Pan-Fried General Tso’s Chicken

Ingredients

• CHICKEN
• 700 g skinless chicken breast or thigh, thickly sliced
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 tbsp water
• 6 tsp cornstarch, for coating
• AROMATICS
• 22 g shallot, thinly sliced
• 5 dried chillies
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green onion, chopped
• SAUCE
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp black rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Method

1. Mince four cloves of garlic and cut one shallot into thin slices. Chop one green onion into small pieces. Prepare some dried chili peppers.
2. Mix chicken broth and cornstarch together and stir until all the cornstarch dissolves to create a chicken broth and cornstarch mixture.
3. Cut chicken into thick slices and marinate with salt, soy sauce, cornstarch, baking soda, and water. Let marinate for 30 minutes.
4. Mix the chicken with additional cornstarch before cooking to create a crust.
5. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and pan fry for about 3 to 3.5 minutes until golden, then turn and fry the other side until golden. Remove from pan.
6. Using remaining oil, sauté shallot until slightly brown, then add dried chili peppers and continue sautéing.
7. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
8. Add the cooked chicken back to the pan, toss to combine with aromatics, then remove from pan.
9. Reduce heat to low. Add soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves.
10. Add chicken broth and cornstarch mixture, stirring gently as it boils to form a sauce.
11. Once boiling, add black vinegar and sesame oil to the sauce, then turn off heat.
12. Add chicken and chopped green onion to the pan, toss to coat with sauce, and serve.