General Tsos Chicken Restaurant Quality Food

GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Toss the chicken in a bowl with the egg white and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Mix 2 teaspoons vegetable oil into the ground rice cereal, rubbing it in with your fingers. Dredge the chicken strips in the cereal. Place the coated strips in one layer on a rack set in a baking sheet and coat lightly with the nonstick cooking spray. Bake until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes, then cut into large bite-size pieces.
• Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger and dried chiles. Stir for a couple of minutes, then add the chicken broth, soy sauce, agave and vinegar. Mix the corn starch with 3 tablespoons water, and whisk into the sauce. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick, but pourable. Keep warm.
• Put the broccoli florets in a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
• Divide the chicken and broccoli evenly among four plates and drizzle the sauce over the top. Serve the rice on the side. Garnish with the sliced scallions.

GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the chicken, mix the egg white with the potato flour in a bowl, then add the soy sauce, Shaohsing wine (or sherry) and the chicken. Turn the chicken over to coat it.
• For the sauce, mix together the tomato purée, 2-3 tbsp water, potato flour, soy sauces, rice vinegar, sugar and Shaohsing wine and set this aside. Snip the chillies into 5cm lengths, discarding the seeds.
• Heat the oil in a wok and cook the garlic, ginger and chillies over a medium heat until they're aromatic and beginning to soften, but not brown.
• Mix the cornflour and plain flour for the coating with salt and pepper and tip into a broad shallow bowl. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip it in the flour mix and set the pieces onto a tray.
• Pour enough oil into a deep pan to come 8cm up the sides. Heat until it reaches 200C (if you drop in a test piece of chicken, it should sizzle straight away). Carefully add half the chicken pieces and fry until they're crisp and golden - agitating the pieces to make sure they don't stick together - about 4 mins. Lift the pieces out with a slotted spoon onto a double layer of kitchen paper. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
• Heat the wok, add the sauce mixture to the garlic, ginger and chillies in there and cook, stirring, until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Add the chicken and half the spring onions and warm everything through. Serve with the sesame seeds and the rest of the spring onions scattered on top. This doesn't give you huge servings so it's best to offer another dish with it, as well as boiled rice.

GENERAL TSAO'S CHICKEN II

Steps:

• Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken cubes; sprinkle with salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and white pepper; mix well. Mix in 1 cup of cornstarch a little bit at a time until the chicken cubes are well coated.
• In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until they turns golden brown and begin to float, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to cool as you fry the next batch. Once all of the chicken has been fried, refry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Cook until the chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the green onion, garlic, whole chiles, and orange zest. Cook and stir a minute or two until the garlic has turned golden and the chiles brighten. Add 1/2 cup sugar, the ginger, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut oil; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
• Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into the water, and stir into the boiling sauce. Return to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch, about 1 minute. Stir the chicken into the boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook for a few minutes until the chicken absorbs some of the sauce.

MEAN GUY'S GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, thoroughly blend the 1/2 cup of cornstarch and the eggs; add the chicken and toss to coat.
• If the mixture is too thick, add some vegetable oil to separate the pieces.
• In a small bowl, prepare the sauce mixture by combining the 2 tsp cornstarch with the wine, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce.
• First-Stage Frying: Heat 1-2 inches of peanut oil in a wok to medium-high heat (350-400).
• Fry the chicken in small batches, just long enough to cook the chicken through.
• Remove the chicken to absorbent paper and allow to stand (this step can be performed well in advance, along with the sauce mixture, with both refrigerated).
• Second-Stage Frying: Leave a tablespoon or two of the oil in the wok.
• Add the pepper pods to the oil and stir-fry briefly, awakening the aroma but not burning them.
• Return the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until the pieces are crispy brown.
• The General's Favorite Sauce: Add the sauce-mixture to the wok, tossing over the heat until the sauce caramelizes into a glaze (1-2 minutes).
• Serve immediately.
• Serves 4, along with steamed broccoli and rice.