General Tso's Chicken

Earlier this week, Jeff emailed me a recipe for homemade General Tso's chicken, and I responded immediately with, "WANT. YES."

If you've never had General Tso's chicken, which Jeff pronounces "Cho's" and I keep my mouth shut, it's breaded, deep-fried pieces of chicken dunked in a bright red, highly craveable, sweet/spicy/sticky sauce. The first time you taste it, the sauce bypasses your stomach and heads directly into your brain, where it creates a file folder marked I MUST HAVE GENERAL TSO'S AT ALL TIMES. What, you don't picture your brain as a messy office with a bunch of filing cabinets like I do?

Anyway, the moment you taste this particular brand of breaded, sauced chicken, you become a slave to the General...whose last name is pronounced tSO (like so but with a little bit of a T sound at the beginning; I'm kind of sure about this).

 

No vegetables will get in the way of your enjoyment of this, the most American Chinese food of all.

Jeff found the recipe on The Bitten Word, whose authors decided to do a head-to-head taste comparison between their local Chinese restaurant's version and their own. While the restaurant's version was faster and altogether more Tso-ish, The Bitten Word's version was more complex, less expensive and, well, a little classier. After making their version, Jeff and I agree with this assessment. It's not going to replace that MUST HAVE TSO'S folder in my brain, but I'm not going to hate myself and have to lie down for a while after eating it either.

We made it five hours ago and I'm still thinking about the leftovers, which I know are becoming wonderfully gummy in the refrigerator..

GAH. I've got it. Here's what this recipe has done: it's put a Post-it note on the General Tso's folder, and that note says, "Um, you can make this right now with stuff you probably have on hand."

My notes are in italics.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 large egg white
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth <-- we used some homemade turkey stock
• 1 teaspoon Chinese chile-garlic sauce <-- didn't have; used a combination of 1/2 teaspoon of sriracha sauce, a small clove of garlic, and a 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
• 3 tablespoons sugar <-- I'm going to lobby for an extra T of it next time for a sweeter sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus (lots) more for frying
• 2 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, combine the toasted sesame oil with the egg white, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch. Add the chicken, stirring to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the chicken broth with the chile-garlic sauce, sugar and the remaining 1/4 cup of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.

In a large saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the ginger and garlic and cook over high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir the broth mixture, add it to the pan and cook until thickened and glossy, about 3 minutes. Keep the sauce warm over low heat.

In a large, deep skillet, heat 1/2 inch of oil until shimmering. Carefully add the chicken, one piece at a time, and fry over high heat, turning once or twice, until very browned and crisp, about 4 minutes. Do not fry one piece at a time from start to finish, as this instruction might imply. They all fry together.

Drain the chicken on paper towels and immediately add to the sauce along with the scallions. Cook just until coated, about 30 seconds. Serve right away.

It's every bit as good as it looks, people!

Comments

[K Maxson]

Looks tasty! But this Ameribastardized faux-Hunan General is not the end-all of one of the most fabulous cuisines on the planet. Will no one think of the Xiang River fermented bean sauces!

[Kelly]

I totally realize that this is the McDonald's of Chinese food, Kevin! It's just that sometimes you find yourself wanting a McChicken. :D

[Joy Corcoran]

If you haven't read it already, check out Jennifer Lee's book The Search for General Tso. It's a lively history not only of General Tso but all foods Chinese American. You'd never guess the rich history of the fortune cookie. Thanks for the great recipe!

[Jeff Carroll]

Joy, I just finished Lee's "The Fortune Cookie Chronicles." Excellent read!

[Mel]

Making this Wednesday! soooo excited. Thanks for this recipe! Been on a chinese kick at home lately -becoming sort of amazing at it :)