Sunday, August 11, 2013

General Tso's Chicken

We made this recipe tonight and it was so yummy and flavorful!  We used chicken thigh meat instead of breasts; we find it doesn't dry out as much as white meat and we added steamed broccoli when we added the chicken into the sauce. It did not turn out too spicy at all just very sweet with a  little taste of spice.

http://passionatepennypincher.com/2013/08/general-tsos-chicken/


Ingredients
  • 4 cups vegetable oil
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into cubes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • pinch pepper
  • 1 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 3 tablespoons green onion
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 2 red chili peppers, cut finely
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 3 tbsp chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari sauce
  • 4 tbsp peanut oil
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 1/4 cup water
Instructions
  1. Heat 4 cups oil in deep fryer or sauce pan.
  2. Beat egg and add chicken cubes in bowl. Sprinkle with salt, 1 tsp sugar, and pepper, then mix. Add in 1 cup corn starch a little at a time until the chicken is coated on all sides.
  3. In batches, drop chicken into hot oil, cooking until golden brown and beginning to float (about 2-3 minutes.) Remove chicken and allow it to cool on paper plates while cooking the next batch.
  4. Cook until all chicken is cooked, and let it drain on paper plates.
  5. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in wok or large skillet over high heat.
  6. Stir in green onion, garlic, and red chili peppers.
  7. Cook and stir until onion is translucent and garlic and chili peppers cook through.
  8. Add 1/2 cup sugar, ginger, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce and peanut oil.
  9. Bring ingredients to broil and cook for 3 minutes.
  10. Dissolve 2 tsp of corn starch into water and stir into boiling sauce.
  11. Return to a boil and continue to cook until sauce thickens, about 1 more minute.
  12. Add cooked chicken to boiling sauce and reduce heat to low.
  13. Cook for a few minutes to reheat chicken and so that the chicken begins to absorb some of the sauce.
  14. Serve over rice or noodles.