Friday night is here, you’re too lazy to go out but you want something really good. General Tso is that dish we always order at the local Chinese restaurant — lacquered sauce, melting chicken, that sweet-spicy mix that hits the spot. With the Instant Pot, you can make it in 30 minutes without sacrificing any of the flavor.
Ingredients :
- Boneless chicken thighs — Forget the breasts. Thighs stay juicy under pressure where a chicken breast would turn rubbery in five minutes. Buy them already boneless and skinless to go faster, and cut them into large pieces — really large, at least 5 cm — otherwise they crumble during pressure cooking.
- Hoisin sauce — This is the ingredient you don’t substitute. This thick brown paste brings a fermented sweetness and umami depth that no other sauce truly mimics. Lee Kum Kee brand if you can find it, otherwise your supermarket’s own brand works just fine.
- Fresh ginger — Not powder, really not. Ground ginger tastes like bland dust. A 3 cm piece finely grated scents the whole kitchen as soon as it hits the hot oil — a slightly lemony and pungent smell that tells you you’ve done things right.
- Rice vinegar — It softens and tenderizes the meat at the same time. If you don’t have any, apple cider vinegar will do — but avoid classic white vinegar, which is too aggressive and would unbalance the whole sauce.
