Crispy General Tao’s Chicken

Make the sauce:
Mix cornstarch, water, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, chicken broth and onion powder in a small bowl. Cover and set aside.

Prepare the chicken:
Slice semi-frozen chicken breasts into thin slices.

Put oil in a wok or heavy-bottomed sauce pan and heat on medium high heat or 375ºF.

In a large bowl, combine flour and pepper. Using a few chicken pieces at a time, dip into the flour mixture. Shake off the excess flour mixture (or use a sieve). Put coated chicken into hot oil and fry for 1–2 minutes or till golden brown. Drain cooked chicken on a paper towel lined plate. (You can stir fry the chicken in 1–2 tablespoons of oil instead of deep frying, if desired.) Repeat until all the chicken pieces are cooked.

Drain all but 1–2 tablespoons of oil. Put chili pepper flakes into oil and cook on medium heat for a minute or two to flavor the oil. Slowly pour sauce into the flavored oil. Stir constantly over medium high heat, till the sauce thickens. Remove sauce from the stove and add cooked chicken pieces. Stir to coat chicken thoroughly. Serve over hot rice.