General Tso's chicken

General Tso's Chicken on veggie brown rice

I am sure you all have seen this very popular chicken dish in every Chinese restaurant across North America. This deep fried spicy and slightly sweet chicken is named after General Tso, a famous Qing Dynasty military hero who is known in China for war not chicken. This dish was created by Chef Peng Chang-kuei in 1950s for a visiting US Navy Admiral, Arthur Radford.

Whatever the story behind it, I just love the taste and when I came across this recipe, I loved it. This version is the better-for-you version than the traditional one. Pair it with veggie brown rice and you have yourselves a complete nutritious delicious meal.

General Tso's Chicken
Ingredients: (serves 4)
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces)
1 Egg
6 tbsp Corn Starch
Vegetable Oil
For the sweet and hot sauce
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
2 tbsp Sambal
1 tbsp Honey
2 tbsp frozen Orange Juice concentrate
1 tbsp Sesame Oil
4 cloves of garlic crushed

2 tbsp grated ginger

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and cornstarch. Toss the chicken in the mixture. The cornstarch makes the chicken crispy and keeps the breading from getting soggy. 
2. In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the vegetable oil and sauté the chicken pieces, about 3 to 4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm. 
3. Stir together the soy sauce, sambal, honey, orange juice concentrate, and sesame oil. 
4. Use the same pan. Wipe it clean, add the additional 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Sauté the garlic and ginger for about a minute, until fragrant, and then add the soy sauce mixture. Once boiling, add the chicken and toss to coat. Check seasoning and serve over veggie brown rice.

Veggie Brown Rice
Ingredients: (serves 4)
2 cups Brown Rice, cooked
1 bunch green onions, sliced thinly
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 cup shredded carrots
Soy Sauce as per taste
1 tbsp hot sauce
Oil

1. In a small sauté pan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Add sliced mushrooms and let them brown, untouched for 2 minutes. Turn and cook for another minute. 
2. Add the green onions, carrots and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. 
3. Add the cooked brown rice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Toss to coat.

Adapted from Daphne Oz's recipe from The Chew