General Tso’s Chicken and Sticky White Rice

Here we go…the first two new recipes of the new year! General Tso’s is pretty much the only thing I order when I get Chinese food. When I saw a recipe on Pinterest, I knew I needed to try it. I was cooking for five, so we quadrupled the recipe below. (Good thing…there was enough for everyone to have what they wanted and only one leftover serving that was perfect for my lunch today.) It was not a difficult recipe, but I would probably leave out the cayenne pepper next time (at least on my pieces). The sticky white rice recipe I found was perfect and exactly what I was going for.

The first two new recipes of the new year get rave reviews from me! If you like General Tso’s chicken, give it a try!

General Tso’s Chicken
from Favorite Family Recipes

1 pound chicken breasts (cut into 1″ pieces)
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup “lite” soy sauce
1/4 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch, mixed with 3 Tbsp. water
4 green onions, sliced

Dredge chicken in flour and fry in oil over medium heat (in a wok or a skillet) until golden brown and crispy. Drain excess oil. Sprinkle cayenne over the chicken and keep warm on low heat. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine sauce ingredients (sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, and ginger) and heat gently. When sauce is smooth and sugar has dissolved, SLOWLY add cornstarch mixture and stir constantly until sauce has thickened to desired thickness. Pour sauce in the wok and stir to coat chicken. Stir in green onion and hot red pepper flakes (optional). Remove from heat and serve with rice.

Sticky White Rice
from Food.com

2 cups long grain white rice
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place rice in fine-mesh strainer set over bowl. Rinse under running water, swishing with hands until water runs clear. Drain thoroughly. Bring rinsed rice, water, and salt to boil in saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, uncovered, until water level drops below surface of rice and small holes form, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender and water is fully absorbed, about 15 minutes. Serve.