General Tso's Chicken

To be completely honest, some of my favorite nights with the boyfriend are the nights where we order in some Chinese food and just watch a movie snuggled up on the couch. It really doesn't get much better than that, especially after a bad day. But, you don't always have to go to your favorite Asian restaurant for great take out food... you can recreate it at home! We've made teriyaki chicken, mongolian beef, and a few others, and they have always delivered. Well, I came across this recipe and I knew that we had to make it the next time we were craving some Chinese food. Neither of us had ever had General Tso's Chicken, but I knew that is a very popular dish, and the recipe looked easy enough, so we gave it a go. The dinner was easy to make and made tons of food, so we were sufficiently stuffed by the end of it. If you are a Chinese food lover just like us, definitely make this for an easy going dinner during the week, you will not be disappointed!! Enjoy :)

General Tso's Chicken

For the Chicken:

1 ½t Toasted Sesame Oil

1T Soy Sauce

1 Whole Large Egg White

¼C + 2T Cornstarch

1lb Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cut into Bite-Size Pieces

Canola Oil, For Frying

For The Sauce:

1T Canola Oil

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

2T Fresh Ginger, Minced

1C Chicken Stock

¼C Soy Sauce

1T Cornstarch

1t Chile-Garlic Sauce

3T Raw Sugar

2T Honey

For Serving:

Prepared Chicken & Sauce

Green Onions, Sliced

Steamed Rice

Steamed Broccoli

Directions:

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together the sesame oil, soy sauce, egg white, and ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch until a thick slurry forms. It will look gummy but smooth.
2. Add the chicken pieces and stir until all are evenly coated. At first it may appear that it will not come together but it will. Set chicken aside, covered lightly with plastic wrap, at room temperature for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally,
3. Add the tablespoon of oil to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Stir the garlic and ginger into the oil and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the remaining sauce ingredients until smooth. Pour into the garlic and ginger, stirring, until the sauce becomes thick and shiny. Once the sauce thickens, lower heat and keep the saucepan over a low burner partially covered to stay warm.
5. Heat ½ inch of oil in a heavy-bottomed, high-sided frying pan or skillet over high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add one piece of chicken at a time, taking care not to crowd the pan. Cook chicken for 4 minutes on each side, or until deep golden brown and crisp on both sides. Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel lined plate and repeat the process until you’ve cooked all the chicken. Then slide all of the fried chicken into the prepared sauce and toss to coat. (If desired, add some steamed broccoli to coat with the sauce also.) Increase the heat to medium, stir and cook just until hot all the way through.
6. Serve the finished chicken on a bed of white rice along with steamed broccoli and sliced green onions.

Crispy Kimchi Fried Rice

Football season is finally here :) It's the best time of the year (yes, over holiday season in this family). We loveeeee the fall because it is time for some yummy tailgate food while we are rooting for the Dawgs, Bama, & the Falcons!! Sic 'Em, ROLL TIDE, & Dirrty Dirrty Birds Y'all :) We're just so excited, even though the Falcons lost last week, but it's just preseason. Alabama & UGA football doesn't start until the beginning of September, so we have plenty of time to get ready for my tailgate menu planning :) OMG, I can't wait... tailgate food is my absolute favorite, and it is actually what really started to get me cooking! Here are some pictures of us at the games...

So, the recipes I'm going to share with you today are going to be the first of many tailgate recipes this year. I mean just prepare yourself. This first recipe is Crispy Kimchi Fried Rice, which I understand isn't the typical tailgate food, but we made asian chicken wings and I need some kind of carb to go with them. We saw some kimchi at the grocery store and I remembered a recipe I had been wanted to give a try. The fried rice was delicious and perfect with our wings. I'll be posting the chicken wing recipe next! Enjoy :)

Crispy Kimchi Fried Rice

For the Rice:

1t Sesame Oil

1T Olive Oil

1T Chili-Garlic Sriracha

3 Slices of Thick Cut Bacon, Cut into Small Pieces & Fried until Crispy

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

3 Green Onions, Sliced

2T Soy Sauce

¾C Kimchi, Chopped

3C Leftover White Rice

½C Frozen Peas

2 Large Eggs, Fried & Scrambled

Directions:

1. To Make the Rice: In a medium bowl, combine the rice and chili-garlic sauce. Mix until the rice is evenly covered in the sauce, set aside. In a large fry pan or wok, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and green onions until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and mix everything together well. Use a spatula to flatten the rice against the pan, and keep still for about 3 - 5 minutes to let the rice get crispy. Repeat until the rice is evenly crispy. Next, add the soy sauce and sesame oil, adding more to taste, stir well. Mix in the crumbled bacon, chopped Kimchi, frozen peas, and scrambled eggs. Continue stir-frying until everything is well mixed and the peas have thawed.
2. Serve the Kimchi Fried Rice with your favorite Asian entrée or with the Pok Pok Wings.

source: crispy kimchi fried rice.