General Tso Chicken

 


Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp chili paste
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 cup and1 tbsp cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup chicken stock
  • 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 3 tsp ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 cup and 2 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
  • Half a pack of stirfry noodles
  • 2 cups chopped mixed veg
Instructions:
  1. In a bowl, mix 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp hoisin, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp chili paste, 1 tsp sesame oil, 
  2. Cube 1.5 lb chicken thighs (for me it was 3 thighs), grate 1 tsp ginger, mince 1 clove garlic and put into mixing bowl
  3. Take 2 tbsp of the marinade and pour over the chicken pieces, massage everything together and leave for 30 min
  4. To the remaining sauce, add 3 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp cornstarch, 3/4 cup chicken stock and mix
  5. Prepare mixed veg. I just thawed 2 cups of a frozen mix in the microwave, but chop up an approximate amount if using fresh
  6. Heat up 2 tbsp oil in a medium-large pan to medium-high heat
  7. Grate 2 tsp ginger, dice 2 tsp garlic
  8. Add ginger, garlic, 1/2 tsp red chili flakes, and 1/2 pack stirfry noodles to heated pan
  9. Heat, stirring occasionally, until noodles soften. Remove from pan with heat still on
  10. Add 1 cup cornstarch to chicken, making sure it's fully coated, then shake off excess with a colander
  11. Put chicken in pan and cook until golden and crispy. Original recipe says 3 minutes but they must be cooking at a heat higher than I'm comfortable, because it took me longer
  12. Return noodles and veg to pan and add sauce, cooking and mixing until fully integrated
Source: https://www.recipetineats.com/general-tsos-chicken/#wprm-recipe-container-51920

Yield: Enough to satisfy two hungry adults. We should probably have had leftovers, but we finished it in one sitting

Tips:

Original recipe didn't account for noodles or veg, which is why the quantities are more vague in this one.

I mentioned it in the instructions, but the recommended cooking heat for the chicken must be higher than what I set it to, because it took me longer than the recommended 3 minutes to cook through.

I forgot to garnish with sesame seeds at the end, but I don't think that's a big deal.

Description:

A staple of Chinese-American cuisine. With debated origins, it's likely not authentic to traditional Chinese food culture but it's a staple at mall foodcourts throughout North America regardless.

As of this posting, the photo isn't great. Were I to do it again, I'd probably separate the chicken, make sure to have the sesame seed garnish, and get a closer shot of the meat. It's just in a blended pile right now, although the picture does feature a new tablecloth for the first post of 2024, which I like.

I wanted to get a recipe out quick because Lee-Anne liked this and I wanted a version that more closely followed my stream of conscious for next time.

It was good. Not quite as sweet as at the foodcourt, but I liked it better this way. Had some squish as well as crunch, which I didn't realize I associated with the dish until I tried it

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