This General Tso's chicken recipe is simply the best you will ever have. Don't be fooled by other imposters — this recipe features crispy, twice-fried chicken in a deliciously sweet and sticky glaze. This mouthwatering dish delivers a combination of Asian flavors that will knock your chopsticks off! Serve with steamed broccoli and white rice and garnish with sliced green onions.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil for frying: 4 cups
- egg: 1 piece
- skinless, boneless chicken thighs: 1.5 pound (cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces)
- salt: 1 tsp
- white sugar: 1 tsp
- white pepper: 1 pinch
- cornstarch: 1 cup
- vegetable oil: 2 Tbsp
- green onion: 3 Tbsp (chopped)
- garlic: 1 clove (minced)
- whole red chilies: 6 piece (dried)
- orange zest: 1 strip
- white sugar: 0.5 cup
- soy sauce: 0.25 cup
- chicken broth: 3 Tbsp
- peanut oil: 2 Tbsp
- rice vinegar: 1 Tbsp
- sesame oil: 2 tsp
- ground ginger: 0.25 tsp
- cornstarch: 2 tsp
- water: 0.25 cup
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Prepare sauce: Heat vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
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Whisk egg in large mixing bowl. Add chicken, salt, sugar, and pepper; mix well. Mix in cornstarch, a little bit at a time, until chicken is well coated.
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Working in batches, carefully drop one piece of chicken at a time into the hot oil. Fry until chicken turns golden brown and begins to float, about 3 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and allow to cool as you fry the next batch.
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Once all of the chicken has been fried, refry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Fry each batch until chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
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Prepare sauce: Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in green onion, garlic, whole chiles, and orange zest. Cook and stir until garlic turns golden and chiles brighten, 1 to 2 minutes. Add sugar, soy sauce, chicken broth, peanut oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
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Whisk 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in water until dissolved. Stir into the boiling sauce. Return to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch, about 1 minute.
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Stir chicken into the boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook until chicken is heated through and has absorbed some of the sauce, about 3 minutes.
