General Tso’s Chicken

By draingal

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb boneless chicken breast
• 2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tsp finely chopped ginger root
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/3 c oil, preferably peanut
• 2 dried red chilies; cut in half lengthwise
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh orange peel (or 2 tsp dried citrus peel; soaked & coarsely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp roasted peppercorns (finely ground)
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil

Preparation

Step 1

Cut chicken into thin slices 2 inches long, cutting against the grain. Put it into a bowl together with the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, ginger, cornstarch and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Mix well, and then let the mixture marinate for about 20 minutes.
Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet until it is very hot. Remove the chicken from the marinade with a slotted spoon. Add it to the pan and stir-fry it for 2 minutes until it browns. Remove it and leave to drain in a colander or sieve. Pour off most of the oil, leaving about 2 teaspoons.
Reheat the pan over a high heat and then add the dried chilies. Stir-fry them for 10 seconds, and then return the chicken to the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir-fry for 4 minutes, mixing well. Serve the dish at once. Add toasted sesame seeds to make sesame chicken.