EASY GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

General Tso's Chicken is so popular in North American Chinese restaurants.  General Tso was famous in the Hunan Province of China.  The dish was created in the 1950s by a famous Chinese cook, Peng Chang-kuei, and brought it with him to the states in 1973.  The proper way to pronounce this dish is "General So", the T is silent...just like Tsunami "su-nami" and Tsawwassen "sah-wassen" Ferry terminal near Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Sauce

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup hoisin sauce

½ cup chicken broth or water

1 t sesame oil
1-inch piece of ginger, grated

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 dried chile peppers, left whole or ½ t red pepper flakes

1 T tomato paste

3 T honey
2 T cornstarch

1 lb boneless, skinless breasts or thighs, cut into ½-inch cubes
2 T cornstarch, divided
2 T avocado or coconut oil, divided

1 T toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

2 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

To Make the Sauce

In a 2 cup measuring pitcher, add the above sauce ingredients and whisk to combine.

Set aside while cooking chicken.

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken and cornstarch.

Toss to combine and set aside.

Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat half of the oil and add the chicken pieces.

Cook half of chicken for 3 to 4 minutes.  

Flip chicken over and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a bowl and add the remaining oil to skillet or wok and cook the second batch of chicken.

Transfer chicken to the bowl with the rest of the chicken.

Pour sauce into the skillet or wok and and bring to a boil.  

Let simmer about 3 minutes to thicken.

Add the chicken and heat through.

Remove chile peppers, if desired.

Sprinkle with the green scallions and sesame seeds.

Serve with cooked rice.

Serves 4