General Tso’s Chicken
I enjoy Chinese cuisine but prefer making my favorite dishes at home for several reasons. Without going into too much detail, I’ll highlight just a couple…
In my opinion, I find their food has a high sodium content which is not really healthy. Every time I went out to a restaurant or did take-out, the next day, my scale reads 4 pounds more. My body just retained all the liquid. Another reason to make it at home is I’m in control of the ingredients and the intensity of the flavors. Wonton Soup for example is very good but I always found it was a little on the “blah” side therefore making it from scratch gives me the perfect balance of flavor that I want.
I’ve already shared several Chinese inspired recipes like my Mandarin Chicken, Char Siu Pork, Slow Cooker Pepper Beef, and many more… Another favorite of mine is General Tso’s Chicken! What a recipe! It’s sweet and just spicy enough to bring deliciousness to the dish!
I like to marinate my chicken pieces for 30 minutes before frying them. As the meat absorbs it, it gives a deeper dimension of flavor to it. An ingredient I add to the sauce is chili oil and this alone brings some spiciness to it. I prefer making this condiment from scratch and here’s the link for it… Chili Oil
General Tso’s Chicken is tasty but also quite quick and easy to make. After the marinating passive time, in less than 20 minutes you’re ready to eat. Frying in batches might take 10 minutes all together and then making the sauce is perhaps another 5 minutes. When adding the chicken to the sauce then rapidly coating and heating them through, there’s another 2 to 3 minutes to it… done! Seriously it doesn’t take much time at all! One thing you shouldn’t do is to leave the fried chicken pieces in the sauce too long because they’ll lose their crispiness.
David and I love this dish! It’s quick and easy to make and so flavorful. General Tso’s Chicken is a great comfort food we like to enjoy on weeknights when our schedules are hectic. It’s definitely a nice recipe to have on hand…
Bon Appétit!
Here are several more flavorful Chinese inspired recipes for you to enjoy…
– Wonton Soup
– Moo Shu Pork Tortillas
– Mongolian Beef
– Szechuan Ginger Chicken
– Chinese 5 Spice Spare Ribs
– Gyoza Sauce
– Egg Rolls
and for even more International recipes, click on this link… Recipe Category • International
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General Tso's Chicken
Hover to scale
Ingredients
SAUCE
- 3 tbsp. orange juice tips & tricks
- 2 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp. sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp. chili oil see Recipe
- 3 tbsp. canola oil
- 2 large green onions (green parts for garnish), chopped
- 3 whole dried red chilies
- 1/2 tbsp. minced ginger
- 1/2 tbsp. pressed garlic
- 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
CHICKEN
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/2 tsp. ground Himalayan sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or to taste (I always use mixed peppercorns)
- 1/2 cup cornstarch, or as needed
- 5 cups canola oil for frying, or as needed tips & tricks
- sesame seeds, for garnish
Directions
- In a bowl, add orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and chili oil; whisk well.
- Place chicken pieces in a bowl and add 2 tbsp. sauce. Stir well before seasoning with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper; stir again. Marinate the meat for 30 minutes.
- Half an hour later, dredge the chicken pieces with cornstarch until well coated and set aside.
- In a Dutch oven over medium high heat, add oil and when the temperature reaches 385ºF/196ºC, working in batches, carefully add the chicken pieces. Fry them for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Using a spider strainer, transfer the fried pieces to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
- To finish the sauce; in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat, add oil and when it gets hot, add green onions (white parts) and dried red chilies; sauté for only 1 minute.
- Add ginger and garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Pour in the sauce and stir well before adding the chicken broth mixed with 1 tbsp. cornstarch. Stir until the sauce thickens, about 45 seconds.
- Add fried chicken pieces and stir to coat, heating them through quickly - don't leave them too long otherwise they'll lose their crispiness.
- Serve over white rice and garnish with green onions (green parts) and sesame seeds.
Don't forget to rate and comment on this recipe!
Looks great
Thank you so much Dennis! It’s a great comfort food packed with flavor plus it’s so easy to make. Enjoy your weekend