General Tso’s Chicken

General Tso’s Chicken is that perfect combination of sweet, savory, spicy and tangy with crispy Chinese chicken bites. It’s a Chinese takeout favorite that just pushes all the right buttons!

I love a good Chinese-American dish, and Peking-Style Chicken is popular in suburban Chinese restaurants here in Australia. It usually appears under various other guises, such as House Special Crispy Chicken. I can never resist a House Special!

General Tso's Chicken

Serves: 1 Prep Time: 20 Cooking Time: 15 15

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 spoon of soy sauce
• 1/4 cup of rice vinegar or white vinegar
• Two tablespoons of cornstarch or arrowroot powder (optional)
• Two teaspoons of sesame oil
• Two teaspoons of dark sesame oil (optional)
• One teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup of orange juice (or pineapple juice)

Instructions

1. Mix the chicken, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and cornstarch in a large bowl.
2. In another bowl, combine the sesame oils and garlic.
3. Add to the chicken mixture and toss gently until evenly coated.
4. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the marinated chicken pieces.
6. Stir-fry for 10 minutes or until cooked through.
7. Add orange juice to thin if desired (add more if needed).
8. Serve over rice or noodles with scallions and additional sesame seeds if desired.

Notes

Best chicken

We have not experienced a fryer, so I overcook boneless skinless thighs. If you want to use chicken breast or tenderloins, see recipe notes for how to tenderize it before cooking using a touch of baking soda/bi-carb. This technique offers insurance against dry, overcooked breast notorious in recipes like this.

How to make the marinade of General Tso’s Chicken

1. Chilli
2. Soy sauce
3. Rice vinegar
4. Brown Sugar
5. Hoisin sauce
6. Sesame oil
7. Chicken stock
8. Cornflour / cornstarch

Soy sauce, chicken stock, sugar, vinegar, and toasted sesame oil are the essential ingredients in this delicious and easy-to-make Chinese-style stir-fry sauce.

There are many different ways to make a stir-fry sauce, and every family or restaurant has their own secret recipe. But the basic ingredients are usually soy sauce, chicken stock, sugar, vinegar, and toasted sesame oil. I prefer a sauce with a little sweetness, so I add a quarter cup of sugar to this recipe. But you can adjust the amount of sugar to your taste. If you like a more savory sauce, you can reduce the sugar or even omit it altogether. To make this sauce, combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Then, add it to your stir-fry and enjoy!