General Tso’s Chicken

Written By Alex Washesky

Description

General Tso’s chicken is a variation of the popular Chinese-American dish of sesame chicken (see recipe here). While this dish is almost identical to sesame chicken, the principal difference is the kick from the spicy peppers. The first iteration of this dish was created by Peng Chang-kuei, a chef from Hunan province (China), in his Taiwan restaurant. Peng named the dish after a famous 19-century Hunanese general, although the original version of the dish was not recognizable as its modern iteration. The General Tso’s chicken that Americans recognize today was created in the 1970’s by Tsung Ting Wang, a New York City chef, who took the dish from Peng’s menu and adapted it to American tastes by adding a crispy batter to the chicken and making the sauce sweeter. From then on, the dish became popular with American diners and is now a fixture in nearly every Chinese-American restaurant in the country today.

(Source: Smithsonian Magazine)

Ingredients

(Makes 2-3 servings)

  • 2 chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes (2.5 cm)

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • 1 tbsp cornstarch (17 g)

  • 1 tbsp shaoxing wine* (15 ml)

  • ½ tsp salt (3 g)

  • 2 cups peanut or vegetable oil (480 ml)

  • 16-20 dried chile de arbol peppers

Coating

  • ½ cup flour (60 g)

  • ½ cup cornstarch (60 g)

  • ½ tsp baking powder (3 g)

  • ½ tsp salt (3 g)

Sauce

  • ½ cup soy sauce (120 ml)

  • ¼ cup brown sugar (45 g)

  • 5 tbsp sugar (85 g)

  • ¼ cup ketchup (30 g)

  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar (30 ml)

  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (5 ml)

  • ½ tsp chili flakes (3 g)

  • 1 tsp vegetable oil (5 ml)

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 1 small piece ginger, minced

  • ½ tbsp corn starch (8 g)

  • ½ tbsp water (8 ml)

Preparation

In a bowl, mix together the chicken, egg, cornstarch, wine and salt. Let rest for 20 minutes.

To make the sauce, mix together the corn starch and water in a small bowl until no lumps remain. Heat the oil in a small pot over medium heat, then add the ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and cornstarch mixture to the pot, then cook until sauce thickens to a syrup consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly- this sauce should be very sweet. Set aside.

In a large pan or wok, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. In a bowl, mix together the coating ingredients. Place the chicken pieces in the dry mixture and coat evenly, using your hands. When the oil is hot, add the chicken in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan. Fry until the outside of the chicken crisps up, then remove. Turn the heat to high, then fry the chicken a second time until the crust is golden brown. Set drain chicken on a paper towel-lined sheet pan.

Heat a large pan over high, then add the chicken and chiles. Add the sauce a spoonful at a time until the chicken is evenly coated in the pan. Transfer to a plate, then optionally garnish with chopped green onions. Serve along with steamed broccoli and rice. To prevent chicken from getting soggy, serve immediately.

Notes

  • You can substitute the chicken breast in this recipe for chicken thighs.

  • You can substitute the shaoxing wine with sherry or use water instead.

Alex Washesky
Next

Matzo Ball Soup