General Tso's Chicken

By

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/04/the-best-general-tsos-chicken-food-lab-chinese-recipe.html, modified for an AirFryer

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Ingredients

  • For the Marinade:
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (see note above)
  • 2 tablespoons 80-proof vodka
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch chunks
  • For the Dry Coating
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 T. oil
  • For the Sauce:
  • 6 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 4 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
  • 4 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
  • 6 tablespoons homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
  • 8 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoon roasted sesame seed oil
  • 2 tablespoon corn starch
  • 4 teaspoons peanut, vegetable, or canola oil
  • 4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 medium cloves)
  • 4 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (about one 1-inch piece)
  • 4 teaspoons minced scallion bottoms (about 2 scallions), plus 12 to 16 scallions, white parts only, cut into 1-inch lengths
  • 16 small dried red Chinese or Arbol chilies
  • To Finish:
  • a couple tablespoons peanut, vegetable, or canola oil for deep frying
  • Steamed white rice for serving

Preparation

Step 1


For the Marinade: Beat egg whites in a large bowl until broken down and lightly foamy. Add soy sauce, wine, and vodka and whisk to combine. Set aside half of marinade in a small bowl. Add baking soda and corn starch to the large bowl and whisk to combine. Add chicken tp large bowl and turn with fingers to coat thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.

2.
For the Dry Coat: Combine flour, corn starch, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk until homogenous. Add reserved marinade and oil and whisk until mixture has coarse, mealy clumps. Set aside.

3.
For the Sauce: Combine soy sauce, wine, vinegar, chicken stock, sugar, sesame seed oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir with a fork until cornstarch is dissolved and no lumps remain. Set aside.

4.
Combine oil, garlic, ginger, minced scallions, and red chilies in a large skillet and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are aromatic and soft, but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir sauce mixture and add to skillet, making sure to scrape out and sugar or starch that has sunk to the bottom. Cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Add scallion segments. Transfer sauce to a bowl to stop cooking, but don't wipe out skillet.

5.
To Finish: Oil the Airfryer basket well and preheat Airfryer to 390F [200C].

6.
Working one piece at a time, transfer chicken from marinade to dry coat mixture, tossing in between each addition to coat chicken. When all chicken is added to dry coat, toss with hands, pressing dry mixture onto chicken so it adheres, and making sure that every piece is coated thoroughly. If there isn't enough dry coating, add an equal amount of flour and corn starch, plus the marinade.

7.
Lift chicken one piece at a time, shake off excess coating, spritz with oil, and carefully place into the AirFryer basket. Cook for 10 minutes. It will take 2-3 batches in the AirFryer to finish the chicken.

8.
Add chicken to empty skillet and return sauce to skillet. Toss chicken, folding it with a rubber spatula until all pieces are thoroughly coated. Serve immediately with white rice.

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