Kung Pao Chicken and Fried Rice

I have been cooking up a storm in my kitchen. Pretty much every week night I come home and create something for Chris and I. I try to make the meals as healthy as possible, but every once in awhile….you gotta have a little fun! Today I want to share with you one of my “take out at home” recipes. I love Kung Pao Chicken and fried rice from Chinese restaurants, but I often worry about the MSG and other such products that tend to be lurking in their food more often than not.

This is what you will need:

For the Chicken:

1 lb chicken breast, cut up in inch size pieces
1 tbsp Cornstarch
1 tbsp sesame oil (you may find you need more)
chopped green onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp of powdered ginger
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
sesame seeds
crushed peanuts (I just use cocktail nuts)

For the rice:

2-3 cups of  day old brown rice (depends on how much left over you want, I usually use brown minute rice and cook it a day or two before and leave in refrigerator until I am ready to use it)
2 eggs
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup of mixed frozen veggies (I buy a bag with peas, carrots, green beans and corn)
1/4 cup soy sauce
sesame seeds
2 tbsp sesame oil

What you do:

Getting every thing done at the same time can be challenging at times, so I like to get prepped first. I get out all ingredients and set on counter. I start with chopping my onions, and setting a side. Then cut up the chicken breast. If you prep, it makes this a lot easier and more fun!

Toss the chicken breast with about a tbsp of cornstarch, maybe a little more…just make sure the pieces are mostly covered.

I use a small wok for the chicken, and a very large wok for the rice. Get the sesame oil in both. In the large walk, heat the oil then add your onion and garlic for a few minutes. Then add in the veggies.

Once the veggies are defrosted, push to one side and cook your eggs.

While the egg is cooking, heat up your small wok with sesame oil. Add chicken.

Once your egg is fried, add in the rice, soy sauce and sesame seeds. Just keep stirring until heated through, and ready to serve.

Combine the soy sauce, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.

Once your chicken is cooked, push to the side and add green onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, and the powdered ginger to the wok. Let heat for a few seconds, then add in the soy sauce mixture and stir everything together. Add in peanuts and a tsp of sesame seeds. Heat thoroughly.