Deb's General Tso's Chicken

A traditional Chinese favorite, you'll enjoy the spicy sweet soy sauce with ginger and garlic flavors, ingredients that make this dish so addictive. This is a true General's chicken recipe which requires frying the chicken twice to give it that extra crispiness. The cornstarch batter gives the chicken a light coating. Don't scrimp or replace the ingredients or you might be disappointed. If you are on a busy schedule, you can cut down the time considerably by making and refrigerating the sauce and chicken up to 3 days; and doing the second stage of frying the chicken later. Serve with rice or noodles tossed with lightly steamed fresh vegetables of your choice, such as broccoli, zucchini, squash, and green onions.

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 55 mins
• Calories: 829 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
• ¼ cup dry sherry
• 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger, or to taste
• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 12 dried whole red chilies, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Heat the frying oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step 2

Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl until smooth. Mix in the 1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch until no lumps remain. Mix in the chicken until evenly coated in the batter.

Step 3

In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until the chicken turns golden brown and begins to float, about 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Step 4

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, white vinegar, rice vinegar, sherry, soy sauce, and garlic in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce thickens to the consistency of light pancake syrup, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.

Step 5

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the dried chiles and ginger; cook and stir until the ginger begins to brown, about 30 seconds. Remove the chiles and ginger from the wok and stir them into the sauce. Place the fried chicken cubes into the wok and cook until very crispy and dark golden brown. Serve the chicken with the sauce.