General Tso’s Chicken

I have written at some length before about my obsession with making my favourite take-out dishes at home. At first this was prompted by a lack of decent Chinese food that delivers to my house. It has become something of an obsession. General Tso’s Chicken, when done right is one of my favourite dishes. It balances spice with sweet and has crispy, tender chicken. But it is also so easy to get wrong. It is often cloyingly sweet with little to no spice and the chicken can get soggy easily in a takeout container. Which makes this dish the perfect one to master at home!

General Tso’s chicken is slightly more complicated than your typical stir-fry, because the chicken is fried before it is added to the wok. Make sure not to crowd the chicken in your frying oil. If you are doubling the recipe or using a smaller pot, fry the chicken in batches and keep it warm in a single layer in the oven, to ensure it stays crisp.

This recipe uses a few special ingredients that are not available in typical grocery stores. They can be ordered online or purchased at an Asian grocery store. If you do not have shaoxing wine you can substitute cooking sherry. If you do not have a wok, you can use a large skillet.

I like to add a tsp of szechuan peppercorns. They bring an unusual type of heat to dishes- more of a tingling sensation than pure spice. If you do not have any, or want to keep the dish mild, feel free to omit them. Similarly, the more dried chilies you use and the longer they stay in the oil, the hotter your eventual dish will be. Feel free to play with it to get your desired heat level.

General Tso’s Chicken

Adapted Slightly, J. Kenji-Lopez, Serious Eats

Marinade
1 egg white
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine (see note)
2 Tbsp vodka
1/4 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp corn starch
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-3/4- inch chunks

Dry Coating
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Sauce
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp Shaoxing wine (see note)
2 Tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
3 Tbsp chicken broth
4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp roasted sesame seed oil
1 Tbsp corn starch
2 tsp frying oil (peanut, vegetable or canola)
2 tsp minced garlic (about 2 medium cloves)
2 tsp minced fresh ginger (about 1 inch piece)
2 tbsp minced scallion bottoms (about 1 scallion), plus 6-8 scallions, white parts only, cut into 1-inh lengths
8 small dried red Chinese or Arbol chilies
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns (optional)

To Finish
1 1/2 quarts frying oi (peanut, vegetable or canola)
Steamed or fried rice for serving

For the Marinade: Beat the egg whites in a large bowl until broken down and lightly foamy. Add the soy sauce, wine, and vodka and whisk to combine. Set aside half of the marinade in a small bowl. Add the baking soda and corn starch to the large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the chicken to the large bowl and turn with your fingers to coat the chicken thoroughly. Cover and set aside.

For the Dry Coat: Combine flour, corn starch, baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl. Whisk until homogeneous. Add reserve marinade and whisk until the mixture has course mealy clumps. Set aside.

For the Sauce: Combine the soy sauce, wine, vinegar, chicken stock, sugar, sesame seed oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl and stir with a fork until the cornstarch is dissolved and no lumps remain. Set aside.

Heat 1 1/2 quarts of frying oil in a Dutch oven or large sturdy pot, to 350F and adjust the flame to maintain temperature.

Working one piece at a time, transfer the chicken from the marinade to the dry coat mixture, tossing in between each addition to coat the chicken. When all the chicken is added to the dry coat, toss with hands, pressing the dry mixture onto the chicken so it adheres, and making sure that each piece is coated thoroughly.

Lift the chicken out, shake off excess coating, and carefully lower it into the hot oil. Cook, agitating it with a metal spider (or long slotted metal soon), and continue to fry until the chicken is cooked through and very crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a paper-towel-lined bowl to drain.

Heat up a wok over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add 2 tsp of the oil until it begins to shimmer. Add the garlic, ginger, minced scallions, red chilies, and peppercorns (if using) and stir fry, stirring constantly, until aromatic but not browned, a few minutes. Stir the sauce mixture and add it to the wok, making sure to scrape out any sugar or starch that has sunk to the bottom. Cook, stirring until the sauce boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Add the scallion segments and the chicken pieces, folding it until all the pieces are thoroughly coated. Serve immediately with rice.