General Tso's Chicken

What a treat this dinner was! I was in the mood for something different compared our usual menu the other day and this recipe came to mind. It's actually quite easy to make and delivers on the taste! Next time I make this I will use less ginger, I might even eliminate it since I'm not a huge fan of ginger. But it was still great the way it was!




General Tso's Chicken

Marinade:
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces (about 1 1/2 pounds)

Whisk all the ingredients together until blended. Put about 6 Tbsp of this marinade into a ziplock bag and add the chicken, let this marinade together for 30 minutes.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (too much for my taste buds)
1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

While the chicken is marinating heat the oil in a large skillet. Saute the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes until fragrant. Add the remaining marinade and simmer until dark and thickened. Set aside.

Coating & frying:3 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1-2 green onions, thinly sliced for garnish

To prepare the chicken for frying, beat the eggs whites until foamy. Combine the cornstarch, flour, and baking soda. Coat the chicken in the egg whites and than toss with the cornstarch mixture until well coated. Set the coated chicken onto a baking pan until all the pieces are coated.

Heat your oil of choice and fry the chicken pieces for about 5 minutes until done. Transfer to a dish with a paper towel in it to catch the extra grease.

Pour the warm sauce in a large bowl and toss with the chicken. Serve with your favourite rice and vegetables and you have a great meal!

*Note: The original recipe asked for 2 Tbsp of cornstarch for the marinade, I wanted it a little thinner so that it would serve as a sauce for the rice as well. I also wanted extra sauce so I made 1 1/2 times the marinade recipe.
Enjoy!
Tina