General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
General Tso’s Chicken is a Chinese-American dish that is known for its sweet and savory flavor and its deep-fried, crispy chicken chunks. This is a detailed post about how to make General Tso’s Chicken at home with step-by-step method and photos. The dish typically includes chicken that is marinated, coated in a batter, deep-fried, and then tossed in a sweet and savory sauce made from soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and chili peppers. The dish is typically served over steamed rice and garnished with scallions and sesame seeds.
What is General Tso’s Chicken?
General Tso’s Chicken is a perfect combination of sweet, spicy, savory and tangy flavors combined with crispy chicken pieces. It is one of themost famous ordered Chinese dish in the restaurants.
Why it is named General Tso’s Chicken? It is said that this dish is originated from the Hunan province of China and named in the honor of a well-known Chinese military leader, General Tso.
Variations of General Tso’s Chicken
While traditional General Tso’s Chicken is made with chicken, there are many variations of the recipe that can be made with different meats or vegetables. Some variations include:
General Tso’s Tofu: This variation uses tofu instead of chicken
General Tso’s Shrimp: This variation uses shrimp instead of chicken
General Tso’s Cauliflower: This variation uses cauliflower florets instead of chicken.
Nutrition – General Tso’s Chicken
General Tso’s Chicken is typically high in protein and can be high in sodium and calories due to the use of deep-frying and the sauce. To make it a healthier option you could use less oil in the cooking process and use a low-sodium soy sauce. Additionally, serving it with steamed vegetables and brown rice can increase the overall nutritional value of the dish.
Serving Suggestions
General Tso’s Chicken is a classic Chinese-American dish that is typically enjoyed as a main dish, served over steamed rice. Some popular ways to enjoy it include:
As a main dish: Serve General Tso’s Chicken as a main dishwith steamed rice and a side of steamed vegetables for a complete andsatisfying meal.
As a topping: Use General Tso’s Chicken as a topping for aketo-friendly salad or cauliflower rice bowl.
Step by Step General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
General Tso's Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
For Marination Sauce Of Chicken
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tsp sambal oelak
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp cornflour
For Stir Frying Sauce
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 2 tbsp oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 inch ginger
Other
- 600 g Chicken Breast / boneless chicken
- 2 green onion / Scallions
- 1 garlic
- ½ inch ginger
- 1 cup cornflour
- 1 tsp sesame seeds
- oil for frying
Instructions
Preparation
- Assemble all ingredients together to avoid last minute rush.
- Chop chicken thighs into 1” pieces and keep aside.
- Finely grate ginger and garlic. Keep separate as per ingredients list.
- For Marinade Sauce: Add soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin, chilli sauce and sesame oil in a Mixing Bowl. Mix all ingredients very well.
- Now, pour 2-3 tbsp of marinade sauce over the chicken pieces and add grated ginger and garlic. Mix everything and leave for marination, at least 30-35 mins.
- Finely chop green onions. Keep aside for garnishing.
Cooking
- Add cornflour to the chicken pieces and coat evenly, make sure all pieces are separated so they can get fully coated. Remove excess cornflour by shaking them into a Colander.
- Add sugar and cornflour to the remaining Sauce-Marinade. Add chicken stock/broth and mix everything.
- Now, heat oil in a deep skillet or deep Kadai over high flame.
- Add chicken pieces and cook for 3-4 mins until they turn golden and crispy. Drain on paper towel to remove excess oil.
- Remove oil from Skillet/Kadai or take new Skillet as per your convenience. Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add crushed garlic, crushed ginger, chilli flakes and saute for few seconds until raw aroma of garlic goes away.
- Add sauce to Skillet, bring it to simmer and stir occasionally until it thickens.
- Add chicken pieces, toss to coat quickly. This is an important step as the quicker you are, the crispier the chicken!
- Transfer to serving plate, garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.
- Serve hot with bowl of rice as main course or separately as a starter.
Equipment Used for This Recipe
Notes & Tips
- Soy sauce: Do not use very dark soya sauce here, as it will make the dish very dark and overwhelm the flavors. Take light soya sauce or all purpose soya sauce
- Choosing Chicken: Chicken thigh is best for this recipe as it will stay juicy inside. If you really want to use breast pieces, then tenderise them first. Please follow our Article section on how to tenderise the breast pieces for frying.
- Garlic and ginger: Try not to use store bought ginger garlic paste, as it will burn very quickly and do not give the desired taste.
- Amount of oil to use: For shallow fry, use enough oil so it comes halfway up the side of the chicken so you only need to turn it once to get nice crispy chicken For deep fry, use more oil so it comes on top of the chicken pieces which will give a more even crispy coating all around.
- Cornflour: You can also use half of the amount here, i.e. ½ cup for coating. But make sure each piece is well coated before you fry them.
- Choosing Oil: Use any oil like sesame oil, canola oil, sunflower oil etc. I have used sesame oil as it it has nice aroma and flavor. And, it goes perfect with this recipe.
- Storage: It goes well in fridge for up to 5 days. Add little water to adjust the sauce consistency before reheating the dish.
- Ingredients & Equipment: Find these Ingredients & Equipment at specialty food stores or online stores. For review of some stores, please refer to the Grocery Review Section on our Website.
Nutrition Information (Note: Approximate)
FAQs – General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
What is General Tso’s Chicken?
General Tso’s Chicken is a popular Chinese-American dish that is made with deep-fried chicken pieces coated in a sweet and savory sauce. It is named after General Tso Tsung-tang, a military leader in the Qing dynasty, although there is no historical evidence that he ever ate or created this dish. It is a staple in Chinese-American cuisine and has become a well-loved dish in many households.
What are the key ingredients of General Tso’s Chicken?
The main ingredients in General Tso’s Chicken include chicken breast, cornstarch, vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and dried chili peppers. Some variations may also include sesame oil and sesame seeds for added flavor and texture.
How is General Tso’s Chicken traditionally served?
General Tso’s Chicken is typically served over steamed white rice and garnished with sliced green onions. Some people may also serve it with stir-fried vegetables or steamed bok choy on the side.
Is General Tso’s Chicken spicy?
The level of spiciness in General Tso’s Chicken can vary depending on the recipe. Some versions use dried chili peppers to give the dish a spicy kick, while others use milder ingredients to make it more accessible to a wider range of tastes. You can adjust the spiciness to your liking by adjusting the amount of chili peppers used in the recipe.
Can General Tso’s Chicken be made healthier?
Yes, there are healthier alternatives to the traditional General Tso’s Chicken recipe. You can opt for baked or grilled chicken instead of deep-fried chicken to reduce the amount of oil and calories in the dish. Additionally, you can use lower-sodium soy sauce and natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup instead of sugar to make it healthier.
What are some variations of General Tso’s Chicken?
Some popular variations of General Tso’s Chicken include using shrimp or tofu instead of chicken, and using different sauces and seasonings to change the flavor profile. Another variation is to use a lighter batter for coating the chicken, or to use a thicker sauce for a heartier dish.
Can General Tso’s Chicken be made vegetarian?
Yes, General Tso’s Chicken can be made vegetarian by using tofu as the main ingredient instead of chicken. The rest of the ingredients and cooking method can be the same as the traditional recipe.
————————-
Foodcazt (www.foodcazt.com) is a Food Magazine. We help you discover food. Benefit from our Recipes, Reviews, Food Guides & Articles. We uncover trends, especially for Indian and Asian Cuisines. Please follow us to learn more. Uncover recipes. Learn about trends. Unearth unique restaurants. Find what moves you. Discover what inspires others. We accompany you through your cooking process, using step by step instructions, and where needed, pictures and videos. Read more on www.foodcazt.com
If you have made the recipe and liked it then do share the recipe link on our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram pages. Please use the #Foodcazt when you do so.
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
