General Tso's Chicken

I LOVE Chinese Food. It's probably my favorite kind of food. I remember growing up, my dad would bring home Chinese food for dinner. I'm not going to lie, those were my favorite treats. There's something about the fact that he brought us home yummy food as a surprise, that made me fall in love with it. Now, every time I eat Chinese food, I think of the good ol' days when my dad would spoil us occasionally with family size containers of different kinds of food. And guess which one was my favorite?! General Tso's Chicken!
  I love the variety, the sauces, the flavors, rice, veggies. Everything! This recipe is my favorite recipe I've ever tried for Chinese food. It's simple and quick. By the time your rice is done cooking, the rest of your meal is too! 

Here's a picture of my wonderful dad, Joel. Thanks dad for making me fall in love with Chinese food!

General Tso’s Chicken

recipe from Bless This Mess

2lb chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces  $3.00

1/2 cup cornstarch  $.07

1 tsp salt  $.01

1/2 tsp pepper

canola or olive oil

Sauce:

5 T. hoisin sauce  $.09

5 T. ketchup  $.02

5 T. rice vinegar  $.24

4 T. soy sauce  $.04

1 T. sesame oil  $.23

3/4 cup brown sugar  $.36

3/4 cup water

2 1/2 T. fresh ginger, minced  $.25

3 cloves garlic, minced  $.18

1 T. red chili paste OR 1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (depending on your heat preference)  $.12

Put the chicken and cornstarch mixture in a large plastic bag or container and shake to coat.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken pieces, using a small amount of oil to cook the chicken.

to make the sauce, combine all sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl.  Pour sauce into the pan of cooked chicken. Stirring occasionally, cook over medium heat until thickened, about 3-6 minutes.  

Serve over rice with your favorite stir fried veggies!

Total Estimated Cost: $4.61
Servings: 4
Cost Per Serving: $1.15

If you want to factor in the cost of rice, it's about $.20 per cup of dry rice. Take that, Panda Express! Here's a super cheap meal that is super yummy, costs less, and feeds more!