Chinese Chicken & Fried Rice

 Last week during one of Justin and my daily email conversations at work, I asked the inevitable circa 3pm question: What should I make for dinner tonight.  I then received an email that simply said "General Tso's".  Once it was put in writing, how could I refuse my fiance his request? (I know, I am a wonderful future wife....).  I know that the General Tso's you get in a Chinese restaurant is deep fried and I have sworn that I will not deep fry ANYTHING until after the wedding (t-minus 53 days and counting).  So I found a recipe for a pan fried "Gerneral Tso's" dish and thought, why not!  I will put in the disclaimer that it didn't really taste exactly like what you'd get in a Chinese restaurant (probably in part because I do not own MSG...) but it was a fantastic dish nonetheless. I also decided that on this Asian Dinner path I would make a Fried Rice as well! So let's get cookin'

Saz's General [sorta] Tso's Chicken

• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 cup water
• 1 pound head broccoli, trimmed and cut into bite-size floret
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Thinly sliced scallions
• Sesame seeds

> Cut up your chicken into small, 1 inch, bite sized pieces.

 > In a large bowl, mix the egg. 1/4 cup cornstarch, ginger and black pepper.

 > Add in your chicken chunks and coat all pieces thoroughly.

> In a large skillet (or wok, if you have one), heat up the canola oil and then add the chicken and cook the chicken through so there's no pink inside.  Once it's cooked, remove from skillet, and set aside for a bit.

 > Now it's time to make your marinade.  In a large bowl mix the soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, about 1/2 tsp ginger, red pepper flakes and the remaining 2 tbsp. of cornstarch. Whisk well!

 > In the same skillet you cooked the chicken in, wipe out the excess oil.  Add the water and garlic and bring to a boil.  Add the broccoli and carrot and cover the skillet.  Let it simmer until it's tender (about 3 minutes).

 > Uncover your skillet and add in your marinade. Stir until the marinade starts to thicken.

 > Then add in your chicken! Turn the heat down to a medium/low heat and let the chicken warm up and get fully coated in the marinade! SO simple! and it's a one pot meal!  Now it's on to making the Fried Rice!

 Fried Rice Saz Style

1 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups water

2 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
6 green onion, chopped, white parts and green parts separated
1 carrots
1 celery stalk
2 cups frozen peas
3 tablespoons soy sauce

> Chop up your onion, carrot, celery and garlic.

> Meanwhile, beat the two eggs and make scrambled eggs out of the eggs. Set aside.

 > In a skillet, cook the onion, carrot, celery and garlic until they're tender. Add in the peas and cook for a few minutes until the peas are heated through.

 > While you're cooking the vegetables, you can cook your rice.  I used white rice, you can use brown rice as a healthier alternative.  Bring one cup of rice and two cups of water to a boil.  Reduce the heat down low, cover and let cook for 15 minutes....and voila! Perfect fluffy white rice!

 > Now add your cooked veggies to your rice and mix in the soy sauce.

> Top with sesame seeds and finely chopped green onions.

Now you've got a homemade Chinese dinner perfect for a night in! I think my favorite part of this dish was actually the broccoli in that fantastic marinade! SO delicious :) ENJOY!