Anyone can make great General Tso’s Chicken at home (in fact, once you taste your homemade General Tso’s Chicken, you may decide that you prefer it to the version made at your local Chinese restaurant). Here is an easy recipe for General Tso’s Chicken, along with some tips for making this treat at home!
Main Ingredients for General Tso’s Chicken:
– 2 whole skinless chicken breasts
– 1-2 cups vegetable oil (I typically don’t measure – I just line the bottom of the pan)
– 6-8 dried chili peppers (cut in half)
Ingredients for General Tso’s Chicken Marinade:
– 2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry (any cooking wine should work fine)
– 2 beaten eggs
– 6 tablespoons cornstarch
Ingredients for General Tso’s Chicken Seasoning Sauce:
– 2/3 cup chicken broth (I’ve substituted water and the sauce still tastes great)
– 4 tablespoons soy sauce
– 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons rice vinegar (red wine vinegar works fine too)
– 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
– 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
– 2 teaspoons minced garlic (add more if you like garlic!)
– 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Mix all ingredients for the General Tso’s Chicken Seasoning Sauce. Cook the sauce over medium heat, stirring until sauce thickens. Remove the sauce from heat once it is thickened.
Mix the ingredients for the General Tso’s Chicken Marinade. Cut chicken into small pieces and add into marinade.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or frying pan. Fry chicken a few pieces at a time until it is golden brown. After all pieces are cooked, fry them once more, this time frying them all at the same time. Drain the chicken on paper towels.
Coat the wok or frying pan with two tablespoons of oil and fry chili peppers until they turn dark. Add General Tso’s Chicken Marinade to the pan and stir well, combining chili peppers and sauce. Add chicken into the sauce and cook for one minute, coating chicken thoroughly with sauce.
Serve your General Tso’s Chicken with rice to complete your meal.
Additional tips for making General Tso’s Chicken:
– Use additional chili peppers if you’d like the General Tso’s Chicken to be extra-spicy (or use less chili peppers if you’d like the meal to be less spicy)
– Ginger can be omitted from the marinade if you don’t have it in
– You can add hot sauce to the marinade if you’re looking for a spicier General Tso’s Chicken Seasoning Sauce
Reference:
- Chinese Cooking Tip
