I love Chinese food and General Tso’s chicken is definitely one of my favorites. Although it is not a traditional Hunan recipe, this sweet and sticky dish has been added to many modern asian menus all over the globe due to its worldwide popularity.
It is no surprise that everyone loves it! It is one of those dishes that has a little bit of everything. It is sweet, sour, tangy and salty with just a little bit of heat… delicious! Plus, this recipe takes less time than delivery would and can be made with good quality ingredients.
Let’s get started…
To get started, cut 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts into 1 inch cubes and gather 1/2 cup of cornstarch, 2/3 cup of canola or vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons of crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons of crushed ginger, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of red chili flakes, 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup of rice vinegar and 1/3 cup of hoisin sauce.
Note: General Tso’s is traditionally served with rice. If you are planning on making rice, start it first, as it may take longer than the chicken to cook.
Start by combining the cubed chicken with 1/3 cup of cornstarch in a large bowl (set the remaining cornstarch aside for the sauce). Toss until chicken is fully coated in cornstarch.
Add 2/3 cup of oil into a large shallow skillet and place it over medium heat. Once the oil is warm, add the coated chicken into the skillet in a single layer. Allow the chicken to crisp up on all sides, turning it several times during the cooking process.
Be careful not to crowd the chicken, it took me 3 batches to fry up 2 pounds of chicken and this left me with nice, crisp chicken. If you add too much of the chicken in at one time, it will lower the temperature of the cooking oil and will result in soggy chicken.
While the chicken is crisping up, combine 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup of rice vinegar, 1/3 cup of hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons of crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons of crushed ginger, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes and the remaining 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside for now.
Once the chicken is all nice and crispy, transfer it onto a paper towel lined plate and drain most of the oil from the skillet. Leave 1 or 2 tablespoons and any crispy bits left behind from the chicken in the skillet.
Add the sauce and bring to a simmer. As it warms, it will begin to thicken and become really sticky… this is the perfect time to add the crispy chicken into the sauce…
Toss the crispy coated chicken in that beautifully sweet and sticky sauce and let it simmer over medium heat for a few more minutes. This will give the chicken time to reheat and that sauce to get even better…
Add some rice into the base of your favorite bowl and top it with your General Tso’s chicken. Be sure to spoon a little extra sauce over everything and then garnish with some white sesame seeds and thinly sliced spring onions.
Crisping chicken in cornstarch creates a great crunchy texture that I love, but the sauce is the real star of this dish. It is sweet, but not too sweet and the stickiness just grabs a hold of the chicken so you always get the right amount of sauce with each bite. There is great element of sourness and tang from the rice vinegar and hoisin sauce and the red pepper flakes add just the right amount of heat. If you want more spice, add another 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes into the sauce. When it comes to heat, I say the more the merrier, but adding 1 teaspoon to this sauce gives you just a hint of heat, an amount that everyone can enjoy.
Next time you have a craving for General Tso’s chicken, consider whipping up a batch of your own. You will beat delivery time wise, it is definitely cheaper and there is no comparison when it comes to the flavor. You are going to love this…
General Tso's Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cubed
- 1/2 cup of cornstarch
- 2/3 cup of canola or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons of garlic, crushed
- 2 tablespoons of ginger, crushed
- 1/3 cup of brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup of soy sauce
- 1/3 cup of rice wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup of hoisin sauce
- white rice (optional)
- spring onion, thinly sliced (garnish)
- white sesame seeds (garnish)
Instructions
- If you plan to make rice, start the rice first and then proceed with the rest of the recipe
- Combine 2 pounds of cubed chicken with 1/3 cup of cornstarch in a large bowl and toss until all of the chicken is coated.
- Combine 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/3 cup of rice vinegar, 1/3 cup of hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons of crushed garlic, 2 tablespoons of crushed ginger, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes and the remaining 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a small dish and set aside for now.
- Place 2/3 cup of oil into a large shallow skillet and place over medium heat.
- Once the oil is warm, carefully place the coated chicken into the skillet in a single layer being careful to not crowd the skillet.
- Allow the chicken to crisp on all sides and continue the process until all of the chicken has been cooked.
- Transfer the crispy chicken onto a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
- Drain most of the oil from the skillet (leaving a tablespoon or two and any crispy bits left behind in the skillet) and add the sauce.
- Allow the sauce to simmer over medium heat for a few minutes or until it begins to thicken and become sticky.
- Add the crispy coated chicken into the sauce and toss until it is fully coated.
- Place a bit of white rice into a bowl and top with General Tso's chicken.
- Garnish with white sesame seeds and thinly sliced spring onions and enjoy!
