Entrée # 3: Kung Wow Chicken

For this recipe, I will be making Kung Wow Chicken, it is a variation of Kung Pow Chicken that I found on a cooking website (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/kung-wow-chicken/).  I do a few variations to the recipe in the link.  Below is my modified recipe, but feel free to try both and decide which you like better.

As I mentioned in my recipe forecast, this recipe is one that finds its way to my table at least 1-2 times a month.  My family absolutely loves it.  The recipe lends itself well to variations, allowing the cook to adjust the spiciness of their dish to their liking.

 

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts (not pictured)
• 2  red bell peppers
• 2 zucchinis 
• Optional: 1 small can of green chilies (not pictures)
• Optional: peanuts (as a garnish)
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp white vinegar
• 4 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp sesame oil (I used vegetable oil because I was out of sesame oil, tasted the same though)
• 2 tbsp red wine (not pictured)
• 1-4 tbsp Asian chili paste (I used Sriracha), vary this ingredient depending on how spicy you want yours
• 1-2 tsp red pepper flakes

 Preparation

1. In a measuring cup, mix together brown sugar, rice vinegar, white vinegar, ketchup, sesame oil, red wine, Asian chili paste, and red pepper flakes in a measuring cup and set aside.
   
2. Cut the zucchinis into small pieces.  I cut mine into little triangle shapes like seen below, I've heard that food cut into triangles tastes better (in our mind I guess).  Not sure if this is true or not but I figure there can't be any harm in cutting the veggies this way.
   
3. Cut the red bell peppers into triangles as well, put the zucchini and red bell pepper in a bowl to the side.
   
4. Cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces.
   
5. Cook the chicken on high in a lightly greased large sauté pan, you want the chicken to be slightly browned.
   
6. Once the chicken is cooked, add the zucchini/red pepper mix.  At this time you can add green chillies if you want yours to have a little extra kick.
   
7. After the veggies, add the sauce and thoroughly mix the sauce into the other ingredients.
   
8. Cover the pan and let it sit on high for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
9. After 5 minutes the veggies will be soft, serve on a bed of rice.  Garnish with peanuts.

The Interesting Stuff

Since Sriracha is one of my favorite flavoring agents, I've decided to dig into the history of this wonderful sauce.

Sriracha sauce is a hot sauce made by Huy Fong Foods, a Californian based food company.  Sriracha was invented in 1980 by David Tran, when he failed to find a hot sauce available in America that was spicy enough for his tastes.  Sriracha has a a Scoville rating of 1,000 - 2,500 heat units, which puts it slightly behind jalapeno peppers.

Tran still makes this sauce to this day, he has an interesting business perspective which seems to work for him.  While most companies push to increase profits and cut spending, Tran has never hiked the wholesale price.  He doesn't even know where the sauce is sold at, the distribution is handled by 10 different distribution companies which he doesn't closely monitor.  He has said that his dream "was never to become a billionaire.  [It is] to make enough fresh chili sauce so that everyone who wants Huy Fong can have it.  Nothing more."  A very philanthropic cause indeed!

While not the hottest sauce on the market, I have found Sriracha to be one of those hot sauces that is easily added to many different dishes.  It adds heat without altering the flavor like Tabasco and Frank's Red Hot does.  Some of the dishes I love to add this sauce to are different pizzas (especially Hawaiian), Ramen noodles, and Alfredo dishes (yes, Alfredo, try it!). 

Conclusion

Overall, this dish is a delicious, easy to make, low cost meal that combines some surprising ingredients together to make a flavor profile similar to that found in many restaurants.  Personally I prefer my recipe over the Kung Pow chicken meals served in many Chinese restaurants due to the fact that I know 100% that the ingredients I put in are trimmed well, fresh, and cleaned.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sriracha_sauce
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/21/sriracha-history_n_4136923.html
http://www.thekitchn.com/the-story-of-sriracha-food-news-188673