General Tso’s Chicken
Chinese-American takeout classic, made at home.
After watching a documentary, “The Search for General Tso”, we were inspired to try to make this for ourselves.
General Tso’s Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Coating
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 4 or 5 dried, spicy red chiles cut into thirds
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 3 green onions
- oil for frying
Instructions
Prepare Chicken
- Cut chicken into 3/4 inch to 1 inch chunks.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white, mix in 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- Add the chicken chunks to the mixture and toss to coat the chicken pieces.
- Let the chicken stand while preparing the coating and sauce.
Coating
- Using a second medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup cornstarch with 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Prepare Sauce
- Using a small bowl, whisk 3 tablespoons soy sauce with 1 tablespoon corn starch.
- Mix in 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, and 1/2 cup chicken broth.
Fry chicken
- Heat about 1 inch of oil in a deep, cast iron pot to 350 degrees F.
- Take the chicken out of the marinade and add it to the cornstarch coating mix. There is need to worry about excess liquid. Toss it together to coat all of the chicken pieces.
- Fry the chicken in small batches. Fry until the chicken is cooked through and is a light golden brown.
- Transfer chicken to paper towels to drain.
Put it all together
- Slice the green onions into 1/4 inch slices.
- Using a wok or large saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat.
- Add the dried chili peppers, garlic, ginger, and green onions to the wok and cook for a minute or two.
- Add the sauce and bring mixture to a boil.
- Add the chicken and coat with the sauce.
- Remove from heat and serve with steamed broccoli and rice.