General Tso’s Chicken

Sauce:

Place white wine vinegar, soy sauce, white wine, sesame oil, ginger, brown sugar and cornstarch into a blender and blend just until combined. Set aside just for a moment.

Place canola oil, minced garlic and crushed red peppers into a medium large saucepan on medium heat for a couple of minutes.

Then gently whisk the blended ingredients into the saucepan. Continue to whisk on medium heat for a couple of minutes until thickened. Salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm until ready to pour over fried tempura chicken.

To make the tempura fried chicken:

Whisk beaten egg yolks, cold water, flour, baking powder and salt together until combined. Set aside.

Pour about 1 to 1 1/2 inch of oil into a saucepan that has high edges. Preheat oil to 350 degrees F and maintain temperature. Coat chicken pieces with tempura batter.

Cook about 10 pieces at a time so that the oil does not lose temperature. Flip each piece over once the bottom side is nicely browned. After the center of chicken has reached at least 165 degrees, remove them from the oil with tongs and place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain excess grease.

Place chicken on a plate or platter and top with General Tso’s sweet and spicy sauce and garnish with green onions if desired. Serve with rice or veggies. Put it in take-out boxes and serve to your family. They will ask you to pick some up at the same place again next week.

Notes: Tempura is optional. This recipe is just as delicious without the tempura breading. Just cook chicken, drain the juices off of the cooked chicken and stir chicken into the General Tso’s sauce. Tempura can also be purchased in grocery stores in a box if you would like to skip a step but, truth is, it’s not much easier than making it your very own self.