General Tso’s Chicken
An American Chinese dish that grew in international popularity with a balance of sweet and spicy. But its true origins are in dispute.
Originally, this was an adaptation of the well known American Chinese dish made with no sugar and lowered carbs. In the end, however, I found that it was best to just go with a more traditional approach to this recipe and spent extra time on the treadmill the next day.
General Tso was a real person, but he was not affiliated with this dish in any way whatsoever and would not likely have eaten anything like it when he lived in the early 19th Century. Tso Tsung-T’ang was a military leader in the Hunan province and it really isn't known why this dish is named after him, except as a menu marketing ploy.
In fact, the origins of this dish are in some dispute. What is known is that it is strictly an American Chinese dish and it originated in New York City in the 1970s. Two Chinese-American Chefs specializing in Hunan cuisine claim to have created the dish. One, at the restaurant, Uncle Peng's Hunan Yuan on 44th Street and the other, Shun Lee Palace with two locations on 55th and 65th Streets.
What is also known is that the first chef claiming to have created General Tso's Chicken also opened a restaurant in Hunan, China some 20 years after his New York City venture and the dish did not go over well with the locals. They found it much too sweet, reinforcing the notion that the dish was likely an adaptation of an earlier Hunan chicken recipe, recreated strictly for the American palate, and then given a catchy name. The dish's popularity became far and wide, but the recipe is inconsistent and often altered to local tastes. In the UK, the dish is decidedly more spicy than sweet and in Taiwan, it is not sweet at all, the chicken is cooked with its skin and the sauce is more soy sauce based.
No matter, this is perhaps my favorite Chinese dish and I almost always order it when having Chinese food for dinner. So, I wanted to learn how to make a home-style version of it. It requires a two-step cooking process best done in a wok.
General Tso's Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce (like, Kikkoman)
- 3 tbsp dry sherry wine
- 3 tbsp Hoisin sauce (like, Lee Kum Kee)
- 2 tbsp ground chili paste (like, Sambal Oelek or Lee Kum Kee)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh grated or jarred ginger (do not use powdered)
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 2-3 cups peanut oil
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 3/4 cup chicken broth (like, Swanson's)
- 2 tbsp fresh grated or jarred ginger (do not use powdered)
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2-3 green onions, finely sliced
- 2-3 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix the soy sauce, sherry wine, Hoisin sauce, chili paste and sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, ginger and garlic and blend well.
- In a separate bowl, add the chicken and half the marinade. Mix well and allow the chicken to marinate refrigerated for 1 hour.
- Remove the chicken from the fridge. Place the 1 cup of corn starch in a bowl. Take a few pieces of chicken at a time, shake off any excess marinade and then roll them in the corn starch. Shake any excess corn starch from the chicken pieces and allow to rest on a plate.
- Add any remaining marinade back to the half you did not use. Add the brown sugar, teaspoon of corn starch and the chicken stock and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- Heat the wok until you see wisp of smoke, then add the peanut oil. When the oil is shimmering, carefully put the chicken into the oil 4-5 pieces at a time so they do not stick together. Cook the chicken until the pieces are slightly crisp and turn a light golden brown color, 3-4 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken pieces to a paper towel and allow to drain.
- Pour off all but three tablespoons of the peanut oil from the wok and return it to the heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of ginger, the 2 tsp of garlic and the red pepper flakes, then quickly add the sauce back to the wok and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until it thickens to coat the back of the chaun.
- Add the chicken back to the sauce and toss quickly to coat. Do this quickly so the chicken stays crispy.
- Toss in the green onion at the end. Turn out the dish into a serving bowl and garnish with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.
Notes
- Like any good wok chef, prepare all your ingredients ahead of time so they are at the ready and within arms reach before you begin, known in French cooking terminology as Mis en Place.
