Friday, September 28, 2007

General Tso Chicken (Cheat Version)

cheater's General Tso Chicken with green beans

Super quick and easy, uses a mix.

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

1 pound chicken, white or dark, your preference, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. oil
1 packet Sun Bird General Tso chicken seasoning mix
1/2 cup water (I think--just follow the directions on the packet)
1/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce

Instant brown rice, either boil-in bag or regular
Canned chicken broth or water with chicken bouillon

Whole green beans in microwave-steaming package
OPTIONAL: splash of teriyaki sauce for green beans

Put 1/4 cup flour in quart-size Ziploc baggie, add chicken pieces. Shake until chicken is well-coated with flour. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in nonstick skillet, then place coated chicken pieces in hot oil and brown chicken on all sides.
1.)  lightly coat chicken pieces in flour, cook in 2 Tbsp oil

In a small bowl, stir together packet of seasoning mix, water, soy sauce, and sugar until well-blended.
2.)  cheater's mix

While chicken is cooking, prepare instant brown rice according to package instruction, except using chicken broth in place of water.
3.)  instant boil in bag brown rice, cooked in chicken broth

Add prepared seasoning blend to chicken pieces in skillet, toss until well coated, lower heat and cook down to desired consistency. NOTE: The long you simmer it, the thicker and stickier the sauce will be. Cooking time is short for this dish.
4.)  toss chicken with prepared mix, simmer down

While the final simmering is going on, steam the green beans in the microwave. Once the chicken is done, empty the skillet and use it to toss the green beans with a splash of teriyaki for about two minutes, making optimal use of any General Tso sauce that might be left in the pan.
serve with steamed green beans

Serve it up and make everybody eat their beans! This really tasted like the General Tso chicken you might get at a Chinese restaurant, but without the heavy breading and deep-frying. I had to rinse most of the sauce from Bella's portion, because it was too spicy for her, and it cleared our sinuses! Family Rating: 6.5
cheater's General Tso Chicken with green beans

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I didn't know you could make General Tsao at home. At the restaurant we frequent, it tastes sweet, spicy, and garlicky. Are those the kind of flavors the mix has?

shellylloydkatie said...

thank you for posting this. while cooking i lost the packet and still wanted to continue cooking. already had the seasoning and chicken mostly done. very appreciated and tastes great!