Sichuan Style Chicken

Ok, ok.. something totally off the subject of food and definitely not the best subject to talk about before I actually talk food, but I gotta say it.  Only 11 days until the new season of The Walking Dead starts!!!  I am SOOOO excited!  Chris and I didn't watch the first season, but we watched the marathon of the first season right before the second season started and we were instantly hooked.  We than got hooked on the comic book, thanks to his friend Randy who graciously shared his electronic copies with us.  I'm an even bigger fan of the show now after reading the comic.  Oh, the comic is SOOO far ahead of the series, obviously, and THAT is why I can't wait for the new season to start.  Will it go like the comic?  Will they stray so far from the comic, some fans will stop watching?  Will they show .......... like in the comic??  OMG October 14th can't come soon enough!!!

Geek time is now over....  on to food...

This is another great recipe I found on EatingWell.com.  I trying to think of a new stir fry to make with chicken, so I hopped on the internet and came up with this one.  I was a bit worried when I couldn't find Chinkiang rice vinegar, but the recipe said you could use balsamic instead and it really did work.  Did it taste as good as with the Chinkiang.. I would have no clue, but the outcome of this dish was simply delicious!

(P.s..my apologies for having to put word verification on my comments, but I'm getting slammed with spam.  One day I had over 40 of them hit my blog in under 2 hours.  I took it off for a few days just recently and I woke up this morning to 75 of them!!!  So for now, the word verification needs to be on.  If you want to comment but don't want to use the verification, shoot me an email and I'll post it for you.... sorry for the inconvenience!!)

Sichuan Style Chicken
Adapted from Eatingwell.com
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon mirin
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced or cut into bite size chunks
1 teaspoon vegetable or peanut oil
4 oz sugar snap peas
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
For the sauce -
3 Tablespoons chicken broth
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
1 garlic clove, finely minced

Directions:
In a bowl, mix together the mirin and soy.  Add the chicken and toss to coat.  Set aside.

To make the sauce - in a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together all the ingredients for the sauce until well combined.

In a wok or deep, non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add the chicken and stir fry 5 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink.  Remove from pan and place on paper towel lined plate.  Add the peppers and sugar snap peas to the pan and stir fry 4-5 minutes.  Add the chicken back into the pan and stir fry another 2 minutes.  Add the sauce and bring to a boil, stirring to coat everything.  Remove from heat, stir in the peanuts and serve over rice or noodles.  Enjoy!

One Year Ago:  Grilled Steaks with Simple Savory Steak Sauce
Two Years Ago:  Fish with Red Pepper, Macadamia and Thyme Relish