GENERAL TAO'S CHICKEN--A LIGHTER VERSION

I love to travel and love all kinds of foods from different cultures. Both my husband and my brother have spent some time among the Chinese and have a great love and passion for Asian inspired foods. This last Christmas, we were traveling to visit family and we decided to do a double date with my brother. Scott and I rarely eat out. So when we do eat out, we like to order something that we'll both like and we share.


When we sat down at the restaurant with my brother and his date we decided to order family style and sample each other's meals... Yay!!! It turned out that my brother's date ordered the best Chinese chicken dish that I'd ever tasted, in my whole life!

I knew immediately that I wanted to recreate this recipe. Or at least find something that was close to it. I found the absolute perfect Baked General Tao's Chicken. I knew I wanted to find something Baked because I don't really love deep fried foods. I knew I wouldn't ever make it if it wasn't a little healthier than the restaurant version.

This chicken is sweet and spicy. It definitely helps clear the sinuses, which I love. I know, that is probably totally weird! If you are not a fan of super spicy food, you could still try this out and just reduce the pepper and chili sauce (or leave it out all together).

Here we go!

General Tao's Chicken
(adapted from RockRecipes.com)

Ingredients
2-3 pounds chicken breasts, cut in small chunks
1 egg + 2 Tbs water whisked together for an egg wash

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2-3 Tbs ground ginger
2 tsp salt

4 Tbs soy sauce
4 Tbs rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs sesame seed oil
2 Tbs siriachi chili sauce
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp corn starch
3 tsp garlic
2 tsp ground ginger
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water

Instructions
1. Combine the flour, black pepper, cayenne pepper, ginger and salt.
2. Dip the chicken in the egg wash and then coat them in the flour mixture.
3. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken). Flip the pieces halfway through.
4. After getting the chicken in the oven, start the rice and your General Tao sauce. Yum! This sauce takes a lot of attention. Mix together the first 9 ingredients in a small bowl--whisk them well. Set off to the side.
5. In a sauce pan, boil the sugar and 1/4 cup water until all the sugar is dissolved and it begins to change colors (10-15 minutes). When it is all dissolved, whisk the other ingredients and add it to the caramel mixture slowly, because it may bubble. Stir well.
6. Simmer for a few minutes and then remove from heat. Combine the chicken with the sauce and coat thoroughly.
7. Serve with steamed rice... You can always add a garnish, but really it's so delicious you don't even need it!

Check out this family favorite dish...

Cream Cheese Crockpot Chicken