Why it is healthier to eat Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken? Staying healthy is anyone goal. Staying on fit and in the right shape and weight is everyone’s dream. if you have an issue with weight, it can take a stroll on you. talk of diseases, self-esteem and your body shape. What do you do to stay on the right weight?
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I exercise a lot. I jog in the morning and set time to go to the gym. some prefer to watch out what they eat. Are you one of them.? Well, I understand you. It can be stressful since you must eat for your body to function. You must count your calories to know what you are intaking.
- While at home it is easy since you are the one who buys the grocery. You are in charge and it is easier for you to make the right choice. You can decide with your family about what to do when it comes to making healthier choices while at home. what happens when you step out?When you are out running your errands or at work, you need to eat too. That is where the problems come in. unless you have your lunch with you, you need to look for a place where you can have a quick meal for you to reenergize. That is where all hell breaks loose.
About eating out
When you decide to eat out, there are a few choices to choose from. Chances are you will go for what is available since you don’t have a choice or you will fall into the temptation of trying something in the menu since it looks good and tasty. Is the choice always good?
The problem with fast food is that they are not all that healthy. They are made using a lot of fat and starch which can increase your daily calories intake. Their drinks also are not healthy since they are full of sugar which is not good for your body.
For you to lose weight or maintain the one that you have, you must be able to consume less than your body need. That means counting every calorie that you take. When you are taking fast food, you are breaking some of the weight loss rules with or without knowing.
About Panda Express
IT is a fast food joint that provides fast food to its customers. They have been operating since 1983 and their main aim is to make sure every customer who is hungry is well attended to and leave their premises full and happy.
What makes them people favourite you may ask. It is due to their food. They mostly offer food of the Asian origin with an American twist. That makes them unique in the industry. When you look at their menu, there is a lot to choose from and that is what customer are looking for.
What makes them even better, in their menu, that they state the number of calories in each meal. If you are a weight watcher, you will have an easier time choosing what you want to eat depending on your calorie intake. That’s amazing, right?
Like said earlier, you will have so many choices to choose from the menu. Scroll around and look for the amazing finger-licking meal that will friendly on your body weight and still will leave you full for the day. A good example is the Kung Pao chicken.
Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken
By now you know it is a meal that is made using chicken. Yes, once you walk into any panda express and have the meal, you will love it. from the way the chef presents it on the plate, it gives a clear indication of the amazing experience you are going to have while taking the meal.
The chef has experience when to come to making such meals. That comes with the years they have been preparing and cooking the food. They make sure the customer gets his or her order with no delay. The thing that makes the meal healthy is;
- Less oil used
The way you prepare and cook your meal will determine how healthy or not healthy it is. When it comes to panda express kung pao chicken, the chef uses only one spoonful of oil to prepare and cook the chicken. That reduces the fat content and the calories in the meal.
- The use of white meat
Yes, when it comes to choices, you should choose white meat over red meat. It tends to be healthier and with low calories. Panda express chef knows that very well. That is why they use chicken meat that is skinless to make sure the number of calories is low for the customers.
- Do away with some ingredients
The meal is made using nuts, but did you know you can do away with the nuts. Little nuts in your meal are healthy and add essential fats into your diet but if you decide to do without the nut, you can do away with them by requesting the chef. That way, the calories will be less in the meal.
- Generally, calories are low
If you are counting the number of calories, a meal of 240 calories is low enough for a meal that will keep you full for a couple of hours. You can also share the meal with your friends to make sure the number of calories you take is less the way you expect it to be.
What tools are used to make the panda express kung pao chicken?
At the panda express, for the meal to turn out perfect just like the customer wants it, there are specific tools that are used to make the chicken, they include;
- Soy sauce
You can never miss the taste of the soy sauce in the meal. That is to give it the special taste and the aroma in it, they prefer to use Kikkoman since it is low in sodium. Here also, they are minding their customer’s sodium intake in a meal.
- Wok
It is a traditional pan that is used by Asian people to make their meals. It is characterized by a heavy bottom that is resistant to high heat. One can cook a meal under intense heat without burning the meal. If you don’t have one at home, it is substituted by a heavy bottomed pan.
- Sesame oil
You need to make sure you get that right. yes, that is the one ingredient is vital. You cannot substitute the ingredient. You need to make sure you get the original one to get that one signature taste that you want from the meal.
Ingredients used to make panda express kung pao chicken
The meal is easy to make. At panda express, it takes around 40 minutes to cook after marinating the meat. For the whole meal you will need;
- 1-pound boneless skinless chicken.
- ½ cup of water.
- ½ teaspoon salt.
- ½ large egg.
- ¼ cup of cornstarch.
- 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil.
- 2½ teaspoon soy sauce.
- ½ cup of water.
- 2½ tablespoon vegetable oil.
- 12 whole dry chilli peppers smaller in size.
- ½ cup diced green onion [white part only].
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger.
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic.
- 1 teaspoon red chilli
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch mixed ½ tablespoon water.
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
- 2-ounce roasted peanut.
- 1 red bell pepper cut into ¾ cubes.
- 1 large zucchini cut into ¾ cubes.
The ingredients look like it is a lot of work but once the chef gets into working on the meal, it is simple and quick to cook. They are for a serving of four and like mentioned earlier, it takes 40 minutes to cook the meal.
Step by step guide on how to make the kung pao chicken at panda express
- Cut the chicken meat into cubes and set aside.
- In a bowl, mix chicken, water, salt, the half egg, cornstarch and the 2-tablespoon oil. After completely mixing well, you need to refrigerate it for 1 hour to marinate.
- In another bowl, add wine, soy sauce, water and set it aside.
- At the wok, heat the wok at high heat for 10 seconds. That is to make sure it is well hot before you start cooking.
- Add 2 tablespoon of vegetable of oil in the wok.
- Remove the already marinated chicken from the fridge and place it in the hot wok. Cook it at high heat for 60 seconds.
- Once you are sure the chicken is ready to remove from the wok.
- In the same wok, add ½ tablespoon of oil, the red pepper and the zucchini.
- You need to make sure to cook on high heat for 2-3 minutes until slightly cooked.
- Remove the vegetable from the wok and ass chilli
- Stir until the chilli darkens little. You need to next add the green onion, peanuts, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper and the sesame oil all at the same time.
- Next, you need to stir them for 2-3 second before you add the wine, soy sauce, wine mixture that you had prepared earlier.
- After you put the mixture immediately, bring it to boil then add the cornstarch and water mixture until the whole thing becomes thicker.
- You need to then add the chicken and the vegetable back into the wok and stir to combine all the foods.
- Once it is completely mixed and well blended, the meal is ready to serve and enjoy.
Just like the chef makes it at panda express, you can also make the kung pao at home using the same ingredients. Using the procedure above, you can make and enjoy with your family at home
The advantages of panda express kung pao chicken
- Quick to make
Yes, whether you walk into a panda express joint and order one or you will prefer to make it at home, the meal is quick to make. Whet you need to have is the whole ingredients ready and you are good to go. It is advisable to plan earlier so that you can marinate the chicken earlier.
Marinating the chicken makes it tender and soft, enhances the taste b giving the ingredients time to fuse into the meat. The longer you marinate the chicken, the better tasting it will be. Make sure you do it earlier enough for a tastier meal.
- Ready available ingredients
All the ingredients are readily available at the grocery store near you. you don’t have to walk all over the market to have the right ingredients to cook the meal. Having a Chinese name does not mean there is anything foreign in the meal, the trick is how you make it.
- Healthy
The goal of any weight looser is to make sure he or she eats fewer calories in every meal. When it comes to the calories in the meal, it is low enough for one meal. Having 240 calories means you have room for more calories from other meals during the day. That way you will enjoy the meal with no worries.
Disadvantages of kung pao chicken
- Need time to marinate
It is not a meal that you can just out of bed and start preparing from the beginning. That is because you need to marinate the chicken to enhance the taste. Even at panda express, the meat is pre-marinated and once you make the order, all they do is cook the chicken.
It is essential to always make sure we watch what we eat to maintain or lose weight. It is easier to make a healthier choice while at home but when it comes to eating out, you can easily stray away from your goals. You need to look for a place where you can have a healthy meal.
At panda express, you are well taken care of. That is because they have healthier food choices that you can choose from and enjoy. A good example is the panda express kung pao chicken. A meal that is so delicious yet low in calories that you can enjoy without worrying about expanding your waist.