Embark on a culinary journey to discover the art of crafting General Tao's Chicken, a beloved dish that tantalizes taste buds with its perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spicy flavors. Immerse yourself in the history and origin of this classic dish, tracing its roots back to the bustling streets of Taiwan. Learn about the key ingredients that make up this delectable creation, including succulent chicken, aromatic ginger, tangy vinegar, and a symphony of spices. As you delve deeper into the intricacies of preparing General Tao's Chicken, uncover the secrets to achieving the perfect crispy texture, the vibrant sauce, and the harmony of flavors that make this dish a culinary masterpiece.
Here are our top 9 tried and tested recipes!
GENERAL TSAO'S CHICKEN II
A genuinely mouthwatering dish with an Asian kick that will knock your chopsticks off! Don't be fooled by other General Tsao impostors: this is simply the best Chinese chicken you will ever have. With a flair of peanut oil, a streak of sesame, a dash of orange, and a sweet spot for hot, this is sure to be a favorite. Just don't forget to deep-fry twice! Serve with steamed broccoli and white rice.
Provided by ChefDaddy
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Asian Chinese
Time 50m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken cubes; sprinkle with salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and white pepper; mix well. Mix in 1 cup of cornstarch a little bit at a time until the chicken cubes are well coated.
- In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until they turns golden brown and begin to float, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to cool as you fry the next batch. Once all of the chicken has been fried, refry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Cook until the chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the green onion, garlic, whole chiles, and orange zest. Cook and stir a minute or two until the garlic has turned golden and the chiles brighten. Add 1/2 cup sugar, the ginger, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut oil; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
- Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into the water, and stir into the boiling sauce. Return to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch, about 1 minute. Stir the chicken into the boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook for a few minutes until the chicken absorbs some of the sauce.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 633.5 calories, Carbohydrate 54.9 g, Cholesterol 101.1 mg, Fat 36.5 g, Fiber 0.8 g, Protein 24.3 g, SaturatedFat 6.1 g, Sodium 1191.6 mg, Sugar 17.7 g
GENERAL TAO CHICKEN
Great chicken that tastes the same as the one served in the Chinese restaurants, without the deep frying. Serve on steamed jasmine or basmati rice.
Provided by Mel
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Asian Chinese
Time 50m
Yield 6
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Coat the chicken pieces with 1/4 cup of cornstarch; set aside.
- Beat the eggs, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in the flour and baking powder until no large lumps remain. Mix in the chicken until evenly coated.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Drop in the chicken pieces; cook until golden brown and no longer pink on the inside, about 12 minutes. Set the chicken aside; keep warm.
- Reduce the heat to medium-high and stir in the sesame oil, ginger, and green onion. Cook and stir until the onion is limp and the ginger begins to brown, about 1 minute. Pour in the water, vinegar, and sugar; bring to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in the soy sauce and add to the simmering vinegar along with the oyster sauce and ketchup. Stir until the sauce has thickened and is no longer cloudy. Stir in the chicken and simmer until hot.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 522.4 calories, Carbohydrate 34.5 g, Cholesterol 148.1 mg, Fat 26.8 g, Fiber 0.7 g, Protein 35.1 g, SaturatedFat 4.9 g, Sodium 1054.6 mg, Sugar 19.4 g
GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN
There's been a lot of rumor about the origins of this dish; I'll let others fight it out and just focus on its deliciousness! I think that the human palate is drawn to the combination of savory, sour, sweet, salty and spicy. I think that's why we all love this dish. There's a huge difference between the popular sambal oelek and Chinese chili garlic sauce. Sambal is very easy to find but it's twice as hot as chili garlic. So, if you are using sambal, use half the amount.
Provided by Jet Tila
Categories main-dish
Time 30m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- For the chicken: Place your broccoli florets in a medium bowl and add 2 tablespoons water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside until ready to use.
- Heat the oil in a 4-quart (3.8-liter) Dutch oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) using a frying thermometer. Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Mix 1 1/2 cups (335 grams) of the tempura flour and 1 cup (240 milliliters) water into a thick batter. It should look like thick pancake batter. Dredge the chicken cubes in the 1 cup (223 grams) of tempura flour and then coat them in the batter. Fry them in two batches until golden brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain the chicken on paper towels or a rack.
- Heat a wok or large skillet to high and add 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) of oil. When you see the first wisps of white smoke, stir in the fried chicken, onion, chiles, broccoli, and 1/3 of the ginger and garlic and cook them for about 30 seconds.
- For the sauce: While the chicken cooks, add the oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, sugar, white vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch slurry, red food coloring if using, 1/3 cup water and the remaining chopped ginger and garlic into a 1-quart (946-millileter) saucepan and bring the heat up to medium. Whisk gently as it comes to a simmer. Allow it to simmer and keep whisking it for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and reserve it.
- Stir in the sauce and allow it to coat the chicken and simmer. Cook it, folding all the ingredients until they are well coated, about 2 minutes. Garnish with the scallions.
BAKED GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN
General Tso's Chicken is Ree's favorite Chinese takeout dish. Typically prepared by deep frying dark meat chicken pieces before tossing in a sweet and spicy sauce, Ree is changing it up by coating chicken breast pieces in panko and baking them until crispy, skipping the frying. Paired with a simple sauce based on the classic flavors, you will be able to have takeout at home any time.
Provided by Ree Drummond : Food Network
Categories main-dish
Time 30m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- For the crispy chicken: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Set a rack on a sheet tray and spray with cooking spray.
- Place the flour in a wide shallow dish. Whisk together the soy sauce and eggs in another wide, shallow dish. Place the panko breadcrumbs in a third wide, shallow dish.
- Working in batches, dip the chicken pieces first in the flour, then in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs.
- Place the chicken pieces on the rack, leaving space between each piece. Spray with cooking spray. Bake until crispy and golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- For the sauce. Meanwhile, whisk together the chicken broth, hoisin, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha and cornstarch; set aside.
- Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the sesame oil. Add the ginger, pepper flakes and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice wine mixture, bring to a simmer and allow to thicken. Add the crispy chicken and toss to coat. Serve immediately with rice and garnish with sliced scallions.
GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN
Invented in 1950s Taiwan by chef Peng Chang-Kuei, this crowd-pleasing fried chicken dish was adapted for American palates with a chile-spiked sweet-and-sour sauce and has since become a Chinese takeout classic.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Meat & Poultry Chicken Chicken Thighs
Time 35m
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Combine chicken, egg white, soy sauce, wine, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Whisk together cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in another bowl. Let stand while making sauce.
- Make the sauce: Whisk soy sauce into cornstarch. Then whisk in wine, sugar, vinegar, and broth.
- Heat 1 1/2 inches oil in a deep pot (preferably cast-iron) to 350 degrees. Working in batches, remove chicken from marinade (do not worry about removing excess liquid) and toss in cornstarch mixture. Carefully add to oil and cook until crisp and light golden brown, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over medium. Add chiles, garlic, ginger, and scallion whites. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Add chicken and toss to coat in sauce. Remove from heat. Stir in sesame oil. Garnish with scallion greens and serve immediately with broccoli and rice.
GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN
This is the classic that is so popular in Chinese restaurants. Banana sauce can be found in Asian stores. It is made in the Philippines. If you can't get it substitute ketchup.
Provided by CRAIG
Categories World Cuisine Recipes Asian Chinese
Time 40m
Yield 4
Number Of Ingredients 18
Steps:
- Heat 4 cups of peanut oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl; whisk in 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and the cornstarch. Mix in the chicken until all the pieces are coated with batter. Drop into the hot oil a piece at a time; cook until the chicken is golden brown on the outside and no longer pink on the inside, about 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Stir together the vinegar, wine, sugar, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and the banana ketchup in a small bowl until smooth; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the dried chile peppers and cook for a few seconds until the peppers brighten. Stir in the onion, garlic, and orange zest. Cook and stir until the onion is beginning to brown. Stir in the sauce; bring to a boil before adding the fried chicken. Reduce the heat to medium and stir until the chicken pieces are well coated with the sauce, a few minutes longer. Serve sprinkled with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 2474.9 calories, Carbohydrate 52.6 g, Cholesterol 161.4 mg, Fat 243.7 g, Fiber 1.2 g, Protein 28.7 g, SaturatedFat 41.7 g, Sodium 949.2 mg, Sugar 11.1 g
GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN
Wow! This is even better than the BEST I have had in my fave Chinese restaurant. To make the meal go quickly prep everything the day or night before and store in the fridge. To make this easy to understand I have changed the terms to cornstarch slurry and sauce. The first is used to coat the chicken for frying, the second to coat the fried chicken. HTH I use a grater with small holes for the garlic or you can just zip all the sauce ingredients up in a blender or food processor. Enjoy! NOTE: I really appreciate all the reviews this recipe has received. I know that when making this it seems strange and like it just is not going to work. Trust that it will work even though the method and the way that the cornstarch slurry acts before cooking are so different. I was the same way the first time I made this. It does result in crispy pieces of chicken that are so like you find in a restaurant. The heat here is pretty much a balanced amount because some like it hot and some do not. Taste and add more heat as desired. Thanks again for trying this recipe. I hope that you have the great results that I have had time and again. Here is info, pics and heat levels of different chilies. http://www.foodsubs.com/Chilefre.html
Provided by Mamas Kitchen Hope
Categories Chicken Breast
Time 40m
Yield 8 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Place sauce ingredients in a quart jar with a lid and shake to mix. If you make this ahead of time just refrigerate until needed, shaking it again when you are ready to use it. This also keeps your dirty dishes down.
- Mix cornstarch slurry in a large bowl- the mixture will be strange but trust me it works. It will be VERY thick almost paste like. Add ALL the chicken pieces and stir to coat. Using a fork remove ONE chicken piece at a time and let the excess mixture drip off. YES even though the mixture has a weird consistency it will not stick like paste and the excess will drip off. Add chicken to the hot (350 degree) oil and fry until crispy. Only cook 7 or 8 chicken pieces at a time. You do not want to lower the temp of the oil by cooking too many at a time. You can use a simple cooking or candy thermometer to judge the temp of the oil.
- Drain on paper towels. Want them extra crispy? Put them on a rack over a sheet pan. Keep warm- I just put them in the oven with the oven off. Repeating until all chicken is fried.
- In a separate wok or large skillet add a small amount of oil and heat to 400 degrees. Again, a candy thermometer works great. (Want less dishes? You can just drain the oil after you fry all the chicken, leave a small amount (about a tsp) in the pan and use the same pan if you like.)
- Add green onions and hot peppers and stir fry about 30 seconds.
- Stir (or shake jar) sauce mixture, and then add to pan with onions and peppers, cook until thick. Some reviews didn't kniw what "thick" meant. Thick like the same sauce you get at a restaurant.you want it to just coat the chicken. If it gets too thick, add a little water or other liquid. The thickness of the sauce should be similar to what you get when ordering this at a restaurant.
- Add chicken to sauce in wok and heat just until the chicken is hot enough for you. It may not even need a minute if you kept the chicken warm. The quicker you serve it the crispier the chicken stays.
- Don't be scared by any negative reviews. It's not rocket science though if you have never cooked with a cornstarch slurry it may feel like an experiment. Trust yourself! You've got this! If you have any doubts reread the recipe and get everything in order before you start to cook. I promise you will thank yourself and maybe even me! Enjoy!
- Oh it's great served over rice!
SUPER-EASY GENERAL TSO CHICKEN
This is not authentic General Tso's Chicken, but it's a recipe I developed and it tastes quite similar. It's easy and requires no "odd" ingredients. You can either batter your chicken before adding to the sauce or just stir-fry your plain chicken, it's up to you. This makes plenty of sauce- I don't like dry General Tso's. After reading several reviews, I would just like to add that I must use VERY mild hot sauce, because I am definitely NOT someone who likes super-hot stuff and several have complained that it's too hot. I would have to say that it probably varies according to your brand of hot sauce, so be warned! :-)
Provided by DragonFly2
Categories Poultry
Time 30m
Yield 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- Mix the soy sauce, water, hot sauce, sugar, boullion, and ginger in a saucepan and heat until boiling. Cut the heat down and simmer while you prepare the chicken.
- Take your chicken and cut into bite-size cubes. Now, at this point you can either use a boxed batter mix to add a coating on it (and deep-fry according to the box mix), or you can just stir-fry your plain chicken in a little oil until thoroughly cooked.
- Going back to your sauce, use the cornstarch in water to thicken it. Then add your cooked chicken. If you battered your chicken, it's ready to eat (don't leave the battered chicken too long before eating or it will get soggy). If you stir-fried plain chicken, use this time to simmer it awhile and prepare your veggies and rice.
- Serve this chicken over the veggies and rice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 617.3, Fat 3.9, SaturatedFat 0.9, Cholesterol 75.8, Sodium 3187.2, Carbohydrate 110.2, Fiber 1.1, Sugar 51.2, Protein 33.8
GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN
A favourite dish in Chinese restaurants, try making your own General Tso's chicken. It looks complicated but get all the components ready and it's quite easy
Provided by Diana Henry
Categories Dinner, Main course, Supper
Time 40m
Yield Serves 4 along with other dishes
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- For the chicken, mix the egg white with the potato flour in a bowl, then add the soy sauce, Shaohsing wine (or sherry) and the chicken. Turn the chicken over to coat it.
- For the sauce, mix together the tomato purée, 2-3 tbsp water, potato flour, soy sauces, rice vinegar, sugar and Shaohsing wine and set this aside. Snip the chillies into 5cm lengths, discarding the seeds.
- Heat the oil in a wok and cook the garlic, ginger and chillies over a medium heat until they're aromatic and beginning to soften, but not brown.
- Mix the cornflour and plain flour for the coating with salt and pepper and tip into a broad shallow bowl. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip it in the flour mix and set the pieces onto a tray.
- Pour enough oil into a deep pan to come 8cm up the sides. Heat until it reaches 200C (if you drop in a test piece of chicken, it should sizzle straight away). Carefully add half the chicken pieces and fry until they're crisp and golden - agitating the pieces to make sure they don't stick together - about 4 mins. Lift the pieces out with a slotted spoon onto a double layer of kitchen paper. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
- Heat the wok, add the sauce mixture to the garlic, ginger and chillies in there and cook, stirring, until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Add the chicken and half the spring onions and warm everything through. Serve with the sesame seeds and the rest of the spring onions scattered on top. This doesn't give you huge servings so it's best to offer another dish with it, as well as boiled rice.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 430 calories, Fat 18 grams fat, SaturatedFat 4 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 34 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 10 grams sugar, Fiber 1 grams fiber, Protein 30 grams protein, Sodium 3.1 milligram of sodium
Tips:
- To make the chicken extra crispy, double-coat it in the cornstarch mixture.
- Be sure to use a large skillet or wok for frying the chicken, so that the pieces don't crowd each other and cook evenly.
- Don't overcrowd the pan when frying the chicken, or it will not cook evenly.
- Use a high-quality soy sauce and rice vinegar for the best flavor.
- If you don't have hoisin sauce, you can substitute a mixture of soy sauce and brown sugar.
- Serve the General Tao's chicken immediately, while it is still hot and crispy.
Conclusion:
General Tao's chicken is a delicious and easy-to-make dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal. It is also a great party appetizer. With its crispy chicken, flavorful sauce, and fresh vegetables, General Tao's chicken is sure to be a hit with everyone who tries it. There are hundreds of variations of General Tao's chicken, so don't be afraid to experiment with different ingredients and flavors to find your perfect recipe.
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