Tso's Chicken
Cook Time
2 hour
Level
Hard
Yield
4
A Chinese-American dish that is a fusion of both Hunan and Szechuan styles that better appealed to North American palates. iIt is sweet and its spicy goodness is not at all difficult to prepare in your home kitchen. There are no exotic ingredients and it can be replicated in even the most humble of home kitchens. You will surely like it.
Ingredients for Tso's Chicken:
- For the chicken and broccoli:
- 3 lbs. boneless chicken thighs cut into small pieces
- Soy sauce
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 4 cups of broccoli florets
- 2 tsp ginger (minced)
- 2 tsp garlic (minced)
- 3/4 cup peanut oil (plus more oil for deep-frying)
- 2 cups green onions (thinly sliced, reserve a little for a garnish)
- 16 small dried hot peppers or 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- For the sauce
- 2/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 TBSP garlic (minced)
- 1 TBSP ginger (minced)
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- Soy sauce
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 cup sherry or white wine
- 3 cups chicken broth
Method to prepare Tso's Chicken:
In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the water. Add the garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, sherry/wine and chicken broth. Stir until sugar dissolves completely. Move to the refrigerator until needed.
In separate bowl, beat the egg, soy sauce and white pepper together. Add the chicken and coat it well. Add cornstarch to a smaller bowl and thoroughly coat each piece of chicken. When finished return the chicken to the bowl. Add all but 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil to help stop the chicken pieces from sticking together.
Heat a wok over medium high heat. Add two tablespoons of the peanut oil to the wok. Immediately, add the ginger and garlic and swirl once. Add the broccoli and stir fry for a few minutes. Add a little water if necessary. You want the crunch to remain in the broccoli, DO NOT OVERCOOK OR BURN. When done, remove the broccoli from the wok and set aside.
Replace the wok over the heat. Add enough of the frying oil to fry the chicken in small batches. Fry the chicken until golden brown, remove and set aside to drain. Continue until all the chicken is cooked.
Remove all but 1-2 tablespoons of the oil from the wok. Replace the wok over the heat. Add the green onions and hot peppers and stir fry for a few minutes. Add all the sauce and stir while cooking over medium heat until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken (this can happen quickly so be prepared). As soon as the sauce starts to thicken, add the chicken and broccoli and stir to coat well. Cook until everything is warmed through.
Serve over rice garnished with green onions or a light sprinkle of sesame seeds.
