General Tso's Chicken
===================== 2025-08-25 *


Inspired from: General Tso's Chicken

and The Best General Tso's Chicken Recipe

Comment: the chicken is fried in a corn starch based coating that remains crispy when served in the sauce. A favorite of the whole family, especially children. The recommended method is to prepare everything in advance, and assemble just before serving. The chicken is quickly marinated (~30 mn or more) before coating. The sauce is prepared in advance and will be cooked once all the chicken is fried and reserved. This could be served with rice and steamed brocolli.
Vodka in the marinade is clearly not a chinese ingredient, but it helps keep the coating crispy in the end (all alcohol is evaporated).

4 servings

Prepare the chicken and the marinade:
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1 large egg white
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce (15 g)
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or hoisin sauce (15 g)
1 tablespoon vodka (15 g)
680 g skinless chicken thighs cut into 2.5 cm pieces

Coat the chicken with the marinade and let rest at ambient temperature for at least 30 mn.


Prepare the sauce (for later):
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3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (45 g)
3 tablespoons soy sauce (45 g)
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (30 g)
2 tablespoons sugar (25 g)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar (45 g)
1.5 tablespoons cornstarch (15 g)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
250 ml chicken stock (low sodium or homemade unsalted)

Mix all together, reserve.


Then the coating for the chicken:
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120 g cornstarch
60 g all-purpose flour
2 g baking powder

Mix well, reserve.
When time comes (chicken has marinated long enough), drop chicken pieces one by one in the cornstarch mix (by hand) and make sure each individual piece is well coated and not sticking to another one.  



For cooking and serving, prepare:
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1.5 tablespoons fresh minced ginger (5g)
0.5 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or not if there are children)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
Sesame seeds (optional), for serving
Rice and brocoli, for serving


Cooking:
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Heat about 6 mm of oil to 160 - 180C in a frying pan, and cook the chicken 2 to 3 minutes on each side by batches. Reserve on absorbent paper.

When all the chicken is cooked, drain the oil from the pan, wipe it dry and add a little oil to the pan.
Over medium heat, add the ginger, scallion white, hot flakes if using, and the garlic. Cook for ~2 minutes making sure not to burn the garlic and add the sauce. Bring it to a boil to thicken it, then add the chicken, coating it evenly with the sauce, warm up for 1 to 2 minutes, sprinkle with the green part of the scallions and sesame seeds, and serve.