Tuesday, March 30, 2010

General Tso's Chicken



All recipes posted here are a composite of random recipes found online, in various cookbooks, taken from family, friends, neighbors and dishes/creations I have tried and/or made myself. Any similarity to people's personal or unique family recipes is purely coincidental, and no one actually owns the rights to any food combinations if you think about it. No matter how unique. Food for thought?!




INGREDIENTS:



Vegetable oil, for deep frying
4 boneless chicken breasts (you can use dark meat)
3 eggs
2 ts cayenne pepper
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup plus 2 TB cornstarch
1 – 1 ½ cups of panko crumbs

Sauce:
1 large orange, zested
1 ¼ cups orange juice (with pulp is best)
½ cup dark brown sugar
3-4 TB plum sauce
1 stick of unsalted butter
2 ts hot pepper flakes
2 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 – 2 TB cornstarch

1 red bell pepper, cut into small strips
¼ - ½ cup of sweet & spicy pecans (I found at Trader Joe’s)

In a large pot/wok, pour a bottle of vegetable oil/sunflower/canola oil to fill about 1/3 of your pot full. Heat the pot over medium heat until oil reaches 350 degrees F ( use a thrmonato if you have one, but be careful not to bur yourself)
Cut chicken into smaller pieces as desired.
In a large bowl, whisk Eggs, Cayenne Pepper, Salt & Black Pepper, & then set aside for later. In another large bowl mix Flour, Cornstarch, Salt & Pepper, & also set aside for later.
In a medium bowl put the panko crumbs in ( These can be hard to find, so try an Asian store).
Dip the chicken into the mixture in batches, first in the egg mixture you set aside, & then into the flour mixture & shake to coat ( remember the ol' Shake & bake meals your mom use to make with the spices and teh plastic baggie?). Then coat in the panko crumbs, making sure to thoroughly coat them. Place on a try in preparation for frying ( not the funnest or most healthy part of the recipe).
Prepare sauce in a large sauté pan, melt 6 TB of butter, then add orange zest, orange juice, dark brown sugar, hot pepper flakes & Worcestershire. Stir everything, bring to a boil, reduce heat & add 3-4 TB of plum sauce, bring to a boil again & add the cornstarch. Stir thoroughly , and make sure the cornstarch dissolves. Simmer a few minutes or longer till it's thickened appropriately. Add the last 2 TB of butter, stir until it's all melted.

Place chicken in hot oil, enjoy being burned and fry everything until it's golden brown & crispy ( Depending on how you like it, as I amnot a huge fan of extra crispy). Transfer the now fried/battered chicken anotehr plate and cover with paper towels to absorb some of the excess greese ( this is not healthy at all so you want to get as much of it as possible).

Add the cooked chicken to the sauté pan with the sauce & mix until everything is evenly coated. Then add red pepper strips & pecans, mix everything again and serve with white sticky rice ( I am horrible at making rice so I always use instant, but I am sure youc an do better). Enjoy!





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