Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours & 15 minutes
Serves 6
Ingredients:
¼ tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1 ¼ lbs boneless skinless chicken breast (about 2-3 pieces), cut into bite-sized chunks
3 TBS olive oil
4-6 dried red chili peppers
2/3 cup roasted cashews or roasted peanuts
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 medium zucchini chopped
Sauce
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
½ cup water
3 TBS honey
2 TBS hoisin sauce
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
¼ dried red pepper flakes
Cornstarch slurry
2 TBS cornstarch
2-3 TBS water
Cooking Instructions
To make this Kung Pao Chicken, start by browning the chicken before adding it into the slow cooker.
If you are in a pinch, you can skip this step but browning the chicken on the stove first makes a big difference!
Then combine the sauce ingredients together and toss with the chicken.
In a large zip-top bag, toss in chicken, salt and black pepper. Shake until well-coated.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken about 2-3 minutes on each side, until lightly browned. **Skip this step if in a pinch and add chicken directly to the slow cooker.
Transfer chicken into slow cooker. (SEE NOTE FOR STOVETOP DIRECTIONS)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, honey, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger and red pepper chili flakes and pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on LOW for 2.5 – 4 hours or HIGH for 1.5 – 3 hours. (SEE NOTE)
About 30 minutes before serving, whisk together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir into the slow cooker. Add the dried red chili peppers, red bell peppers, zucchini and cashews.
Cover and cook on HIGH for another 20-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened up. (Add more water to thin out sauce to your preferred consistency).
Sprinkle with sesame seeds, green onions and serve over rice, quinoa or zoodles, if desired.