General Tso's Chicken

Yesterday was my first attempt at home cooked Chinese. I made General Tso's Chicken since the entire family will eat it. It's my favorite Chinese dish. Here's the recipe that I found at Tasty Kitchen. There are step-by-step photos here. The only thing I changed was that I substituted dried ginger for the ginger root. I used 1/4 tsp. for the 2 Tbsp. of grated ginger.

General Tso's Chicken

FOR THE CHICKEN:
1-½ teaspoon Toasted Sesame Oil
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 whole Large Egg White
¼ cups Plus 2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
Canola, Peanut, Or Vegetable Oil For Frying
FOR THE SAUCE:
1 Tablespoon Peanut, Canola Or Vegetable Oil
2 cloves Garlic, Peeled And Minced
2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Fresh Ginger Root
1 cup Chicken Broth Or Stock
¼ cups Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Chinese Chile-garlic Sauce
3 Tablespoons Raw (turbinado Or Demerara) Sugar
FOR SERVING:
4 whole Scallions, Thinly Sliced
Steamed Rice
Steamed Broccoli

your chicken:In a mixing bowl, stir together the sesame oil, soy sauce, egg white, and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until a thick slurry forms. It will look gummy but smooth.
Add the chicken pieces and stir until all are evenly coated. At first it may appear that it will not come together but it does!Set chicken aside, covered lightly with plastic wrap, at room temperature for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Begin the sauce:Add the tablespoon of oil to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Stir the garlic and ginger into the oil and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining sauce ingredients until smooth. Pour into the garlic and ginger, stirring, until the sauce becomes thick and shiny. Once the sauce thickens, lower heat and keep the saucepan over a low burner partially covered to stay warm.
To fry the chicken:Heat 1/2-inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed, high-sided frying pan or skillet over high heat.
When the oil is shimmering, add one piece of chicken at a time, taking care not to crowd the pan. Cook chicken for 4 minutes on each side, or until deep golden brown and crisp on both sides**.
Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process until you’ve cooked all the chicken.
Then slide all of the fried chicken into the prepared sauce and toss to coat. (If desired, add some steamed broccoli to coat with the sauce also.) Increase the heat to medium, stir and cook just until hot all the way through.
Sprinkle with sliced scallions and serve immediately over white rice.

Enjoy!

~peace and blessings~

Lisa