Deconstructed Kung Pao Chicken

[ironchef]

You hardly see anyone try and do anything new with chicken these days. Everything is usually beef, lamb, venison, duck, etc. So I was feeling creative at work today, and made a dish called Deconstructed Kung Pao Chicken. For those who don't know, deconstructed refers to a taking a dish that normally has a bunch of components mixed together (i.e. a California Roll) and making an entirely new dish using the same basic components but giving it a different twist.

So, the chicken was seared on the grill, then finished in the oven with a Peanut, Scallion, and Cilantro Crust. The sauce is a spicy reduction made from sherry, peanut, garlic, and XO sauce. The starch is jasmine rice, and the green, yellow, and red are thinly shaved bell pepper that's been pickled with rice vinegar and sesame.

[kadesma]

IC,
this looks so good.....And the picture is beautiful....I like the crust on the chicken, it's nice to see something a little different done with chicken...
thanks

kadesma

[buckytom]

very cool, ic. i was going over the ingredients that is usually in my kung pao, and that's pretty much it, in a totally new way (i've never had cilantro or pickled veggies in it, but that's culinary license i guess). add some julienne of carrot with the peppers, and you'd have nailed it.
you da man!
nice plating too, btw.

and you're making me hungry.

[mish]

Mmmmmm... peanut crusted chicken and a peanutty garlicky sauce. Yum. I'm picturing giant prawns too. The plates are lovely as well. What's for dessert? j/k

[mudbug]

very nice idea. I like the plating/plates too!

[MrEd]

That is beautiful. AND tasty looking!