Recipe: General Tsao's Chicken
As promised, here is the recipe for General Tsao's Chicken.
General Tsao’s Chicken
1 lb Chicken Breast cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small to medium sized head of broccoli
1.5 cups of rice
3 cups of your favorite rice cooking liquid
.5 cups of Sesame Oil
.5 cups of Peanut Oil
Cornstarch for dredging
MARINADE
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Saki or White Wine (whatever you can find)
1 egg white, beaten until frothy
SAUCE
3 dried Chinese Chiles, split down the middle
2 Garlic Cloves, minced FINE
1 Ginger Root (1 in) peeled and minced FINE
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Saki or White Wine (whatever you can find)
1 tbsp Rice or White Wine Vinegar (use whatever matches the wine)
1 tsp Corn Starch
.5 tsp Salt
1 tsp Brown Sugar
Assemble the marinade and marinate the chicken for at least one hour.
Chunk up the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and place in a steamer basket.
Put the oil in a wok and heat over high heat.
Boil the rice cooking liquid and then add rice. Cover and return to a boil. When you’ve gotten it back to a boil, remove the pot from the heat, and insert the steamer basket as quickly as possible. Cover and let stand until rice is done. (20-30 minutes)
Remove the chicken from the marinade and dredge in cornstarch. Deep fry dredged chicken until it’s Golden Brown and Delicious. Remove from oil and drain.
After you’ve finished frying the chicken, drain all but 3 tbsp of the oil from the wok. Return the wok to the heat and add the Chiles, Garlic, and Ginger. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the Wine, Vinegar, Soy Sauce, and corn starch in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Add the Brown Sugar and the Salt and pour into the wok and cook until thickened.
Add the Chicken and the broccoli and stir to coat. Serve over Rice.
Serves 4-6.
Notes:
(1) If you don't want it too hot, then don't split the chiles.
(2) The rule where you don't cook with the wine if you won't drink it applies here.
(3) I used a semi-sweet (Leelanau Cellars' Winter White) wine. It adds a little extra complexity, and as the lady says, "It makes no difference if you're sweet or hot". Just something to think about.
General Tsao’s Chicken
1 lb Chicken Breast cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small to medium sized head of broccoli
1.5 cups of rice
3 cups of your favorite rice cooking liquid
.5 cups of Sesame Oil
.5 cups of Peanut Oil
Cornstarch for dredging
MARINADE
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Saki or White Wine (whatever you can find)
1 egg white, beaten until frothy
SAUCE
3 dried Chinese Chiles, split down the middle
2 Garlic Cloves, minced FINE
1 Ginger Root (1 in) peeled and minced FINE
3 tbsp Soy Sauce
1 tbsp Saki or White Wine (whatever you can find)
1 tbsp Rice or White Wine Vinegar (use whatever matches the wine)
1 tsp Corn Starch
.5 tsp Salt
1 tsp Brown Sugar
Assemble the marinade and marinate the chicken for at least one hour.
Chunk up the broccoli into bite-sized pieces and place in a steamer basket.
Put the oil in a wok and heat over high heat.
Boil the rice cooking liquid and then add rice. Cover and return to a boil. When you’ve gotten it back to a boil, remove the pot from the heat, and insert the steamer basket as quickly as possible. Cover and let stand until rice is done. (20-30 minutes)
Remove the chicken from the marinade and dredge in cornstarch. Deep fry dredged chicken until it’s Golden Brown and Delicious. Remove from oil and drain.
After you’ve finished frying the chicken, drain all but 3 tbsp of the oil from the wok. Return the wok to the heat and add the Chiles, Garlic, and Ginger. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the Wine, Vinegar, Soy Sauce, and corn starch in a small bowl and mix until smooth. Add the Brown Sugar and the Salt and pour into the wok and cook until thickened.
Add the Chicken and the broccoli and stir to coat. Serve over Rice.
Serves 4-6.
Notes:
(1) If you don't want it too hot, then don't split the chiles.
(2) The rule where you don't cook with the wine if you won't drink it applies here.
(3) I used a semi-sweet (Leelanau Cellars' Winter White) wine. It adds a little extra complexity, and as the lady says, "It makes no difference if you're sweet or hot". Just something to think about.