General Tso’s Chicken
General Tso's Chicken is more popular in America than in China. This is General Tso’s Chicken recipe is a slight twist that adds some Sichuanese flavoring for a more savory dish
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
- Oil for frying vegetable or any good frying oil
Marinade
- 2 Tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sake
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Batter
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1.5 cups club soda
- 1 Tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
Sauce
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 2 Tablespoon black bean garlic sauce can use hoisin sauce for sweeter flavor)
- 1 Tablespoon chili garlic sauce
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Seasonings
- 1 orange
- 8 ounce water chestnuts
- 10 cloves minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger minced
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 3 dried chili peppers broken into pieces
Instructions
- Slice chicken into cubes about ½-inch by an inch. Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken, cover and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, ideally 3 to 4 hours.
- To make batter combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Mix in club soda and vinegar and blend. Cover and let set 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Heat a small pan of water to boiling. In a bowl combine the sauce ingredients. Set aside. With a vegetable peeler remove zest from orange skin in thin strips. Add orange zet strips to boiling water for 1 minute. Remove with slotted spoon and rinse under cold water. Dry with paper towels and set aside. Add water chestnuts to boiling water for 20 seconds. Remove, rinse under cold water, drain and set aside.
- When ready to cook heat about 2-inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-duty skillet or pan. Remove chicken from marinade and place in batter bowl. Fully coat chicken with batter. When oil reaches 350 degrees add about half the chicken in separate pieces. Let cook for 4 to 5 minutes making sure they do not stick to each other. Remove and place on paper towels. Reheat oil to 350 degrees and cook remaining chicken. Repeat until all the chicken is cooked.
- In a wok or large skillet add 2 tablespoons of frying oil. Add orange zest and other seasonings and stir-fry for about 10 seconds. Add water chestnuts and cook an additional 30 seconds. Add sauce and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Add cooked chicken and toss to coat with sauce. Serve immediately.