QUICK AND EASY KUNG PAO CHICKEN

QUICK AND EASY KUNG PAO CHICKEN 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut small cubes 2 tablespoons peanut oil, or canola oil 4 cloves minced garlic pinch fresh ground black pepper 2 tablespoons additional peanut oil 4 to 6 whole chiles, You can substitute chili sauce or crushed chili paste, like Sambal, to better control the heat to your taste. Start with about a teaspoon for mild heat. ¼ cup rice wine 2 tbsp Hoisin sauce 2 tbsp Black Bean Sauce, you can replace this with more hoisin if you prefer. 3 tbsp brown sugar 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger root ½ tsp Chinese 5 spice powder 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil 2 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp dark soy sauce ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 1 diced red pepper 4 green onions chopped in 1 inch pieces CORNSTARCH SLURRY 1 ounce 1 water 1 tsp 1 corn starch Toasted cashews or peanuts to garnish, optional In a hot wok, add the peanut oil and saute the chicken with the garlic and pepper until almost completely cooked. Remove the chicken from the wok for the time being. To the hot wok add the additional oil and chilies. Toss the chilies in the oil for a few seconds before adding all the following ingredients quickly and all at once (I like to mix them together before starting to cook): the rice wine, Hoisin sauce, Black Bean Sauce, sugar, grated ginger root, Chinese 5 spice powder, toasted sesame oil, ight soy sauce, dark soy sauce and freshly ground black pepper. Reduce the heat on the wok to medium and bring the sauce to a simmer before adding the chicken back to the wok along with the red pepper and chopped green onions. Cook for an additional minute. To thicken the sauce stir in a slurry of about 1 ounce water mixed with 1 tsp corn starch. If you want he sauce thicker, just make a little more of the slurry to add. Serve on a bed of rice or Chinese noodles and garnish with toasted peanuts or cashews.