General Tso’s Chicken

How was your Easter?  Dennis and I went to Abilene to spend it with his family and had a lovely time.  Phyllis, my mother-in-law, made a killer ham and my favorite scalloped potatoes, and we also had the creamed corn (the REAL kind with whole corn mixed with butter and cream cheese–Dennis HAS to have that stuff at every family function) and Mexican coleslaw that my sister-in-law, Joan brought.  The coleslaw was really yummy and I plan to use it on some fish tacos so I’ll be blogging it eventually.  I brought the dessert (was there any doubt?) and supplied lemon bars and white cupcakes with my favorite lemon frosting.  I’ve had lemon on the brain since it finally started warming up and I’m still thinking about making more lemon desserts!  Something to look forward to.

Anyway, now that we’re all getting a little tired of leftover ham, I have something completely different for you to add to your meal plan.  I mentioned in a recent post that I’d been wanting to spread my wings a little and try more ethnic cuisine so it’s a little ironic that I chose General Tso’s chicken as one of my first attempts since it’s actually an American creation.  But it tastes and looks Asian and is served in Chinese restaurants so that’s close enough for me!

I based my recipe & method off of a You Tube Video that my friend Dewey sent me when he read that I was wanting to try it out.  After watching itkman cook it up with little effort, I was comfortable enough to change it up a little, and it turned out beautiful and delicious!  I hope you try it.  Just looking at the photos has me drooling and wanting some more!

General Tso’s Chicken
Printable recipe

Sauce
½ cup chicken broth
¼ c sugar
¼ c rice vinegar
2 T hoisin sauce
1 T sesame oil
1 T soy sauce
1 T cornstarch
2 t minced fresh ginger
6 cloves minced garlic
4 scallions, chopped

Chicken
2 lb. chicken breast, cut into chunks
1 egg
1 T soy sauce
Flour
Vegetable oil for frying

Vegetables
1/3 of a red pepper, sliced
1/3 of an orange pepper, sliced
1/3 of a yellow pepper, sliced
2 cups broccoli florets

Mix all but the last three ingredients for the sauce and once the sugar & cornstarch are dissolved, stir in the ginger, garlic & scallions.  Set aside.

Mix the chicken with the egg and soy sauce, then roll each chunk in flour.  Fry the chicken in vegetable oil that is 375 degrees F until golden brown.*  Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.

Put the vegetables in a microwave-safe dish with a cover and nuke for 3 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat a large wok on high, give the sauce a stir, and pour it into the wok.  Wait for it to start simmering, then start stirring until it gets thickened.  Add in the chicken and toss until it is evenly coated.  Remove from heat and add the vegetables, stirring until mixed.**  Serve hot along with rice if desired.

Serves 6.

*Veronica’s notes: I do not own a fryer, so I filled an uncoated (as in, no Teflon coating or nonstick surface) skillet half full of oil and used my candy thermometer to gauge the temperature, frying the chicken in three batches.  If you do your frying on the stove top, be sure to keep an eye on the temp b/c you don’t want it over 400 or below 350.

**If you are wondering why I didn’t just stir-fry the veggies before adding the sauce & the chicken, it is because the veggies would absorb too much of the sauce if done this way and the chicken wouldn’t get enough.  Coating the chicken first ensures it’s thoroughly coated so that just the little bit extra coats the vegetables, making them slightly flavored but still bright and fresh tasting, which nicely contrasts the saucy chicken.

I’m linking this with Food For Thought for BSI: Broth.