According to Google, General Tso's Chicken is an American Chinese dish, especially served in North America.
We both like Chinese and Indo-Chinese dishes, so American Chinese is also right up our alley. If you remember, a while ago, I shared a copycat recipe of Mongolian Beef at the famous American Chinese chain restaurant P F Chang's.
One difference I've noticed between Indo-Chinese and American Chinese dishes is, the Indian ones tend to be spicy and tangy with a hint of sweetness while the American one leans towards the sweet and tangy with a hint of spiciness.
This General Tso Chicken is also kinda sweet and tangy with a subtle spiciness. However, you can always adjust the heat level to suit your preferences.
We had it with Burnt Garlic Fried Rice and it was a welcome change from the usual Indo-Chinese that we have. It's definitely worth trying if you are looking for a different Chinese recipe from the usual one.
Do give it a try and let me know, ok?
Recipe adapted from here
General Tso Chicken
Ingredients
- 450 gms Boneless skinless chicken thighs diced
- 1/4 cup Cornflour
- 2 tsp Jukienned ginger
- 1/2 stalk spring onion finely chopped
- 1/3 cup Vegetable oil
- 1/4 tsp White Sesame seeds (optional for garnish)
- General Tso Sauce:
- 2.5 tbsp Hoisin sauce
- 2 tbsp Regular soy sauce (not light or dark!)
- 2 tbsp Brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Rice vinegar or white vinegar (I used white vinegar)
- 2 tsp Garlic minced
- 2 tsp Sesame oil (I used the chinese kind sesame oil)
- 1-2 tsp Red chilli flakes (refer notes)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Cut each thigh into bite size pieces, about 6-8 pieces per thigh depending on size. Do not pat chicken thighs dry, some moisture is needed for the next step.
- In a bowl, add chicken pieces followed by cornstarch. Mix to coat each piece evenly.
- In a wok or pan, set over medium high heat, add vegetable oil. Allow this to get hot. To test, insert a wooden chopstick into the oil and look for bubbles. If you see bubbles, the oil is hot
- Carefully lower coated chicken into oil and quickly spread apart. Once chicken is spread apart, do not touch or move the pieces around. Allow pieces to sear and form a golden crust, about 5-6 minutes on each side.
- Remove and transfer fried chicken to a plate or cooling rack. Pour out any excess oil from pan.
- In the same wok set over medium high heat, add your ginger followed by pre-mixed sauce. Let it come to a boil to thicken and reduce.
- Then finally toss in your fried chicken and mix until each piece is coated in sauce. Optionally, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
I made this for family dinner and it was so delicious! Got rave reviews from the family! It is going to be my new go-to impressor. Thanks a lot!