General Tso's Chicken

Happy Day-After Thanksgiving!

Did you all have a great holiday? Eat lots of turkey? Watch lots of football? Spend a lot of time with family? Our family accomplished all of the above. There was a ton of food. No one went away from our dinner hungry, I'm 100% certain of that. 

The hubby and I have more family time on tap today, and in fact, another dinner tonight. Thanksgiving food is some of my favorite, so no complaints here! It's one of the only times every year I get to eat stuffing. I almost could be satisfied on Thanksgiving just having a giant bowl of mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy. Almost. Because there's always turkey, rolls, spaghetti salad, and pies galore to eat. Not to mention deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms, and chips with dip. Yes, Thanksgiving is grand. 

With all that said, you might be tired of the "extravaganza" that food bloggers turn Thanksgiving into. If so, this recipe is for you!

When I saw this recipe over at Rasa Malaysia, I knew I had to try it. It'd been awhile since I'd made Chinese food, I was needing a fix. Plus, that picture she took! It makes the dish look drool-worthy. I had to have it. 

And have it, we did. This recipe is a winner, times a million! The chicken is perfectly crunchy and delicious when coated with such a savory, glazed sauce. I had to make a couple of substitutions due to availability of ingredients (I really did run all over town looking for dried chiles!), but everything worked out really well. Because I couldn't find dried chiles, I substituted red chile paste, and I don't think the dish was lacking in any heat from doing that. My rice wine is a combination of rice vinegar and dry white wine. You would think sake wouldn't be such a speciality item. 

I take that back. Here's what happened with the sake, and pretty much anytime I need to buy alcohol. The hubby and I live in a dry county. Say what?? It's not 1920! I bet a lot of you thought those didn't even exist anymore, I know I didn't before I came back here to visit for the first time. Luckily, Portsmouth, OH is wet and we are a 15 minute drive from there. But what if I don't feel like going into Portsmouth and I need some sort of alcohol? All of the other shopping centers near me don't sell any kind of alcohol. I'm serious! You can't even find red wine vinegar (yes, apparently an alcohol item!) at some of these stores. Another rule you have to deal with? You can't buy any hard alcohol or wine on Sundays, and I'm not just talking about the liquor store. I almost threw a hissy fit one Sunday three years ago when a cashier wouldn't let me buy cooking sherry. So, with conditions like these, I guess it shouldn't surprise me that no around here carries sake and that I was unable to find any after a complete tour of my surrounding counties. 

Have no fear, a combination of rice vinegar and white wine worked fabulously!

Well, I've talked to you all too much today already. I have to get off my duff, and go have breakfast with family. I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving, and has relaxing weekend. Most of you probably will, unless you're out Black Friday shopping right now. If so, good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor :)

Happy Friday!

Ingredients (serves 4):

Chicken-

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp dry white wine

1 tbsp rice vinegar

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup canola oil

Sauce-

3 tbsp soy sauce

2 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 1/2 tbsp dry white wine

1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp hoisin sauce

1/4 cup water

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tbsp canola oil

1-2 tbsp red chile paste

3 slices of fresh ginger, minced

2 garlic cloves

1 bunch scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces

hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. Make the chicken- In a small bowl, combine soy sauce through rice vinegar. Whisk to mix. Add chicken to bowl. Allow to marinate for 15 minutes. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade, and completely coat with cornstarch. Fry chicken in hot oil until browned and crispy. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon, and place on paper towel covered plate to drain. Set aside. 

2. Make the sauce- Combine soy sauce through cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk to throughly combine. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. When hot, add chile paste. Sauté for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add ginger, garlic, and scallions, and sauté for another minute. Add the soy sauce mixture to the skillet, and cook until thick (about 2-3 minutes). Add chicken to pan, and toss to coat.

3. Place hot rice in a bowl, and top with chicken mixture. Serve immediately!

Printable Recipe

Recipe adapted from Rasa Malaysia.

If you liked this recipe, you may enjoy these-

Grilled Chicken Chow Mein

Spicy Szechuan Chicken

Garlic Shrimp with Coconut Milk, Tomatoes, and Cilantro

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday, Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party, Treasure Box Tuesday, Snickerdoodle Sunday