Any takeout Kung Pao chicken that I have sampled did not have broccoli in it but I like the additional crunch and texture that it brings to the dish, not to mention added vegginess which is always a good thing. Not everyone likes peanuts so I serve them on the side so that people can add as much - or as little as they like rather than adding them to the dish at the end of the cooking time.
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
1 head broccoli, stems chopped into bite sized pieces and florets separated into equal sized pieces
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsps soy sauce
2 Tbsps Shao Xing (Chinese rice wine) or mirin
1 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsps chicken stock or water
1 Tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar or balsamic vinegar
2 tsps Asian sesame oil
2 Tbsps +1 tsp olive oil
12 dried hot red chiles, stemmed, halved crosswise, and seeded
3 stems green garlic or scallions, thickly chopped
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, finely minced or grated
1⁄2 cup shelled raw skinless peanuts
Preheat the oven to 350.
Place the broccoli pieces on a parchment paper lined baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and place in oven for 20 minutes. Remove and set aside.
While the broccoli is roasting, mix the chicken, cornstarch, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil together in a bowl. Set aside.
Also, while the broccoli is cooking, heat a teaspoon of the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. As soon as the oil is shimmering, add the peanuts and stir fry quickly for a few minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the chicken stock or water, lower the heat, and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Set the peanuts aside in a small bowl and wipe the skillet.
Once the broccoli is out of the oven, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the green garlic, the ginger and the chiles. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until the aromatics smell really good.
Add the chicken and cook, stirring constantly so that the chicken doesn't catch, for 3 minutes or so. By this time the outside of the chicken should be cooked on all sides.
Lower the heat and add the remaining soy sauce, sesame oil, and water or stock, the wine, sugar and vinegar. Stir to combine and let bubble away, stirring from time to time, until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 additional minutes.
Add the broccoli and stir to combine. Cook just until the vegetable is heated through. If you love peanuts then just throw them all in at this point, if not, serve on the side as mentioned above.
Inspiration recipe, here.