General Tso's Chicken
Everyone’s tried General Tso’s Chicken—deep-fried chicken pieces in a sweet, subtly spicy sauce with crunchy broccoli. We’ve perfected our recipe after many years in Chinese restaurant kitchens.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 25 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs ((450g, cut into 1-inch pieces))
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/3 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 3 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- 3 cups broccoli florets ((about 8 ounces/225g))
- 4 cups peanut oil ((for frying, plus 1 tablespoon; can substitute canola or vegetable oil))
- 5-6 dried red chili peppers
- 2 cloves garlic ((minced))
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch ((mixed into a slurry with 2 tablespoons water))
Instructions
- 1
Marinate the chicken pieces in a bowl with the Shaoxing wine, water, salt, white pepper, and sesame oil. Mix until the chicken absorbs all the liquid. Next, add the toasted sesame seeds, all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Stir to coat, and set aside.
- 2
Make the sauce mixture by combining the low-sodium chicken stock, dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, brown sugar and rice wine vinegar in a bowl or measuring cup. Set aside.
- 3
In a wok or pot, boil 6 cups water, and blanch the broccoli for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on whether you like your broccoli soft or crunchy. Drain in a colander and set aside. To keep it super green, you can also transfer them to an ice bath, and then drain and set aside.
- 4
Heat the frying oil in a small but deep pot to 335 degrees F/170 degrees C. Carefully drop the chicken pieces into the oil in small batches. Make sure the batter/sesame seeds have really coated all sides of the chicken before frying. The chicken should float at the top of the oil. Fry until light golden brown (about 5 minutes) and transfer to a wire rack or plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- 5
Be sure to manage the oil temperature using a thermometer, as it will drop every time you add raw chicken. Continue frying in batches. Once all of the chicken has been fried once, fry the chicken a second time for 3 to 5 minutes until super crispy. Be careful not to burn it!
- 6
Heat a clean wok over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil along with the dried chilies. Cook the chili peppers for about 5 seconds. Add the minced garlic and Shaoxing wine.
- 7
Next, add the General Tso’s Chicken sauce you prepared earlier. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and stir in the cornstarch slurry until it thickens to a glossy sauce. Add the chicken and broccoli, and toss until everything is coated in the sauce. Plate and serve immediately with steamed rice!