General Tso's Chicken

Chinese? Puh-lease. Delicious? Yes!

General Tso's Chicken is an Americanized-Chinese dish. As Racialicious de-mythifies: "General Tso’s chicken is unrecognizable to people in China. It is the quintessential American dish, because it is sweet, it is fried, and it is chicken." It really is just KFC, slightly less fried, and with Asian ingredients for the sauce. But, really. We all like how it tastes in America so we don't care if it's really authentic or not. Heck, I seriously don't care. This is a real tongue-pleaser! It hits the spicy, sweet, tangy, and salty parts of your tongue. Plus, it can be paired with almost any vegetables and rice. It is quick to prepare and it delivers.


My dad came home from work, ate a bowl, and later went up to my mom to compliment the dish. She replied that I actually made it! He came to me, with a beaming smile, saying how good the chicken was. It made my really happy and I shall for sure have to make it again.

(I got this recipe from some blog somewhere. I can't seem to find it now.)
General Tso's Chicken
Ingredients
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs hoisin sauce
3 Tbs rice wine vinegar
3 Tbs kethcup
2 Tbs soy sauce
1/2 cup water
1 lb skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
3-4 Tbs cornstarch (less is better, trust me)
2 stalks green onion, chopped
2-3 inch piece ginger, minced
1 Tbs sesame oil
Red pepper flakes (fresh or dried, optional)

Directions
1. Mix ingredients from brown sugar to water together.
2. Dredge chicken in cornstarch. Saute in pan over med-high heat until lightly browned. Remove from heat.
3. Using another pan, stir-fry the green onions and ginger in sesame oil until lightly browned. Add the sauce. Boil, then simmer until thick. Add cubed chicken and cook through.
4. Add red pepper if desired. Top with fresh green onions. Serves 4-5 people.

You can serve this with steamed broccoli, carrots, or cabbage or just fresh lettuce for vegetable pairing ideas.