Conquering General Tso and his Delicious Allies

Hello Everyone! This is my first OFFICIAL recipe blog that I have perfected and BOY is it a good one! General Tso's chicken is a popular dish on any Chinese menu, and if you are anything like my wife and I, you probably order it often. On the road to understanding General Tso's Chicken, our first adventure together takes us to… well… America. I'm sorry to report that General Tso's Chicken really has nothing to do with the real General Zuo Zongtang from 17^th century China… Nor does it have ANYTHING to do with traditional Chinese food. The origins of the spicy General Tso's sauce actually came from Chinese immigrants who developed the dish somewhere here in America in the later part of the 20^th century. You can read more here if you are interested in the history of this delicious dish. Anyway, what I will be providing for you today is not just a recipe, but a very versatile and adaptive look at this dish. For example, the General Tso's sauce can be used on to give almost anything an Asian flair. Below I have provided a list of ideas that this sauce could be used with other then the crunchy fried chicken you are used to getting.

Other General Tso's Sauce uses:

Stirfry some chicken or other meats and vegetables and toss in this sauce for a sweet, spicy and healthy meal.

Pour over rice for a great snack!

Marinate some chicken in some teriyaki and grill it on a stick, then brush this sauce on the chicken.

This would make a great sauce for fried wings!!!! Etc…

As you can see, there are many ways you can use this sauce… so if I were you, I would keep some around! It is SO easy to make. Personally I like it in its native form, with the crunchy delicious fried chicken, but with my wife and I trying to be healthy, we both go for stir-fried chicken and vegetables with the sauce tossed in the wok or drizzled over top. Here you go!

The Recipe:

General Tso`s Chicken

Ingredients:

***Sauce*** (this recipe makes just under 1qt of sauce! so you will have pleanty to use for other things)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Sherry
2 and ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tbl spoons brown sugar
2 tbl spoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon siracha
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 cup Cornstarch

***Meat (fried chicken)***
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into chunks
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Water chestnut starch

Directions:
Sauce :

Option1: Put everything in a pot and cook on medium stirring very often. Once you notice it starting to boil stir constantly until the proper sauce consistency. (this is what I usually do because it's so easy to freeze the extra sauce. Make sure to heat up in a pot if you are planning on reheating)
Option 2: Put everything into a quart jar with a lid and shake it up, then put in the fridge. Just shake it up again when you are ready to use it and throw the amount you want in the wok or skillet when the meat/veggies are done.

Meat:

For the classic crispy fried chicken…
Mix chicken and soy sauce. Stir in egg. Add starch, and mix until chicken pieces are coated. Deep fry 7 or 8 chicken pieces at a time in a 350 degree oil until chicken pieces are crispy. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all chicken chunks are fried.

Toss in option 1 sauce and serve with fried or steamed rice.

As I said above, you can use this sauce with whatever meat you want and whatever style you want. We made this with stir-fried chicken breast and steamed broccoli (see the picture above). Post comments if you have any questions. Enjoy!!!