General Tso's Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 1 large egg
• 1.5 pounds skinless , boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 pinch white pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch

Instructions

1. 1

   Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. 2

   Whisk egg in large mixing bowl. Add chicken, salt, sugar, and pepper; mix well. Mix in cornstarch, a little bit at a time, until chicken is well coated.

3. 3

   Working in batches, carefully drop one piece of chicken at a time into the hot oil. Fry until chicken turns golden brown and begins to float, about 3 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and allow to cool as you fry the next batch.

4. 4

   Once all of the chicken has been fried, refry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Fry each batch until chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

5. 5

   To make the sauce: Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in green onion, garlic, whole chiles, and orange zest. Cook and stir until garlic turns golden and chiles brighten, 1 to 2 minutes.

6. 6

   Add sugar, soy sauce, chicken broth, peanut oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Whisk 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in water until dissolved. Stir into the boiling sauce. Return to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch, about 1 minute.

7. 7

   Stir chicken into the boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook until chicken is heated through and has absorbed some of the sauce, about 3 minutes.