Baked General Tso's Chicken

One of my favorite breakfasts ever is leftover chinese, and one of my favorite dinners is cereal.  Backwards, but it is what it is.  Sadly for me, there is rarely leftover chinese in this house.  I order so rarely and when I do...leftovers?  Please.  

Enter, this recipe for baked General Tsaos.  This recipe makes a pretty big batch, it's baked and not fried and it's still delicious the next day for brekkie.  I'm not going to lie to you though--it's not leftover fried chinese chicken good but with what you save in health factor, this can be overlooked.  It looks like a bit of effort but really comes together rather quickly.  The cornflakes give the chicken a nice crunch when it's freshly made and the sauce has a nice sweet and tangy flavor to it.  I bit of grated orange zest might be kind of nice in the sauce as well. 

Definitely a make again recipe. 

Baked General Tso's Chicken

adapted from Pinch of Yum

Ingredients
1⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
5 cups corn flakes cereal, finely crushed
1 1⁄2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all visible fat, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 3/4 cups water
1⁄3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1⁄4 cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons canola oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cups chopped broccoli

Directions:
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. 

Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat with cooking spray 

Whisk eggs well and in a  shallow dish. Spread Corn Flakes crumbs into second shallow dish. 

Pat chicken dry with paper towels.  Sprinkle flour over and toss well to coat. 

Working in batches, dip chicken in egg whites, then coat with Corn Flakes, pressing gently to adhere; lay in pan.
Bake until chicken coating is brown and crisp, and chicken is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes depending upon size of pieces.(Chicken should be 160 degrees)

Set a medium pan of water on stove and turn to high.
Whisk water, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, jam, vinegar and cornstarch together in bowl or Pyrex measuring cup.  

Heat canola oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Whisk in sauce mixture, bring to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.

Add broccoli to boiling water pot and cook for 2-3 minutes, until slightly cooked but still crisp and bright green.  Drain.
When chicken is cooked, return sauce to simmer over medium-low heat. Add cooked chicken and broccoli and toss to coat. Serve.