General Tso's Chicken

Remove the honey from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. In a small pot, combine the rice, a big pinch of salt, and 1 cup of water; heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, without stirring, 12 to 14 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and fluff with a fork. Cover to keep warm.

While the rice cooks, pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the cornstarch; toss to thoroughly coat. In a medium pan, heat a thin layer of oil on medium-high. Once the oil is hot enough that a pinch of the cornstarch sizzles immediately when added, add the coated chicken in an even layer (tapping off any excess cornstarch before adding). Cook, without stirring, 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan, transfer to a plate.

While the chicken cooks, wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut off and discard the root end of the bok choy; roughly chop. Peel and finely chop the ginger. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. In a bowl, combine the hoisin sauce, vinegar, honey (kneading the packet before opening), sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of water, and as much of the sambal oelek as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be.

Add the chopped bok choy, ginger, and garlic to the pan of reserved fond (if the pan seems dry, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil). Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Add the sauce and cook, stirring frequently and scraping up any fond, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until thoroughly combined. Turn off the heat.

Add the cooked chicken to the pan of cooked bok choy and sauce; stir to thoroughly combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the finished chicken and bok choy with the cooked rice. Enjoy!