General Tso’s Chicken

We have moved! It’s been a heck of a time and my back and I are barely on speaking terms (I’ve got muscle aches I didn’t know existed) and me and DH keep wondering why we’re so tired (ahhh really?) but with the help of kids and grandkids with packing and not – (some are more ruthless than others in helping me decide what to throw out – Dan had to actually hold Racheli back, she’s an anti-clutter fiend- and the grandkids who helped unpack and were “paid” in burgers from Tommy’s, a madly popular little hole in the wall right near us with really fab burgers and crispy chicken etc. (we were all very pleased with this deal) whom I thank profoundly. The dust, literally, is settling and we are truly pleased with the results and settling in nicely.

Living in the center of town is great fun, there are myriad shops to peruse and we are about 10 minutes walking distance from the Shuk which is an experience unto itself. We are determined to get to know each and every alley and all the shops and eateries. It’s a labor of love. So this Shabbat, we hosted our son and a cousin for meals and best of all, my mom for the whole Shabbat. So I finally got down to cooking again. Honestly, I desperately missed cooking in my kitchen and after placing things in the new one (my SIL Suzy helped me figure out where to place the glassware, no small matter and wisely asked what I used most so she could put it on the shelves as needed) I felt ready to face the serious business of food in the new home.

I was gonna do something light and healthy and then decided, heck no, (although there were salads and things too) I instead went with some light frying (I missed Chanukah frying I guess) and made this chicken which made a huge hit and is crispy and saucy and num num but happily there’s a bit left for leftovers, yum. This is actually gluten free, if you use the gf soy sauce, since there’s no flour involved, rather cornstarch. So gather your ingredients:

And now you should slice up the chicken breast into medium slices, you can cut them in half.

In a ziplock bag, place cornstarch and salt, shake to mix and then place chicken into bag,

seal and shake it all about (do the Hokey Pokey while you’re at it) till well coated.

Now put some oil (do NOT use olive oil, it will overpower the flavors) in a frying pan. You’re shallow frying so don’t go all hog wild with the oil, and heat to medium.

Place coated pieces in the hot oil and fry till golden on one side, add more oil if need be and

flip and fry till golden on the other. Place on a plate and set aside.

Now to the sauce and if you don’t have any burnt or nasty bits in the pan (you shouldn’t if you fry on medium) you can use the same pan for the sauce. K. Briefly, I mean literally for a few secs, warm in the oil in pan (add more if it’s all gone) the garlic and ginger and add all the other goodies together, the honey, sweet chili sauce, orange peel, scallions, rice vinegar, salt, sesame oil, soy sauce and regular oil.

Start cooking on medium heat and mix the cornstarch with the water till dissolved and add to sauce mixture.

Don’t freak out when it turns this white-ish color, it will cook into the sauce to thicken it and here you go, this is the color you will shortly get

cook about 3-4 minutes or till somewhat bubbly and thickened. K. Remember your patiently waiting chicken on the plate? Now’s the time to plunk it carefully right into the sauce.

and toss and stir until coated all over. Serve while hot with cooked rice. I like this one Oven Baked Rice. And like many such dishes, it reheats very well.

General Tso’s Chicken

For the chicken:
2 pounds (1 kilo) skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into medium strips
1 teaspoon salt
approximately a cup (120 grams or so) of cornstarch
For the Sauce:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 chopped scallions
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
1-2 strips -without the white pith – orange zest or peel
1/3 cup (113 grams) honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 cup (60 grams) water
Place sliced chicken in ziplock bag with cornstarch and salt. Shake well till coated. Place oil in nonstick pan. Sauté 4-5 minutes on both sides till a bit of brown crust forms and chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to plate. Place additional oil in pan and briefly stir in ginger, scallions and garlic for a minute and add all the remaining ingredients except the cornstarch and water and cook for 2-3 minutes then add mixed cornstarch and water which you mix till dissolved and add to sauce. Bring to the boil, lower heat and simmer for about 2-3 minutes- mixture will bubble. Put chicken into sauce and toss till coated. Serve with rice. Reheats well.