Here's a little backstory ~ I love to replicate restaurant meals. I was hooked after discovering the Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits (nom drool nom) recipe online back in 1999. I don't visit those restaurant replications sites so much anymore, preferring to "MonicaGeller" that shit (i.e. reverse engineer). Sometimes I fail, but even my failures tend to be tasty, if not what I originally intended. For example, I was devastated when Baja Fresh closed its doors in Illinois - I can literally drink their Salsa Baja ~ so I tried to make it. It's not quite there, but the result is still yummy (recipe to come soon).
Now, we've been going to Disney World annually for a few years now, and the one restaurant we HAVE to go to is 'Ohana. Who doesn't love fire-roasted meats on sticks, right? They have a bunch of appetizers with a distinct Pan-Asian flair, like Honey Coriander Chicken Wings, pork potstickers, Honey-lime salad dressing over butter lettuce, etc. Nearly everything has a burst of citrus or tropical fruits, like freshly-made hawaiian bread with pineapple and coconut. More recently, they added some Thai flavors, like Peanut stir-fried noodles, though they aren't as spicy as I'd like. So I came home with the idea that I'd figure out that recipe and make it spicier. A happy accident was making my beloved Asian Zing sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings! A hybrid was born and here's what happened:
Firecracker Chicken Stir-Fry with Spicy Peanut Sauce (serves 6)
For the Firecracker Chicken Marinade (reserve 1/2 liquid for peanut sauce):
2 packages of Chicken Tenderloins, cut into bite-size chunks
2 tsp fresh minced ginger
2 tsp fresh minced garlic
all the liquid from a 16oz can of pineapple chunks (you'll need the fruit for the stir-fry)
juice of 1/2 lime
2 tsp (or tbsp depending on how hot you want it) Chili paste (in Asian food aisle)4 tsp Soy Sauce
3-4 tbs honey
1 tbs canola oil
fresh cracked pepper
*By the way - if you omit the oil and add more honey, it's pretty much the same as B-Dub's Asian Zing wing sauce
Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk all the ingredients together until emulsified and reserve half in another container for the peanut sauce. Drop chicken pieces in, stir 'em up, cover the container and let marinate in fridge for a few hours.
Peanut Sauce:
1/2 Firecracker marinade
2 tbs peanut butter (sweeter is better, but if you use natural, you'll need a few tsp of sugar)
In a saucepan, bring the marinade up to a slow simmer and add peanut butter. Whisk until thoroughly combined. If it's too thick, add some water or juice (citrus or tropical work best) until you reach the desired consistency. You want it thinner, but not so thin it won't stick to the noodles.
While you're working on that, bring a pot of water to boil and cook the Udon noodles. Get your wok going on medium-high heat when you drop the noodles in.
Firecracker Chicken
marinated chicken pieces
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 can pineapple, finely diced (I have an alligator chopper for this)
1 cup shelled pre-cooked edamame
2 scallions, greens only, chopped for garnish
1/4 dry roasted peanuts (the lightly salted kind), for garnish
Using tongs, remove chicken from marinade and drop into wok. You want some marinade left on the pieces, but not so much that you make soup. Stir every so often to ensure even cooking for about 8 minutes. Then add the pepper, pineapple, and edamame. Mix together and let simmer until noodles are done cooking, about 3-4 minutes.
After noodles are done, drain and rinse with cool water, then dump immediately into wok with chicken. Pour about 1/2 of the peanut sauce on top. Remove from heat and toss to coat. If the sauce is too thick, now's the time to add extra liquid if necessary as the noodles will drink it up.
Leave remaining peanut sauce out for others to add to their own plates if they want, as well as the chopped scallions and peanuts.
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