General Tso's Chicken

My Man absolutely loves General Tso’s Chicken. I mean, unless we are at a Chinese Buffet, he will not order anything other than General Tso’s Chicken. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of Chinese Buffets, only because most of the time after we leave, our stomachs are not in the greatest shape…won’t go into detail. But the thought of trying to make General Tso’s Chicken on my own scared me….I am deathly afraid of frying anything in oil. Scared I’ll burn the house down. However, I love my Man with all my heart and I was willing to conquer one of my fears and it actually was AWESOME! This recipe is from Food.com, courtesy of Kirstin in the Couv. While it may look intimidating, it was actually quite easy! I made just a few minor changes, but if you want the original recipe, visit: http://chinese.food.com/recipe/mean-guys-general-tsos-chicken-52488.

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2” cubes
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup cornstarch, plus
2 teaspoons cornstarch
5 dried chili pods (I have substituted with red pepper flakes in the past and works fine)
1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons rice wine
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Peanut oil or Canola oil (I used Canola Oil)
Instructions:

GENERAL TSO’S SAUCE: In a small bowl, prepare the sauce mixture by combining the 2 tsp cornstarch with the wine, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Set aside, you won’t use this mixture until the second frying stage. It can be stored in the refrigerator until then.

Before you start with the chicken, I suggest getting out a baking sheet or large plates and line them with a few layers of paper towels. Set aside.

Prep the Chicken - In a large bowl, thoroughly blend the 1/2 cup of cornstarch and the eggs; add the chicken and toss to coat.
First-Stage Frying - CHICKEN: Heat 1-2 inches of peanut oil or canola oil in a wok or large pan to medium-high heat (350°F-400°F).
Fry the chicken in small batches, just long enough to cook the chicken through, about 2-4 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces.
Remove the chicken and place on your baking sheet or plates that are covered with paper towel and allow to stand.
Second-Stage Frying - PEPPER PODS OR PEPPER FLAKES: Leave a tablespoon or two of the oil in the wok.
Add the pepper pods or pepper flakes to the oil and stir-fry briefly, awakening the aroma but not burning them.
Return the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until the pieces are crispy brown.
The General's Favorite Sauce: Add the sauce-mixture to the wok, tossing over the heat until the sauce caramelizes into a glaze (1-2 minutes).
Serve immediately.
Serves 4, along with steamed broccoli and rice. Copyright © 2013 Kellicipes