My take on General Tso's Chicken

My favorite delivery/take-out Chinese is General Tso's Chicken (if we were still in Gainesville it would be Chicken with Snow Peas from Mr. Han's). Yes, I KNOW General Tso's Chicken is not really Chinese - it's our American take on Chinese. There are a couple of places up close to work where I can find a nice take on the dish, but closer to our apartment we're still struggling to find a good Chinese delivery place (unlike 20+ years ago when there were wonderful local Chinese restaurants in every NYC neighborhood.

So, against my better judgment cause my argument for ordering delivery is now gone, I've learned to make my own version - every bit as good or better than anything we can order out. If you are a fan as well, here's my take.

General Tso's Chicken - serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 1/2 head of broccoli
7 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, breasts, or a mix, patted dry, cut into chunks
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 large garlic clove, finely grated
3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 tablespoon tomato paste
6 (or more) dried whole red chiles (easy to find on Amazon - if you can't find them, just substitute red pepper flakes to your degree of hotness)
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Cooked rice (for serving)

Directions

Blanch the broccoli to your desired crispness (in boiling water for 2-5 minutes then plunge into ice water) - can also roast broccoli in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes or so if you prefer it that way).

Whisk cornstarch, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper in a large bowl. Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet  or wok over medium high. Add chicken to cornstarch mixture and toss to coat. Cook half of chicken, turning occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and a light brown crust forms, 5–7 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix honey, soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, Sriracha, tomato paste, 3 Tbsp. water, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper in a medium bowl.

Transfer first batch of chicken to a plate. Heat remaining 3 Tbsp. oil in skillet over high. Cook remaining chicken for about 5 minutes, then add chiles and cook, stirring and making sure chiles make contact with bottom of pan, until chicken is cooked through and chiles have toasted and puffed, about 1 minute more.

Stir in honey mixture. Return first batch of chicken to skillet, toss to coat, and cook until sauce is reduced and thickened, about 2 minutes. Add broccoli to the sauce and combine (or if you prefer your General Tso's chicken with the broccoli on the side, then just add it to the plate alongside the chicken.

Divide chicken betwen 2 plates. Top with a handful of scallions. Serve with rice alongside.