The General Versus the Colonel

I love a simple recipe you can describe in a few lines, like this one for General Tso's Chicken from All Recipes.

• Cut chicken into 1-inch size cubes. Toss the chicken with corn starch.
• Cook your chicken until all sides are golden brown.
• Remove the chicken from the pan.
• Sauté garlic, ginger and pepper flakes in the pan.
• Add the sauce and bring to a simmer then add chicken.
• Toss the chicken, making sure to evenly coat each piece. Serve hot to hungry people!

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 30 mins

• 2lb chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• ½ cup corn starch 
• ¼ cup extra light olive oil,for frying, plus more as needed
• 2 tbsp minced ginger, from a 2-inch piece of ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, or 1 Tbsp grated or finely minced
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes, or added to taste
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, optional for garnish

Sauce

• 1/2 cup cold water
• 5 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
• 3 tbsp rice vinegar, or more to taste
• 1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 4 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

• Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Toss chicken in batches with cornstarch, tapping off the excess. Set dredged chicken on a platter and set aside. 
• In a separate dish, combine all the ingredients for your sauce and whisk to combine. 
• Preheat a non-stick skillet with oil. Cook chicken in 2 to 3 batches, sautéing until golden on both sides and cooked through then remove the chicken from the pan and transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adding more oil as needed. Leave at least 1 Tbsp oil in the pan.
• Add the garlic, ginger and pepper flakes. Sauté for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. 
• Add the sauce to the skillet and bring it to a simmer while stirring. Let it simmer for 1 minute to cook off the vinegar a little. Taste the sauce and add more soy sauce or rice vinegar to taste if desired. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Serve garnished with sesame seeds if desired. 

Serve with rice and vegetables of choice. I was so surprised by how simple this was but also how tasty it was. Of course, it's not as good as you would get fried up in a restaurant but it's still really good and you can easily see how you could swap out chicken with tofu or pre-mix the sauce for an even quicker meal. Also, I don't see anything that unhealthy about this dish other than the amount of sugar in the sauce, which I'm sure you could reduce and play with to your taste. It's not that important to know, but I'm sure this recipe is an example of someone creating a delicious dish and creatively naming it after some made up character, not unlike another chicken purveyor.