Lunar New Year feast: General Tso's Chicken
The Lunar New Year is coming, and today I would like to share with you an authentic Chinese dish - General Tso's Chicken. It is simple to prepare, spicy, sour and sweet, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. You will fall in love with it after one bite.
About General Tso's Chicken
General Tso's Chicken is a distinctive American Chinese dish. It is made with fresh chicken, peppers, vinegar, tomatoes and other ingredients. It has a rich taste of sour, sweet, spicy, salty and so on. A delicacy loved by many.
It is said that General Tso's Chicken was born in 1952. At that time, General Radford, commander of the US Pacific Fleet, visited Taiwan, and Chef Peng Changgui, who was in charge of the reception, needed to prepare a banquet that combined Chinese and Western flavors.
Chef Peng suddenly had an idea and cut the chicken into small pieces, fried it until golden and crispy, and then mixed soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, chili and other seasonings to make a sauce and stir-fried it with the chicken. The cooked chicken was sweet and sour and slightly spicy, which was very appetizing. Redford praised it after tasting it and asked the name of the dish. In order to pay tribute to Zuo Zongtang, Chef Peng named it "General Tso's Chicken".
Ingredients & Substitutes
Main Ingredients:
Chicken Thighs: The core ingredient of this dish, chicken thighs are tender and juicy. After processing, they are used for frying and stir-frying, providing rich protein and a savory flavor.
Egg Whites: Used to marinate the chicken, egg whites help form a protective coating on the chicken’s surface, locking in moisture and keeping the chicken tender after frying.
Green and Red Peppers: These add color to the dish, making it visually appealing.
Garlic and Green Onions: Used for stir-frying to add fragrance to the dish.
Seasonings:
Shaoxing Wine (Chinese Cooking Wine): Used to marinate the chicken and flavor the sauce, it helps remove any gamey smell and adds depth of flavor.
Soy Sauce (Light Soy Sauce): Used for marinating the chicken to enhance its savory taste, and to add a boost of umami to the sauce.
Dark Soy Sauce: Primarily used for coloring the dish, giving it a rich, deep hue.
Rice Vinegar: Adds acidity to the sauce, balancing the sweet and savory flavors.
Ketchup: One of the key ingredients contributing to the dish’s sweet and sour flavor, and also adds color and richness to the sauce.
Cornstarch: Used to marinate the chicken, helping it form a crispy coating during frying. It also thickens the sauce, allowing it to cling to the chicken better.
White Vinegar: Used to adjust the acidity of the sauce, balancing the flavors.
Salt: For seasoning the chicken to control the dish’s saltiness.
Oil: For frying the chicken and stir-frying the dish.
Substitutes:
Chicken Thighs:
Chicken Breasts: If you prefer less fat, chicken breasts are a common substitute. They can be a bit drier, but marinating them longer or adding a bit of oil to the marinade can keep the meat tender.
Chicken Wings: Chicken wings are higher in fat and produce a crispier, juicier result when fried. However, they are irregular in shape, so they will need to be cut into smaller pieces for easier cooking.
Green and Red Peppers:
Bell Peppers (Sweet Peppers): If you prefer less heat, sweet bell peppers are a great substitute. They provide rich color without the spiciness of the green and red peppers.
Onions: Onions have a distinct sweet flavor and fragrance. When chopped into small pieces, they can also add depth to the dish’s flavor profile.
Shaoxing Wine:
Rice Wine or White Wine: If you don’t have Shaoxing wine, rice wine or dry white wine can be used, but be sure to reduce the quantity to avoid an overpowering alcohol taste.
Rice Vinegar:
Black Vinegar or Aromatic Vinegar: Black vinegar has a stronger acidity, so you might want to use less if substituting. Aromatic vinegar can add a unique flavor twist while maintaining the sour balance.
INGREDIENTS
Main Ingredients
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·4 chicken thighs
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·1 egg white
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·Green and red peppers, to taste
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·Minced garlic, to taste
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·Minced green onions, to taste
Seasonings
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·2 tablespoons cooking wine (1 tablespoon for the sauce, 1 tablespoon for marinating)
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·1 tablespoon light soy sauce
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·1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
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·1 tablespoon rice vinegar
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·2 tablespoons ketchup
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·2 tablespoons cornstarch (1 tablespoon for the sauce, 1 tablespoon for marinating)
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·White vinegar, to taste
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·Salt, to taste
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·Oil, for frying
COOKING STEP
Step 1
Cut the green and red peppers into small cubes.
Step 2
Debone the chicken thighs and cut them into small cubes.
Step 3
Marinate the chicken:
Place the chicken in a bowl, add 1 egg white, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, a pinch of salt, and mix well.
Let it marinate for 20 minutes.
Step 4
Prepare the sauce:
In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons ketchup, a bit of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, and a small half bowl of water.
Mix well and set aside.
Step 5
Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch to the marinated chicken and mix evenly.
Step 6
Heat oil in a wok to around 170°C (340°F):
- You can test the temperature by inserting a chopstick into the oil. If bubbles form around the chopstick, the oil is ready.
- Add the chicken to the oil, turning occasionally to ensure even frying. Once the chicken turns golden brown, remove it and drain the excess oil.
Step 7
Leave some oil in the wok, add minced garlic and green onions, and stir-fry until fragrant.
- Add the fried chicken.
- Add the green and red peppers and stir-fry.
- Once the peppers are about 80% cooked, pour in the sauce and stir-fry until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken evenly.
Step 8
The fragrant General Tso's Chicken is now ready to serve.
More delicious recipes to try
Lunar New Year Air Fryer Bone-In Pork Chops
Exquisite Steamed Shrimp with Vermicelli Recipe
Delectable Chopped Pepper Fish Head
Chinese Herbal Chicken Soup Recipe
What to Serve with General Tso’s Chicken ?
Recommended pairing
White rice: White rice and General Tso’s Chicken are a classic combination. The rich General Tso’s Chicken sauce mixed with rice is really delicious. Every grain of rice is covered with the sauce, making it super satisfying in one bite.
Noodles: General Tso’s chicken can also be eaten with noodles, whether it is Chinese ramen, dried noodles, or pasta. The General Tso’s chicken sauce is poured over the noodles, which has both the freshness of the chicken and the sweet and sour taste. Spicy.
Stir-fried seasonal vegetables: Eating too much General Tso’s Chicken may make you feel greasy. You can eat it with stir-fried vegetables to help neutralize the greasiness of General Tso’s Chicken.
Cold salad: A refreshing vegetable salad paired with General Tso’s chicken can bring a fresh taste and enrich the taste of the whole meal.
Vegetable soup: General Tso's chicken paired with tomato and egg soup, spinach and egg drop soup, or winter melon and kelp soup can alleviate the spiciness and greasiness of General Tso's chicken.
Serving Suggestions
Eat in moderation: Although General Tso’s Chicken is delicious, it is not recommended to eat too much. Eating too much may make you feel greasy and increase the burden on your gastrointestinal tract.
Eat while hot: General Tso’s chicken tastes best when it’s fresh out of the pan, piping hot and crispy.
What is the difference between General Tso's Chicken and Szechuan Chicken?
There are many differences between General Tso’s Chicken and Sichuan Chicken, which are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
First of all, in terms of taste, General Tso’s Chicken is sweet, sour and slightly spicy. Its sweet and sour taste is more prominent, and the spiciness is not that strong. It is mainly to add layers of flavor and stimulate appetite.
Sichuan chicken is a typical Sichuan cuisine, with a mainly spicy flavor. It uses a lot of chili peppers and peppercorns, and tastes spicy and numbing. People will exclaim in satisfaction after taking a bite, and will sweat after finishing the whole meal.
Secondly, in terms of ingredients and cooking methods, the most commonly used ingredient in General Tso's Chicken is chicken thighs, while Sichuan chicken has a more diverse selection of ingredients, with chicken breast and chicken thighs often used, and there are also many cooking methods, such as Kung Pao Chicken and Spicy Chicken.
There are also obvious differences in appearance. General Tso's chicken is bright red in color because it contains tomato sauce and other condiments, and the chicken is wrapped in the sauce. Sichuan chicken is like spicy chicken, with bright red dried chilies everywhere, and the chicken is hidden in it, making it not easy to see at a glance. Kung Pao Chicken is a combination of red, green, brown and other colors, and the embellishment of peanuts is also very obvious.
FAQs:
It may be due to marinating the chicken for too long, which can cause the chicken to lose too much moisture.
Alternatively, the frying time might have been too long, causing significant moisture loss from the chicken.
It could also be that the chicken used was from an older bird, making it tougher.
Solution:
Marinate the chicken for about 20 minutes to avoid over-marinating.
When frying, observe the color and texture of the chicken. Once the surface is golden brown, remove the chicken to prevent overcooking.
If using lean cuts like chicken breast, you can add a bit of oil or tenderizer powder to the marinade to help maintain a tender texture.
If the sauce is too thin, it might be because too little starch was used or too much water was added while mixing the sauce.
If the sauce is too thick, it could be due to using too much starch or cooking the sauce for too long.
Solution:
When preparing the sauce, use 1 tablespoon of starch and a small half-bowl of water as per the recipe. If the sauce turns out too thin, add a little more starch-water mixture (starch dissolved in water) while heating the sauce on low flame to thicken it.
If the sauce is too thick, dilute it with a little water. Cook the sauce over low heat, stirring constantly to avoid overcooking and thickening the sauce too much.
It could be because the oil temperature is not high enough, causing the chicken's outer layer to not set quickly, resulting in the chicken absorbing too much oil.
Another possibility is that the starch wasn't evenly coated or there wasn't enough of it, preventing a crispy exterior.
Also, if the frying time was too short, the internal moisture of the chicken wasn't sufficiently evaporated, affecting the crispiness of the outer layer.
Solution:
Before frying the chicken, make sure the oil temperature reaches about 170°C (340°F). You can use a thermometer or insert a chopstick into the oil; when bubbles form around the chopstick, the oil is ready.
Ensure the chicken is evenly coated with starch, using about 1 tablespoon of starch per batch.
Adjust frying time depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Once the surface turns golden brown, extend the frying time by 30-60 seconds to ensure the outer layer becomes crispy.
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