General Tso's Chicken

One of the most popular Chinese take-out dishes. With its crispy-coated chicken and sticky hot sauce, the General is BOSS! MORE+ LESS-

By Daring Gourmet

April 19, 2017

Ingredients

boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (about 1 1/2 pounds)

cup cornstarch mixed with 1 teaspoon salt

large cloves garlic, minced

small dried red chilies, seeded and broken into pieces

tablespoon peanut oil

Peanut oil for deep frying

large egg whites

tablespoon soy sauce

tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1/2

cup chicken stock

tablespoons soy sauce

tablespoon rice vinegar

teaspoons sesame oil

tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

tablespoons white granulated sugar

teaspoons cornstarch

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1

Whisk the marinade ingredients together and pour over the cubed chicken. Stir to thoroughly coat the chicken and let it sit while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
2

Combine the sauce ingredients, stirring until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Set aside.
3

Dredge the chicken pieces in the cornstarch and shake off the excess. Working in batches, deep fry the chicken in oil heated to 375ºF until the chicken is golden brown, crispy and cooked through. Place the chicken on paper towels.
4

Heat the tablespoon of oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the garlic and red chilies for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the sauce and simmer until thickened. Add the fried chicken, stir to thoroughly coat, and simmer for a couple of minutes until the chicken has absorbed the sauce. Serve immediately.

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Don't wait for delivery – prepare your own spicy, tangy version of this classic dish yourself. One of (if not the most) popular Chinese takeout dishes in America, General Tso’s Chicken, has been a favorite for decades. So who is this General Tso, anyway? He was a statesman in the Qing dynasty whose actual name was Zuo Zongtang (Zuo is pronounced "Tso"). But while this wildly popular dish was named after him, he wouldn't have been familiar with it – and actually, nor are his descendants. When interviewed about the dish a few years ago they'd never heard of it. So the dish bears his name but has no connection with him at all. In fact, it isn't even authentic Chinese! But that’s okay because it's thoroughly authentic Chinese-American – and that's what we're celebrating. Now you can make it whenever and wherever you want in just 30 minutes, and the results will rival your favorite takeout version. Serve immediately. Steamed rice and broccoli are traditional accompaniments. For extra crispy chicken, fry it twice! Chia?h khì! (That's "eat up!")