General Tso’s Chicken is a perfect combination of crispy fried chicken pieces smothered in a sweet, tangy, savoury, and spicy sauce (optional). General Tso is a popular Chinese dish especially in the Chinese-American restaurants and Chinese take out.
It’s name comes from a respected Chinese statesman & military leader, General Tso. However, it was a chef named Peng Chang-Kuei who actually created the dish in the 1950’s and brought it to the states when he immigrated to New York in 1973 where he opened his own restaurant. Despite the origination of this dish, it is one of the most popular Chinese dishes in America and once you have had it, you will easily know why.
What makes up General Tso’s Chicken
1.Chicken
- Boneless chicken Thighs
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Salt
- Corn Starch
- Oil
2. Sauce
- Minced Garlic
- Minced Ginger
- Orange Zest
- Oil
- Sugar
- Chicken Broth
- Light Soy Sauce
- Dark Soy Sauce
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Sesame Oil
- Cornstarch
- Water
- **Hot Pepper of choice
- Scallions
Preparation
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- The chicken is cleaned and cut into 1-1/2″ pieces
- Combine the salt, egg and sugar and cover in a seasoning bowl in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- In the meantime, combine the sauce ingredients in a small pot by first sautéing the garlic, ginger and orange zest in a little oil. Add the rest of ingredients except the diluted cornstarch which will be added when brought to a boil.
- When ready to fry the chicken, pour cornstarch over and toss well.
- Heat a non-stick skillet, place oil until hot and fry in a couple batches at a time making sure pieces aren’t too close together.
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
- When finished and ready to serve, pour sauce over the chicken and toss, garnish with sesame seeds and scallion.
This dish is basically a battered and fried chicken pieces done in skillet and then placed in a sweet and tangy sauce made in a separate medium sized pot (a little spice is optional). It has a true Asian dish flavor with a hint of orange, garlic & ginger with some sesame oil to give it a kick. If you like spicy dishes, this can be made spicy too. Most kids love it, so it can easily become a family favorite as it has in my home.
General Tso's Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 12 Boneless Thighs cut in 1" cubes (substitute with breasts)
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Sugar
- 1 Egg beaten
- 1 1/2 cups Cornstarch
- 1 cup Vegetable Oil for frying
Sauce
- 2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tsp. Orange Zest
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 1/2 tsp. Ginger minced
- 3/4 cup Chicken Broth
- 3 Tbsp. Rice Wine or Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Light Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp. Dark or Mushroom Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
- 2 Tbsp. Cornstarch
- 3 Tbsp. Water
- * Hot Pepper of choice (optional)
- 2 stalks Scallion cut fine
Instructions
Chicken
-
Wash chicken, if using thighs, cut out most of the fatty pieces. Cut in 1" cubes.
-
Add salt, sugar, and egg to chicken & mix well. Place covered bowl in refridgerator for at least an hour or when ready to cook.
-
Add cornstarch to chicken & coat well.
-
Heat oil in a semi-deep, but not too wide saucepan on medium heat for a few minutes until hot. When hot, cook chicken in small batches at a time, leaving space between each piece. Cook until golden brown on each side (around 3 minutes total), remove cooked pieces to a papertowel lined plate. Repeat this step until all chicken is cooked.
Sauce
-
In a medium saucepan, add vegetable oil, heat for about 1 minute on med-low heat. Stir in a small amount of the orange zest, ginger, & garlic. Stir about 1 minute.
-
In a bowl, combine the rest of sauce ingredients except the cornstarch & 3 Tbsp. water. Add the sauce ingredients to a pot & bring to a boil.
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In the meantime, dilute the cornstarch with water. When the sauce boils, add the cornstarch & stir until slightly thickens and gets clear. Add hot sauce of choice if desired.
-
Stir chicken in sauce. Remove from heat & serve.
-
Garnish with scallion if desired.
Recipe Notes
Serves well with white rice or/and stir fry vegetables.
