A quick and easy version of the classic Chinese Takeout General Tso chicken, only better!
General Tso’s chicken is a staple in many Chinese restaurant menus and is easily prepared at home! This dish basically consists of bite-sized pieces of chicken that are coated and fried flat in oil until golden brown and crispy before being set aside. A quick and easy Sauce that is a nice mix of sweet, salty, sour and spicy with a little cornstarch to thicken them up. The main ingredients of the Sauce are Chinese dark soy sauce, light soy sauce and Chinkiang vinegar (also known as Chinese black vinegar), which can be replaced with regular soy sauce and rice vinegar if you can’t find them. The sauce lasts only a few seconds and when ready, throw the crispy fried chicken in T before serving it over rice (or pasta)!
A quick and easy homemade version of the classic Chinese takeaway general TSO chicken, only better!
Ingredient
- 1 Pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 egg, lightly overcome
- 1/2 Cup Cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons Oil (peanut or vegetable)
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (gluten-free or Tamari for gluten-free)
- 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (gluten-free or Tamari for gluten-free)
- 2 tablespoons Ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Chinkiang vinegar (Chinese black vinegar) (or rice Plonk vinegar)
- 1 Teaspoon chili sauce (as pronaos)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 8 dried red chillies (such as arbol chillies)
- 1 tablespoon Grated garlic
- 1 tablespoon grated Ginger
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
Direction
Mix the chicken in the egg until it is completely coated before mixing the cornstarch until it is evenly coated.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the chicken, separate it and cook for about 2-4 minutes on each side until golden brown, before setting it aside and keeping the leftover oil in the pan.
Meanwhile, combine the broth, sugar, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, Ketchup, vinegar, chili sauce and cornstarch and set aside.
Add the dried red chillies, garlic and ginger to the pan and leave fragrant in the remaining oil for about a Minute.
Pour the sauce mixture into the pan, bring to a boil and simmer for about a Minute until thickened.
Add the chicken, throw it into the mantle, remove it from the heat, mix the sesame oil, sesame seeds and green onions and soak it over rice or pasta.
Note: I like to use a large metal skillet or Wok, but a non-stick skillet works great too!
Note: The egg and corn starch dough on chicken is a moist dough that becomes crispy in oil when baking!
- Option: Omit the cornstarch and egg batter for a lighter version. (Also cut to 1 tablespoon Of oil from 2.)
- Option: Replace dark soy sauce and /or light soy sauce with regular soy sauce.
- Option: add some vegetables, such as sugar snap peas, sweet peas, diced peppers, broccoli, etc. after the chicken is cooked, fry them in the same pan and set them aside before putting them back in the thickened Sauce with the chicken to mix and coat. You may need to add more oil to cook the vegetables in it.
- Option: start cooking rice or pasta before you start preparing the chicken from the General Tso, and it’s ready at about the same time!
Nutritional information: calories 370, fat 15g (saturated 2g, Trans 0), cholesterol 123mg, sodium 885mg, carbohydrates 25g (fiber 1G, sugar 5G), protein 29g
