Kung Pao Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
Marinade

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons Chinese rice
• wine or dry sherry
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes

Sauce

• 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar, or substitute good-quality balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
• 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
• 8 to 10 dried red chilies 3 scallions, white and green parts separated, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon minced or grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts

PROCEDURE:

1. Marinate the chicken: In a medium bowl, stir together the soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved. Add the chicken and stir gently to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
2. Prepare the sauce: In another bowl, combine the black vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornstarch, and Sichuan pepper. Stir until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved and set aside.
3. You may need to turn on your stove's exhaust fan, because stir-frying dried chilies on high heat can get a little smoky. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates on contact. Add the peanut oil and swirl to coat the base. Add the chilies and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, or until the chilies have just begun to blacken and the oil is slightly fragrant. Add the chicken and stir-fry until no longer pink, 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add the scallion whites, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce and mix to coat the other ingredients. Stir in the peanuts and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate, sprinkle the scallion greens on top, and serve.

Sesame Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking white rice
• 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more
• 8 cups broccoli florets
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, breasts, or a mix, trimmed, patted dry, cut into 1 1/2" chunks
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 5 tablespoons honey
• 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• 1 large clove garlic, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, divided
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

PREPARATION

1. Cook rice with a pinch of salt according to package directions. Set a steamer basket in a medium pot filled with 1" water, cover pot, and bring water to a boil. Uncover and steam broccoli until crisp-tender, 5–6 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, whisk cornstarch, pepper, and 1 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large skillet over high. Add half of the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and a light brown crust forms, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil; cook remaining chicken and transfer to plate.
4. Combine honey, soy sauce, vinegar, Sriracha, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Transfer sauce to skillet and cook 1 minute to reduce slightly. Return chicken to skillet, toss in sauce to coat, and cook until sauce is reduced and thickened, about 2 minutes. Fold in reserved broccoli, toss to coat, and remove from heat.
5. Divide chicken and broccoli among 4 plates and top with scallions and remaining 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds. Serve with rice on the side.

Orange Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
For the chicken:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, patted dry and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Chinese Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• About 2 cups canola oil for frying

For the orange sauce:

• 2 oranges
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger (from 1-inch piece)
• 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon Chinese Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar (not seasoned) or cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Thinly sliced scallion greens, for garnish
• Thinly sliced fresh red chile, for garnish (optional)
• Cooked rice for serving
• Equipment: 10-inch cast-iron skillet or other high-sided skillet (at least 2 inches deep), deep-fry thermometer, Microplane (for optional garnish)

PREPARATION:

1. Using a vegetable peeler, remove 4 lengthwise strips of zest from 1 orange—each strip should be about 3/4 inch wide and 3 1/2 to 4 inches long. Arrange the zest in one layer between paper towels and microwave on high in 20-second increments until dry and brittle but not browned, 60 to 80 seconds total. Let the zest cool then finely chop it. If desired, use a Microplane to remove some of the remaining zest from the orange and reserve it for garnish. (If desired, zest the second orange for additional garnish.)
2. Squeeze enough juice from both oranges to measure 1/2 cup. In a small bowl, whisk together the juice and 2 teaspoons cornstarch until the cornstarch is dissolved.
3. In a 10-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking. Add the garlic, ginger, crushed red pepper, and dried orange zest and stir-fry until golden, about 30 seconds. Add the soy sauce, wine, vinegar, and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves, about 5 seconds. Stir the orange juice–cornstarch mixture then add it to the skillet. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1 minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside while you fry the chicken.
4. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with paper towels.
5. In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat 1/2 inch of oil until a deep-fry thermometer registers 365°F. Meanwhile, coat half of the chicken, a couple pieces at a time, in cornstarch, making sure they are well coated and gently knocking off any excess, then transfer to a plate. Carefully add all the coated chicken to the hot oil, spacing the pieces apart from each other. Fry the chicken, turning it once or twice, until deep golden, about 5 minutes. While frying, adjust the heat as necessary to keep the oil at 365°F. Using a metal spider or a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken as done to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Continue to coat and fry the remaining chicken in the same manner, returning the oil to 365°F between batches.
6. Once the chicken is fried, place the skillet of reserved orange sauce over moderately low heat and bring it to a simmer, stirring and thinning the sauce with a little water if necessary. Add the chicken, and stir until thoroughly coated in sauce.