Chinese
General Tso's Chicken
★★★★½ (4.7)
Crispy fried chicken chunks tossed in a sweet, tangy, slightly spicy glaze, this Americanized Chinese takeout favorite is easy to make crispier and fresher at home than any delivery order.
- Extra-crispy double-fried coating that stays crunchy under the sauce
- Sweet-tangy-spicy glaze balanced better than most takeout versions
- Restaurant-quality result using a home wok or skillet
- In a bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tbsp of the soy sauce. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat; let sit for 10 minutes.
- In a separate shallow dish, mix the cornstarch and flour together.
- Working in batches, lift chicken pieces from the egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then dredge thoroughly in the cornstarch-flour mixture, pressing to coat all sides. Shake off excess and set on a plate.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or deep skillet to 350F (175C); test with a wooden chopstick, small bubbles should steadily rise from the tip when dipped in.
- Fry the chicken in batches of 6-8 pieces at a time, without crowding the pan, for 4-5 minutes until golden brown and cooked through to an internal temperature of 165F (74C). Overcrowding drops the oil temperature and makes the coating soggy instead of crisp.
- Remove fried chicken to a wire rack or paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Let the oil come back up to 350F (175C) between batches.
- For extra crispiness, fry all the chicken a second time in batches for 1-2 minutes each until deep golden and very crunchy, then drain again.
- While the chicken fries, whisk together the chicken broth, remaining 2 tbsp soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and hoisin sauce in a small bowl for the sauce.
- In a clean wok or large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and dried chilies (if using), stir-frying for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the sauce mixture and bring to a simmer for 1 minute.
- Restir the cornstarch slurry and pour it into the sauce, stirring constantly for 1 minute until it thickens into a glossy glaze that coats the back of a spoon.
- Add the fried chicken to the wok and toss quickly for 30-45 seconds to coat evenly in the glaze; toss just until coated so the coating stays crisp rather than getting soggy from sitting in sauce.
- Transfer to a plate immediately, garnish with sliced green onions, and serve right away over steamed rice while the coating is still crackly.
Double-frying the chicken, once to cook it through and once more for color and crunch, is the professional trick that keeps the coating crispy even after saucing.
Toss the fried chicken in the sauce for under a minute right before serving; letting it sit in the sauce any longer steams the crust and turns it soft.
Nutrition (per serving)
520Calories
30gProtein
27gFat
38gCarbs
1gFiber
860mgSodium
Nutrition information is estimated and provided for convenience only.
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