Sunday, December 18, 2011

Recipe for General Tso's Chicken


Yield: 4 servings
Time: 45 minutes


Ingredients:

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
  • 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup peanut oil, plus 1 tsp
  • 1/4 tsp dried red chili flakes
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp white sesame seeds, for garnish
  • 1 scallion, green parts thinly sliced, for garnish

Marinade

  • 1 TBSP soy sauce
  • 1TBSP sherry
  • 2 egg whites

Sauce

  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 TBSP tomato paste
  • TBSP soy sauce
  • TBSP rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tsp chili paste
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp cornstarch

Method:
  • Mix the marinade ingredients together and marinade chicken for 15 minutes.
  • Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
  • Heat 1 cup of peanut oil in a hot wok over med-high heat.
  • While oil heats, drain chicken from marinade and toss in cornstarch to coat.  Shake excess cornstarch off and add chicken in batches to hot oil in wok.
  • Cook chicken until well browned and cooked through, about 4 minutes.
  • Remove chicken-drain on paper towels, and discard oil.  Wipe wok out with paper towels.
  • Add 1 tsp peanut oil, garlic and red pepper flakes to hot wok and stir fry for 30 seconds until fragrant but don't burn garlic.
  • Add in sauce (stir first if cornstarch has settled) and stir fry for 1-2 minutes until thickening.
  • Add chicken to wok and cook until well coated and warmed through.
  • Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds.