Jake Harper
General Tso's Chicken is a Chinese-American dish of fried chicken pieces that are breaded and tossed in a tangy, sweet, savoury, and spicy sauce. The dish is typically served with steamed rice and broccoli. The sauce is made with garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and chiles. The chicken is coated in cornflour or cornstarch and fried, resulting in a crispy texture. The dish is named after a well-respected Chinese military leader, General Tso, and is said to originate from the Hunan province of China.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Origin | Hunan province of China |
| Named after | 19th-century military leader Tso Tsung-t'ang |
| Dish | Chinese-American |
| Chicken | Fried, breaded, crispy, twice-fried, coated in cornflour/cornstarch, coated in flour + cornstarch + baking powder |
| Sauce | Sweet, sticky, spicy, tangy, garlic, chilli, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar |
| Served with | Steamed broccoli, white rice, pear and pomegranate salad, ginger-lemon carrots, greens |
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Chicken preparation
General Tso's chicken is a Chinese-American dish that features deep-fried chicken tossed in a sticky glaze made with garlic, sugar, soy sauce, and chiles. The dish is named after a 19th-century Chinese military leader, General Tso. The chicken is breaded and fried, then coated in a sauce that has been thickened with cornstarch.
To prepare the chicken, cut it into 1-inch cubes. You can use chicken thighs or chicken breast, but the key is to have bite-sized pieces. Some recipes suggest coating the chicken in a dry batter consisting of flour, cornstarch, and baking powder. The cornstarch makes the flour coating crispier and gives it a golden brown colour. The baking powder reacts with the oil to create tiny air bubbles, which also helps form a crispy coating. You can also create craggily bits in the dry batter for extra crispiness.
Next, toss the chicken with cornstarch or cornflour, tapping off the excess. You can also use a combination of flour and cornstarch for the coating. The chicken is then fried in oil until golden brown. For extra crispy chicken, you can double fry the chicken by frying it a second time at 350F for 1-2 minutes. Drain the chicken on a towel-lined plate and set aside.
The sauce for General Tso's chicken is a key component, giving it its signature sweet, savoury, spicy, and tangy flavour. The sauce typically includes soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, and chilli. Some recipes also include rice vinegar, chicken stock, and orange zest or marmalade. To make the sauce, sauté garlic and ginger in oil for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then, add the premixed sauce and stir until bubbling. Add the vinegar at the end to preserve its potency. Finally, add a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.
Once the sauce is ready, toss the fried chicken in the sauce until it is evenly coated. Serve the chicken immediately to ensure it stays crispy. General Tso's chicken is typically served with steamed rice and broccoli, but it can also be paired with a fresh salad or stir-fried vegetables.
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Sauce ingredients
General Tso's Chicken is a Chinese-American dish that features deep-fried chicken tossed in a sticky, sweet, savoury, spicy, and tangy sauce. The sauce is loaded with flavour and is what makes the dish unique.
The sauce is made with garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes. It is recommended to use fresh ginger and garlic, instead of powdered alternatives, to achieve the best results. The pepper flakes can be adjusted according to spice preference.
The other ingredients in the sauce include soy sauce, rice vinegar, and chillies. It is important to note that only light or all-purpose soy sauce should be used, as dark soy sauce has a strong flavour and will make the sauce too dark. For the chillies, you can use fresh red chilli peppers or crushed red chilli pepper flakes. Alternatively, you can use Sambal Oelak, a type of chilli paste commonly found in Australia.
Some recipes also include chicken stock, sugar, and orange zest in the sauce. To make the sauce thicker, cornstarch can be added. Additionally, coconut aminos can be used as a substitute for soy sauce.
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Stir-frying
General Tso's Chicken is a Chinese-American dish that features fried chicken pieces that are breaded and tossed in a tangy, sweet, savoury, and spicy sauce. The sauce is made with garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and chilis. The dish is typically served with steamed broccoli and a side of rice.
To make General Tso's Chicken, start by cutting the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Next, toss the chicken in cornstarch, coating it evenly, and set it aside. In a separate dish, combine all the ingredients for your sauce (garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, sugar, soy sauce, chicken broth, peanut oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and chilli paste) and whisk to combine.
Now, it's time to stir-fry! Here's a step-by-step guide:
- Preheat a non-stick skillet or wok with oil. You can use vegetable oil or peanut oil, depending on your preference.
- Fry the chicken in small batches. Add the chicken pieces to the hot oil one at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Fry the chicken until it is golden brown on all sides and cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and set it aside. Repeat this process with the remaining chicken, adding more oil as needed.
- Leave at least 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan. Add the garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes. You can also add dried chillies at this stage, cooking them for about 5 seconds before adding the other ingredients. Sauté for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the sauce to the skillet. Bring it to a simmer while stirring. Let the sauce simmer for about 1 minute to cook off some of the vinegar.
- Return the chicken to the pan. Toss the chicken in the sauce, making sure to evenly coat each piece. Continue cooking until the chicken is heated through and has absorbed some of the sauce.
- Serve immediately. General Tso's Chicken is best enjoyed fresh, as the sauce can make the crispy chicken pieces soggy if it sits too long.
Some tips for stir-frying General Tso's Chicken:
- Use a non-stick pan to prevent the delicate coating on the chicken from sticking or breaking.
- Fry the chicken in small batches to ensure even cooking and to maintain the oil temperature.
- Be careful when adding the chicken to the hot oil, and place the pieces slowly and separately to avoid splashing.
- Adjust the spice level to your preference by adding more or less red pepper flakes.
- For extra crispiness, you can double-fry the chicken or use a batter method, such as the one used for Honey Chicken.
- Prepare all your ingredients ahead of time, as this recipe moves quickly.
- Always use fresh ginger and garlic for the best flavour.
Enjoy your homemade General Tso's Chicken!
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Serving suggestions
General Tso's Chicken is a Chinese-American dish that is often served with steamed broccoli and a bed of rice, typically white rice. It is also sometimes served with a side of greens, such as a ginger smashed cucumber salad or steamed greens with an Asian sesame dressing. For a larger banquet, you could also add extra dishes, such as a veggie egg roll.
If you're looking for something a little different, General Tso's Chicken can also be served with a pear and pomegranate salad or fragrant ginger-lemon carrots.
When it comes to the rice, you can serve it with your rice of choice. However, it's worth noting that the sauce for General Tso's Chicken can be quite sticky, so you may want to consider using a type of rice that is less sticky, such as long-grain rice, to balance the textures.
Finally, while not strictly a serving suggestion, it's worth noting that this dish is best served hot and fresh, as the chicken will stay crispier the faster it is served.
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History
General Tso's chicken is a sweet and spicy deep-fried chicken dish. It is named after Zuo Zongtang (Tso Tsung-t'ang), a Qing dynasty statesman and military leader from Hunan Province, who lived from 1812 to 1885. However, Chef Eileen Yin-Fei Lo speculated that the name "Zongtang" was not a reference to Zuo Zongtang, but rather the homophone "zongtang", meaning "the hall of the ancestors".
The dish was created by Peng Chang-kuei, a chef from Hunan who later worked in Chongqing and Taipei. In 1973, he opened the restaurant "Uncle Peng's Hunan Yuan" on East 44th Street in New York City, where he introduced General Tso's chicken to the menu. Peng claimed that his restaurant was the first in New York City to serve the dish, and he made it the house specialty. A review of Uncle Peng in 1977 mentioned that their "General Tso's chicken was a stir-fried masterpiece, sizzling hot both in flavor and temperature".
There are two stories explaining how Peng created the dish. The first story, given by Peng himself in 2008, recalls that in 1952 he was invited by the Republic of China Navy to be in charge of a three-day state banquet during Admiral Arthur W. Radford's visit to Taiwan. Peng claimed that General Tso's chicken was served on the third day of the banquet. However, U.S. diplomatic records show that Radford's visit took place from June 2-6, 1953. The second story, proposed by Taiwanese food writer Zhu Zhenfan in 2009, suggests that Peng improvised the dish for Chiang Ching-kuo, the son of President Chiang Kai-shek, when he paid a late visit to Peng's restaurant, and the chef had run out of ingredients.
When Peng introduced General Tso's chicken to his restaurant in Hunan in the 1990s, the locals found the dish too sweet, and the restaurant quickly closed. The dish as it is known in America differs from Peng's original recipe, which was not sweet or deep-fried, and sometimes included chicken skin and bones. The modern American version is said to be more similar to a version cooked by New York City chef Tsung Ting Wang, who helped popularize spicy Sichuan cuisine in the United States. Wang discovered Peng's dish while travelling in Taiwan and added a crispier batter and sweetness to the sauce.
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Frequently asked questions
General Tso's Chicken is a Chinese-American dish of fried chicken pieces that are breaded and tossed in a tangy, sweet, savoury and spicy sauce.
The chicken is coated in cornflour or cornstarch and fried. The sauce typically includes garlic, ginger, chilli, soy sauce and rice vinegar.
General Tso's Chicken is known for its sweet, savoury, spicy and tangy flavour profile. The dish is also characterised by its crispy texture.
To achieve crispiness, the chicken is typically fried twice. Some recipes also call for a batter consisting of flour, cornstarch and baking powder, which helps create a crispy coating.
General Tso's Chicken is commonly served with steamed broccoli and white rice. It can also be accompanied by salad or other vegetables, such as steamed greens.
