Kung Pao Chicken

From the Dec. 2005 issue of Cooking Light

1 Tablespoon canola oil, divided
4 cups broccoli florets
1 Tablespoon ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World), divided
2 Tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1/2 cup fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
2 Tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons corasely chopped peanuts

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and 2 tsp. ginger to pan; saute 1 minute. Add water. Cover; cook 2 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Remove broccoli from pan; keep warm.

2. Heat remaining 2 tsp. oil in pan; add remaining 1 tsp. ginger, crushed red pepper, and chicken. Cook 4 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned, stirring frequently.

3. Combine broth and next 5 ingredients (through garlic) in a small bowl; whisk. Add broth mixture to pan; cook 1 min. or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Return broccoli to pan; toss to coat. Sprinkle with peanuts, serve over rice.

Yield: 4 servings; Cal=239, Fat=7.9g, Fiber=3 g.

I typed this up as it appears in the magazine, but I made a couple of substitutions. I used cayenne pepper sparingly instead of the crushed red pepper, and rather than the fresh ground ginger, I selected a ginger-flavored soy sauce from Whole Foods to keep the ingredient list down. Also, I was out of rice wine vinegar so I used red wine vinegar. It was still delicious! The sauce was especially yummy, would be great with any stir fry. I made it up as the first step, since I am not fast enough to get it ready during the four minutes that the chicken is cooking.