General Tso's Chicken - My Way

So here's something you should know about me, I love Asian foods.  What?  That surprises you?  Well it shouldn't....ok so here's another surprise - I secretly love fast food Chinese cuisines.  Ok, it's not a secret really, but it is true!  Now I know I told you just recently that I adore orange chicken.  I also love, love, love kung pao chicken.  Another of my top picks...General Tso's Chicken.  I try very hard not to order it when I go out as it's usually just deep friend chunks of chicken and that is it.  Well, folks, you know I've got to find a way to enjoy that flavor at home but without all those extra (yet oh so wonderful) fried fat calories, so I found a recipe for General Tso's chicken and tweaked it ever so slightly.

I wouldn't say that this was the best duplication of this delicious dish, but it is still really good.  Frickin' delicious if you ask me.  Yes, it would have been better if the chunks of chicken had a nice breading for the sauce to stick to, but honestly, I didn't miss it at all.

General Tso's Chicken - My Way
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen Best-Ever Recipes
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
Velveting Marinade -
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon chicken stock or white wine
1 egg white
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 Tablespoon oil
For the Sauce -
1/2 cup Hoisin sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water or chicken broth (plus any additional for thinning out the sauce if needed)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 lbs chicken (I used boneless, skinless breasts), cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions:
Place the cut up meat in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and add chicken stock, stirring to combine.  Add the egg white and gently mix to coat each piece of chicken making sure not to froth the egg.  Sprinkle in the cornstarch and toss to coat.  Add the oil and stir one last time.  Let the meat marinate for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the chicken; set aside.

When the chicken is done marinating; bring a pot of water with one tablespoon of oil to a boil.  Once it starts to boil, lower the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer.  Scatter in the marinated chicken, stir to separate and keep stirring gently until the coating turns white.  Remove the chicken pieces quickly, with a slotted spoon or strainer.  Set chicken aside.

In a wok or large, deep skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon of oil over medium high heat.  Add the chicken and cook, stirring every 15-20 seconds, until chicken is no longer pink.  Add the sauce and turn the heat down to medium.  Simmer until sauce thickens, stirring to coat chicken in sauce.  Serve over steamed rice and vegetables.  Enjoy!

 

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