General Tso-Style Pan-Fried Chicken

What you need

Ingredients

Measured for 2 servings.

• 270 gBoneless skinless chicken breast, raw weight
• 45 gPlain Flour
• 1 pcs (approx. 55 g)Egg
• 16 gCornstarch
• 3 gBaking Powder
• 2.5 gOnion Powder
• 1.2 gGarlic Powder
• 30 mlWater
• 120 mlReduced-sodium Chicken Stock
• 60 mlSweet plum-style duck sauce
• 30 mlReduced-sodium soy sauce
• 30 gHoney
• 15 mlRice Vinegar
• 20 mlUntoasted sesame oil
• 1 gGround cayenne pepper

Make it

Method

1. 01

   Cut 270 g raw boneless skinless chicken breast into even 2–3 cm pieces. Whisk one egg (55 g) with 30 ml water; blend in 45 g flour, 16 g cornstarch, 3 g baking powder, 2.5 g onion powder and 1.2 g garlic powder to make a thick coating. Mix in the chicken until every piece is covered. There is no extra table salt because the sauce contains soy sauce.

2. 02

   Heat 20 ml untoasted sesame cooking oil in a wide nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the coated chicken in two batches, leaving space between pieces. Cook about 4–5 minutes per side, turning carefully, until lightly browned and the thickest piece reaches 74°C; move to a clean plate. Cook through rather than trying to imitate a deep-fried crisp crust with this shallow amount of oil.

3. 03

   In a clean pan combine 120 ml reduced-sodium chicken stock, 60 ml sweet plum-style duck sauce, 30 ml reduced-sodium soy sauce, 30 g honey, 15 ml rice vinegar and 1 g cayenne. Simmer uncovered for about 8–10 minutes, stirring, until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Return the cooked chicken and toss for one minute until hot and evenly coated.

4. 04

   Divide the chicken and all measured sauce into two portions; rice or vegetables are not included. The ingredient estimate counts all measured coating and 20 ml oil as eaten, so unused batter or oil left in the pan would make actual intake lower. This is a coherent house adaptation, not a reproduction of the inconsistent TheMealDB method.