Monday, February 6, 2012

General Tso's Chicken

HOLY COW!!! or in this case HOLY CHICKEN!!!! This is a wonderful recipe! I am not a rice fan, or an Oriental dish fan but this is a keeper! The kids have asked for it several times since I made it! It is a must try for you....
~Recipe~

Sauce~ 1/2 c hoisin sauce
               1/4 c white vinegar
                3 Tbsp soy sauce*I use the less sodium version*
                 3 Tbsp cornstarch
                 1 1/2 cup water
                  1 Tbsp canola oil
                  4 garlic cloves, minced
                  2 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced*I used ground, I don't like fresh ginger*
                 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Coating and frying~
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in 1 inch pieces
3 large egg whites
1 1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
canola oil for frying
2 green oinions for garnish and sesame seeds
Cooked rice

To make the sauce whisk the hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch and water in a bowl. Set aside and wait for the rest to cook.....Heat the oil in a large skillet over med-hi heat and saute the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes until it smells YUMMY! Add the hoisin mixture and sit the sauce until it is dark brown and kinda thick.  Remove from heat and cover....

Whisk the egg whites in a shallow dish, I used a pie plate, until foamy. Stir the cornstarch,flour and baking soda together in another shallow dish(Yes, there are a lot of dishes to wash after this is made...BUT I promise it is worth it).  Toss 1/2 of the chicken chunks into the foamy eggs until they are all coated then toss them in the flour mix.  Make sure they are completely covered Put on yet another dish and repeat with the rest of the chicken. Heat the oil in a large pan, fryer or even a wok, in you have one. The oil should reach 325 degrees and you are good to fry up the chicken in batches until they are golden brown*About 2-3 min per side* Drain on a paper towel to drain.  WArm the sauce again until it bubbles and add the chicken and coat the m.  Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.  I served this over rice.  YUM! Now is the fun part of cleaning all the dishes.....sorry!!
Enjoy~

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