General Tao Chicken
with Ancient Red Rice and Sautéed Bok Choy
Cooking time
35 minutes
Servings
4
Calories
520 /serving
The true origins of General Tao Chicken have long been debated - a documentary film was recently dedicated to the subject! What we know for certain is that this dish travelled a long way from its roots in the Chinese province of Hunan to arrive on the menu of nearly every Chinese restaurant in North America. While the restaurant version is often sugary and deep-fried, we’ve engineered a way to get all the best elements of this iconic dish without busting our calorie count. We’re pan-searing our bites of chicken and tossing them in a glorious mix of sesame oil, sweet soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce. We’re serving all of that savoury goodness over sautéed bok choy and ancient red rice and giving this restaurant classic a run for its money!
We will send you:
- 4 Chicken breasts
- 400g Baby bok choy
- 4 Garlic cloves
- 2 Scallions
- 225g Daikon
- 45ml Sweet soy sauce
- 15ml Sesame oil
- 45ml Sweet chili sauce
- 27g Cornstach
- 205g Red rice
You will need:
Medium pot
Medium pan (non-stick, if possible)
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
Oil
Total Fat
18 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Sodium
905 mg
Total Carb
56 g
Sugars
10 g
Protein
31 g
Fibre
4 g
Preparation
Cook the rice
In a medium pot, bring 2 ¼ cups of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the rice. Reduce the heat, cover and let simmer, 25 to 27 minutes, or until tender and the water is absorbed. Let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside in a warm spot.
Mise en place
While the rice cooks, peel and mince the garlic. Cut off and discard the root end of the scallions; thinly slice on an angle, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Cut off and discard the bok choy roots; cut in quarters lengthwise. Peel and small dice the daikon radish. In a bowl, toss the daikon with a drizzle of olive oil and season with S&P. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel; chop into bite-sized pieces. Transfer to a bowl; toss with the cornstarch and season with S&P.
Make the sauce
In a medium pan (nonstick, if possible), heat ½ the sesame oil on medium-high. Add the garlic and white bottoms of the scallions; season with S&P. Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the sweet soy sauce, remaining sesame oil and as much of the sweet chili sauce as you’d like; season with S&P and stir to thoroughly combine. Rinse and wipe out the pan.
Cook the chicken
While the rice continues to cook, in the same pan, heat a drizzle of oil on medium-high. Working in batches, add the coated chicken in a single layer (shaking off any excess cornstarch before adding). Cook, turning occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes per batch, or until browned on all sides and cooked through (if the pan seems dry, add more oil between batches). Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; immediately season with S&P. Wipe out the pan.
Cook the bok choy
In the same pan, heat a drizzle of oil on medium-high. Add the bok choy; season with S&P. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Add 2 tbsp of water; cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 4 minutes, or until the water has cooked off and the bok choy is crisp-tender. Transfer to a serving dish.
Finish the chicken & serve
Transfer the cooked chicken to the bowl of sauce; toss to thoroughly coat. Divide the cooked rice, finished chicken and cooked bok choy between your plates. Garnish with the green tops of the scallions and seasoned daikon. Bon appétit!
