Kung Pao Chicken and Noodles

Note to self: Oh man was this good. My mouth is salivating right now for some of these noodles. Side note: every time I type out noodles for some reason it comes out as boodles. I tried to fix it but if you happen to see a boodle anywhere know that I meant noodle lol.

Anyways, this was super simple and easy to make. I think what took the longest was really just making the sauces. I would totally prep all the sauces before hand so you have them ready to use at a moments notice. I’m pretty sure the sauces can also be doubled and then frozen to use as a meal prep. All you would have to do is thaw it out and then cook the chicken and noodles. You can also make this vegetarian and skip out on the chicken and just use veggies. This is a perfect recipe for those days when you want minimal effort but a delicious meal. Especially if you make the sauce before hand!

I adapted this recipe from two different sites, lecremedelacrumb.com and rasamalaysia.com and kinda tweaked it to what I had on hand. I originally was just going to make noodles but decided to add some protein in it to give it more of a wholesome meal. I would’ve totally added some julienned carrots, bell peppers and snap peas if I had them on hand to make it more rounded and yummy but I made this because I hadn’t gone grocery shopping in a while and this was all I could scrounge up from the fridge for dinner. Definitely give this a shot! It’s a total holy grail status!

Ingredients:

1½ boneless & skinless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
2 tbsp oil divided
1-2 tsp garlic
½ tbsp ginger puree
1½ tbsp minced jalapeño
1 tsp chopped peanuts (if you like more peanuts you can add up to 3 tbsp)

Kung Pao Chicken Marinade:

2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp oil

Kung Pao Chicken Sauce:

1½ tbsp + 1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp water
1 tsp cornstarch

Kung Pao Noodle Sauce:

12 ounces spaghetti
½ cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
4 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
1-2 tbsp chili garlic sauce
⅓ cup cold water + 1 tbsp corn starch
2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions:

Cut 1½ lbs of chicken into small cubes, rinse in water, pat dry with paper towels.
To make marinade, mix 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, and 1 tsp oil in a small bowl.
Add chicken and mix well. Marinade for ~30 minutes.
To make sauce, mix 1½ tablespoon + 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, ¼ tsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp water, and 1 tsp cornstarch in a small bowl.
In a large skillet heat 1 tbsp oil over medium/medium high heat.
Add marinated chicken and cook until 70% cooked. (~5-10 minutes)
Take chicken out of pan and place in a bowl.
Add 1 tbsp oil into skillet and heat over medium/medium hight heat.
Add 1-2 tsp minced garlic, and ½ tbsp ginger puree. Cook for 30 seconds.
Add 1½ tbsp minced jalapeño and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add cooked chicken, 1 tsp chopped peanuts, and sauce mixture. Stir continuously until the chicken is nicely coated with the sauce.
Remove from heat and place to the side.
Cook noodles according to package’s instructions. Drain and set aside.
In a large pot whisk together ½ cup soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 4 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, 1-2 tbsp chili paste (depending on how spicy you want it), and bring to a boil.
In a small bowl whisk together ⅓ cup cold water and 1 tbsp corn starch. Stir into skillet and bring back to a boil, then reduce to medium low heat.
Stir in noodles until well coated into the sauce and then add in cooked chicken. Add scallions, sesame seeds and peanuts for garnish (optional)