Chicken with Walnuts

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
• 2 whole medium chicken breasts (1 1/2 pounds total), skinned and boned
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 cup broken walnuts
• 1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
• 2 medium green peppers, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 4 green onions, bias-sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups hot cooked rice
• Fresh kumquats (optional)

Instructions

1. For sauce, in a bowl stir together soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch, sugar, and, if desired, red pepper. Set aside. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Cut into 1 inch pieces; set aside.
2. Preheat a wok or large skillet over high heat; add oil. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.) Stir-fry walnuts in hot oil about 1 minute until lightly toasted. Remove from wok or skillet. Add gingerroot; stir-fry for 15 seconds. Add green peppers and green onions; stir-fry about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from the wok or skillet.
3. Add the chicken to the wok or skillet; stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or till no longer pink. Push chicken from the center of the wok. Stir sauce add to center of wok. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Stir in walnuts and vegetables; cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes more or until heated through. Serve with hot rice and, if desired, garnish with kumquats.
4. Orange Chicken with Walnuts: Prepare as above, except substitute orange juice for sherry and add 1/2 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel to the sauce. Stir in two oranges peeled and sectioned, just before serving.