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 coat. In a medium pan, heat a thin layer of oil on medium-high. Once the oil is hot enough that a pinch of cornstarch sizzles immediately when added, add the coated chicken in an even layer (shaking off any excess cornstarch before adding). Cook 3 to 5 minutes per side, 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 bok choy. Cut off and discard the root end, then roughly chop. Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic. In a bowl, whisk together the hoisin sauce, vinegar, honey (kneading the packet before opening), sesame oil, 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 and garlic to the pan of reserved fond (if the pan seems dry, add a drizzle of olive oil). Season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened. Add the sauce (carefully, as the liquid may splatter). 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 coat. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the finished chicken and bok choy with the cooked rice. Enjoy!