Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken
Kung pao is traditionally a highly spicy dish, but we've toned ours down; feel free to adjust the quantity of red-pepper flakes to suit your taste

Servings: 4

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• 1 1/3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4), cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 5 tablespoons lite soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sherry
• 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons sugar or Splenda
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup water chestnuts
• 4 scallions, white bulbs and green tops cut separately into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes

In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the sherry, and the 1 tablespoon cornstarch.

In a small bowl, combine the sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, water, and the remaining 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of sherry, and 2 teaspoons cornstarch.

In a wok or large nonstick frying pan, spray olive oil cooking spray and heat over moderately high heat. Add the peanuts and stir-fry until light brown, about 30 seconds. Remove from the pan. Spray pan with olive oil cooking spray. Add the white part of the scallions and the red-pepper flakes to the pan and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the chicken with its marinade and cook, stirring, until almost done, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy-sauce mixture and the scallion tops and simmer until the chicken is just done, about 1 minute longer. Stir in the peanuts.

Variation: Cashew Chicken - Substitute the same amount of cashews for the peanuts and save one gram of fat.

Per Serving: 289 Calories; 9g Fat (28.3% calories from fat); 1g Saturated Fat; 39g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 88mg Cholesterol; 926mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain (Starch); 5 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.