (I used stevia)
• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce (I used Noma Shoyu, a fermented soy sauce)
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon cornstarch (organic only! Most corn is genetically modified!)
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more to taste

Chicken

• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, or thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon Shao Hsing rice wine, (see Note) or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon canola oil (use olive oil instead)
• 2 1/2-inch-thick slices ginger, smashed (use powdered if you don't have any - I forgot it!)
• 2 cups sugar snap peas, (8 ounces)
• 1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts
• 1 scallion, minced

Preparation

To prepare Sichuan sauce: Whisk broth, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, cornstarch and crushed red pepper to taste in a small bowl.

To prepare chicken: Combine chicken, rice wine (or sherry), soy sauce, cornstarch and garlic in a medium bowl; mix thoroughly. (In the picture, I show what it looks like just after I transferred it to the skillet...because I'm wok-less.)

Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or large skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl oil into the pan, add ginger and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Carefully add the chicken mixture, spreading it out. Cook until the chicken begins to brown, about 1 minute. Using a spatula, stir-fry for 30 seconds. Spread the chicken out again and cook for 30 seconds. Continue stir-frying until the chicken is lightly browned on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Add snap peas and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir the Sichuan Sauce, swirl it into the pan and stir-fry until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened and glossy, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (Note: when you use a skillet instead of a wok, you will need longer to cook the dish.)

Transfer to a platter (discard the ginger) and sprinkle with peanuts and scallions. Serve immediately. Here it is with brown rice and a big salad:

In this shot, notice my monkey-dogs sitting all nice as if they were actually getting a plate of their own.

Nutrition

Per serving : 273 Calories; 12 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 6 g Mono; 66 mg Cholesterol; 11 g Carbohydrates; 28 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 177 mg Sodium; 427 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrate, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1 fat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare Sichuan Sauce (Step 1); cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

• Notes: Chinkiang is a dark, slightly sweet vinegar with a smoky flavor. It is available in many Asian specialty markets. If unavailable, balsamic vinegar is an acceptable substitute.
• Shao Hsing (or Shaoxing) is a seasoned rice wine. It is available in most Asian specialty markets and some larger supermarkets in the Asian section. An acceptable substitute is dry sherry, sold with other fortified wines in your wine or liquor store. (We prefer it to the “cooking sherry” sold in many supermarkets, which can be surprisingly high in sodium.)

Make sure to buy only organic chicken breast to avoid hormones and antibiotics. It's worth the extra few dollars! I paired this delicious dish with brown rice and a big salad made of organic, locally grown butter lettuce, scallions, avocados, zucchini, goat cheese, and Bragg's dressing. It was mostly an all green salad, which is a definite no-no when it comes to presentation and color, but it tasted amazing! Greg even commented on how good the lettuce was. My parents are going to enjoy this dish, as they're getting it for the weekly swap. (Yes, Dad...this is for you!)