General Tso's Chicken recipe

Name: General Tso's Chicken
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon salt; 1 large egg; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 1 cup cornstarch; 1 teaspoon white sugar; 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1 clove garlic, minced; 4 cups vegetable oil for frying; 1 pinch white pepper; 2 teaspoons sesame oil; 3 tablespoons chicken broth; 2 tablespoons peanut oil; 1 tablespoon rice vinegar; 3 tablespoons chopped green onion; 6 dried whole red chilies; 1 strip orange zest; 0.25 cup water; 0.5 cup white sugar; 0.25 cup soy sauce; 0.25 teaspoon ground ginger; 1.5 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Whisk egg in large mixing bowl. Add chicken, salt, sugar, and pepper; mix well. Mix in cornstarch, a little bit at a time, until chicken is well coated.

Step 2

Working in batches, carefully drop one piece of chicken at a time into the hot oil. Fry until chicken turns golden brown and begins to float, about 3 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate and allow to cool as you fry the next batch.

Step 3

Once all of the chicken has been fried, refry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Fry each batch until chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Step 4

Stir chicken into the boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook until chicken is heated through and has absorbed some of the sauce, about 3 minutes.

Step 5

Prepare sauce: Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in green onion, garlic, whole chiles, and orange zest. Cook and stir until garlic turns golden and chiles brighten, 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 6

Add sugar, soy sauce, chicken broth, peanut oil, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Whisk 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in water until dissolved. Stir into the boiling sauce. Return to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch, about 1 minute.