General Tso’s Chicken
Today is a snow day! I didn’t even have to wear my pajamas inside out or put ice cubes in the toilet like all my students told me I had to. I have to admit I thought about it though. Yes, I swear I am a grown up. BUT, I love that I can have a grown up job at a school and still get to feel the excitement of a snow day. Best. Thing. Ever! It’s like a bonus weekend in the middle of the week! Plus, we found out last night, which makes it even more amazing because I knew I could sleep in from the moment my head hit the pillow.
Anywho, snow days when I’m stuck inside are also perfect days for cooking and blogging (luckily for you!). On a cold and snowy day like today, a sweet and spicy general tso’s chicken will surely warm you up! This recipe is kind of a hodgepodge of a bunch of different recipes I’ve tried mixed together to my own taste. Plus, it’s made from ingredients I usually have at my house so major bonus points for not needing to go to the store for most of this!
There’s a light coating on the chicken, which is wonderful to give it an extra little crunch without the frying. I’ve done the frying thing and oh-my-goodness is it delicious. You can certainly use the same sauce with a fried version of the chicken. However, in an attempt to cut down on the fat, I try to stick with the less oil version of this recipe, which also is *AMAZING*. It’s a happy mix between plain chicken (which would also work) and the fatty stuff that makes my mouth drool. I’ll save the fried stuff for only very special occasions.
I love to have general tso’s chicken with steamed broccoli. You can also saute in a bunch of veggies…sugar snap peas, carrots, onions, bell peppers to name a few delicious choices. I bet that you can even use the sauce with only veggies to make a general tso’s veggie stir fry. SHOCK AND AWE! I know…mind blown. I’m just that good. It’s okay to admit it.
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 pound uncooked chicken, cubed
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets and steamed (optional)
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1/2 cup water or chicken stock
- Mix together the chicken coating: 1/4 cup corn starch, baking soda, and salt and pepper. Coat the chicken by tossing it with corn starch mixture.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add coated chicken and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the rice wine vinegar, honey, soy sauce, corn starch, garlic, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup of the water or chicken stock sauce. Add sauce mixture to the skillet once the chicken is cooked. Bring to a simmer and simmer until thickened. If the sauce is too sticky or thick, you can add the remaining 1/4 cup of water or chicken stock to slightly thin it.
- Add the steamed broccoli, optional.
- Serve over rice.