recipe: spicy chicken stir fry

after a long quest, i finally found dried chili peppers - they appeared in the impulse-buy section of Roma's when i was waiting in line, heaven. one of the best / easy stir frys i've tried making was Pioneer Woman's Beef with Peppers so i decided we'd give that a go tonight, except with chicken since that's what i had around (though the flank steak version is awesome). 

ingredients list:
- 2 boneless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup lo so soy sauce
- 3 tbsp sherry
- 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp ginger paste (or fresh ginger if you have it)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon red chili oil
- 2-3 tbsp canola oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored & sliced into thin rings
- 7 dried chilis (more or less depending on your spice factor)
- 1/2 (14 oz) box thai rice noodles
- toasted sesame seeds

to make: thinly slice chicken, then place in a medium-sized bowl with next 7 ingredients, marinating for next 1-8 hours. rehydrate chilis in small bowl of water for a least an hour before cooking. when ready to cook, prepare rice noodles according package directions and set aside while they soften. meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp canola oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. add onions & peppers, and cook until they get a nice toasty finish on the edges. remove from skillet and set aside. add remaining 1 tbsp canola oil, and sear/saute chicken until cooked through, reserving marinade. return onions & peppers to skillet, and pour in reserved marinade and dried chilis. reduce heat to low, and let simmer for a few minutes (ensuring the marinade is FULLY cooked through) before adding the prepared rice noodles. add a dash of toasted sesame seeds and serve. 

verdict: yum. we go through a lot of chicken, pasta, and chicken & pasta combos for dinner during the week because it's all we have time for, and this tasted more like a PF Changs din that it did a super-quick throw together (i had pre-prepped the marinade to save time post-work). not sure why we don't make it more often since we usually have these ingredients on hand. love it. 8 ********.