General Tsos Chicken Recipe Printable version

Introduction

• By: ouch
• Cuisine: Chinese
• Type: Chicken

This once proud dish has become a tasteless, sticky pile of glop found at every dump in town. A shame, since it's so easy to make a good version.

Ingredients

• Several whole chicken thighs
• Egg whites
• Xiaoshing wine
• Sesame oil
• Minced Garlic
• Ginger
• Cornstarch
• Chili sauce
• Rice vinegar
• Sugar

Method

Long version (or jump to short version)

• Bone several whole chicken thighs.
• Cut meat into 1 1/2" chunks.
• Make stock from bones, adding ginger, scallion, onion, carrot, celery, and white turnip. Strain and reduce.

Short version

• Buy boneless chicken thighs and cut into good sized chunks as above.
• Marinate meat in egg white, xiaoshing wine, sesame oil, minced garlic and ginger.
• Add cornstarch and mix- it will be a godawful, sticky mess.
• Fry in batches about 6 minutes, separating pieces as you add to pot. Remove and reserve.

---

If you're great with a wok, and fast, you can prepare the sauce at once. It's much easier to make ahead

• Heat oil in small saucepan and stir fry garlic, ginger, scallion, hot chili paste (sambal olek or similar) until fragrant.
• Deglaze with rice wine (xiaoshing).
• Add stock, chili sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Simmer.
• Adjust to taste- sauce should be hot, sweet, and sour, and be red/orange.
• Thicken slightly with cornstarch/water slurry.
• Heat large pan or wok.
• Add chicken pieces and enough sauce to coat well and toss.

Serve with rice and steamed broccoli.

Alternatively, use same sauce with batter dipped, jumbo fried shrimp.