Spicy Kung PAO!! Chicken and Noodles

Ho-my goodness.  The flavor of this dish was incredible and the heat was insane.  Another recipe from Carlsbad Cravings that rocked our socks off.  Our mouths were EN FUEGO!!!  And of course, excited to have this one again.  Below is a little clip of what we looked like at the table.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large chicken breasts (1 pound), cut into bite size pieces
• 8 oz. vermicelli or thin spaghetti (I used whole wheat spaghetti noodles)
• 
  Marinade/Sauce
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 
  Stir Fry
• sesame oil (vegetable oil will do)
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2-4 teaspoons red pepper flakes OR 8-12 dried red chilies (deseeded and cut into halves)**
• 1 8 oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups snow peas, ends trimmed and cut in half (I used sugar snap peas)
• 5 stalks green onion, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup peanuts**

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium bowl, whisk together marinade/sauce ingredients. Add ¼ cup of the marinade/sauce to a large freezer bag with chicken. Store the remaining sauce separately in the refrigerator while you marinate the chicken for 30 minutes up to overnight (the longer the better).

Cook pasta al dente in generously salted water. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large wok or skillet, dry roast peanuts until golden, tossing occasionally, approximately 3 minutes. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over high heat. Once hot and sizzling, add chicken (letting extra marinade drip off) and cook approximately 3-5 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Remove to a plate.

Turn heat down to medium and heat an additional 1 tablespoon oil. Add red pepper flakes (or chilies*), garlic and ginger and sauté for 30 seconds. Add water chestnuts, celery, red bell pepper, and snow peas and sauté 1 minute. Add chicken and reserved sauce to skillet and bring to a boil. Simmer until sauce thickens, approximately 30 seconds.

Stir in peanuts, green onions and noodles. Taste and add desired, salt, pepper, and/or red pepper flakes. You can even add sugar if you like your stir fry sweeter.

**This was seriously TOO good - HOWEVER! If you're a pussy when it comes to heat I totally recommend using LESS crushed red pepper.  I used 2-1/2 tsp and dare I say it was almost too hot.  Next time I might cut it down to 1 heaped tsp.  ALSO, I think I'll add another 1/4 cup of peanuts.