General Tso Chicken

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

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General Tso Chicken

A perfect combination of crispy chicken bites in sweet, spicy and tangy sauce.

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Course: Appetiser, Dinner

Cuisine: American, American Chinese

Keyword: General Tso's Chicken recipe, sweet and spicy chicken recipe, american chinese recipes, american chinese chicken recipes

Author: Maria Jose Martin

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

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  In a bowl, combine sauce ingredients and set aside.
  

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  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.
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  In a bowl, add chicken pieces followed by cornstarch. Mix to coat each piece evenly.
  

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  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
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  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.
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  Remove and transfer fried chicken to a plate or cooling rack. Pour out any excess oil from pan.
  

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  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.
  

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  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!
  

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Notes

I recommend using boneless thighs instead of breast pieces for this recipe.

Also, if you prefer it really spicy, I recommend you add 1-2 tsp of Kashmiri chilli powder along with the sauce ingredients. 

The gravy tends to thicken and coat the chicken pieces as it rests, so if you want a saucier version, adjust the consistency accordingly. 

Tried this recipe? Let others know by…mentioning @mariasmenu or tagging #mariasmenu

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