General Tso's Chicken (Restaurant Quality)

Happy Hippie's Note:

I can't wait to make this version of General Tso's Chicken. A detailed write-up and the recipe I found in the February/March 2008 publication of "Cooks Country" magazine. Note: In step 4, the fried chicken pieces can be held in 200 degree oven for up to 30 minutes before being added to the sauce (if held any longer, they will lose their crispness). If the sauce is too thick in step 5, whisk in 1 tablespoon of water before adding the crispy chicken. Note #2: Please note that the time's I've enter are guesstimations only and the marinading time is not included.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

Marinade and Sauce

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 pounds cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons gingerroot, freshly grated
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Coating and Frying

• 3 large egg whites
• 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 cups vegetable oil

Directions:

1. For the marinade and sauce: Whisk hoisin, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarchand water in bowl.
2. Combine 6 tablespoons hoisin mixture and chicken in zipper-lock bag; refrigerate 30 minutes.
3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat until shimmering.
4. Cook garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Add 2 cups hoisin mixture and simmer, whisking constantly, until dark brown and thickened, about 2 minute.
6. Cover and keep sauce warm.
7. For coating and frying: Whisk egg whites in shallow dish until foamy.
8. Combine cornstarch, flour, baking soda, and remaining hoisin mixture in second shallow dish until mixture resembles course meal.
9. remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with aper towels.
10. Toss half of the chicken with egg whites until well coated, then dredge chicken in cornstarch mixture, pressing to adhere.
11. Transfer coated chicken to plate and repeat with remaining chicken.
12. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until oil registers 350 degrees.
13. Fry half of the chicken until golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning each piece halfway through cooking.
14. Transfer chicken to paper towel-lined plate.
15. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken.
16. To serve: Warm sauce over medium-low heat until simmering, about 1 minute.
17. Add crispy chicken and toss to coat.
18. Serving over rice or noodles would be awesome!

Reviews

[alden_richter]

Chicken was crispy, and all in all the sauce wasn't bad either, but I would call this a spicy ginger chicken, NOT general tso's. The sweetness and mild spiciness you'd wanna see with general tso's chicken is just not there, rather the ginger and soy are the big flavors in this dish.

[MamaOf3Monkeys]

Make this today! You won't regret it. It was fairly easy and worth the little bit of extra effort. My children loved it. When I was making it, I thought it made way too much, but I didn't have any leftovers. I served with fried rice and egg rolls. DELICIOUS!