General Tso Chicken

⏱ 40 mins 🍽 4 serving(s) 🏷 Hunan

This adaptation of a classic Hunan dish delivers a spicy and sweet flavour reminiscent of restaurant takeaways. The method involves marinating chicken pieces before deep-frying them until crisp, then tossing them in a savoury sauce with aromatics. It's a straightforward process that yields impressive results for a weeknight meal. The total preparation and cooking time is around 40 minutes, serving four people.

General Tso Chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly roasted sichuan peppercorn
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 large chicken legs with thigh or 2 (3/4 lb) chicken breasts, boned and skinned, fat and membranes removed, and cut into strips
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch, for dusting
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons dark soy sauce or 2 1/2 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 3 teaspoons sugar
  • 3 teaspoons Chinese white rice vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons shao-hsing rice wine
  • 6 small dried hot chili peppers
  • 1/4 cup finely sliced green onion
  • 3 1/2 cups peanut oil or 3 1/2 cups cooking oil, for deep-frying and stir-frying

Method

  1. Grind the Sichuan peppercorn and salt to a fine powder using a pestle and mortar, then coat the chicken strips with this mixture.
  2. Combine the beaten egg with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch in a separate bowl.
  3. Add the coated chicken to this egg mixture, ensuring it is well covered, and allow it to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
  4. Mix the dark soy sauce, minced garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, and rice wine together in a small bowl and set this sauce aside.
  5. Place a wok over high heat.
  6. Pour in the oil and bring it to a temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  7. Working in batches, take each marinated chicken piece, dust it with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and carefully lower it into the hot oil.
  8. Fry the chicken for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until it turns a golden brown and becomes crispy.
  9. Use a Chinese strainer to lift out the cooked chicken and let any excess oil drain away.
  10. Switch off the heat under the wok.
  11. Remove all but 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cooking oil from the wok.
  12. Return the wok to high heat and wait until the oil just begins to smoke.
  13. Toss in the dried chillies and stir them for 15 seconds.
  14. Add the minced garlic and ginger, followed by the sliced green onion, and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
  15. Put the fried chicken back into the wok and stir continuously for 1 minute.
  16. Give the reserved sauce a stir, pour it over the chicken, and mix thoroughly. Cook for about 1 1/2 minutes until the sauce fully coats the chicken.
  17. Turn off the heat and serve the dish immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium963200 mg

Recipe details

CategoryHunan
AuthorGalleyman