Description
This General Tso’s Chicken recipe is a crispy, flavorful classic Chinese-American dish featuring twice-fried chicken thighs coated in a savory and spicy sauce made with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chili paste, and more. Perfectly crispy on the outside and tender inside, it’s an ideal comfort food served over rice with green onions.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Coating:
- 1 pound chicken thighs, boneless skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups potato starch
Sauce:
- 1 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons sake (Japanese rice wine)
- 2 tablespoons chili paste (Gochujang or Sriracha)
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, packed
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
For Frying:
- Vegetable oil, for frying (enough to fill 2 inches in a deep skillet)
Instructions
- Heat the oil: Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a deep-frying skillet over medium heat until it reaches 350°F (175°C). Maintaining this temperature is key for crispy chicken.
- Season the chicken: In a medium bowl, combine the chicken pieces with salt and ground black pepper, mixing well to season evenly.
- Coat the chicken: Working in batches, add 8-10 pieces of seasoned chicken to the potato starch and toss well to fully coat each piece.
- First fry: Carefully add the coated chicken pieces to the hot oil. Fry them for 4-5 minutes until they start to crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a cooling rack set over a baking sheet. Repeat for all pieces, allowing the oil to return to 350°F between batches.
- Second fry: Fry the chicken a second time in 2-3 batches for approximately 3 minutes each until the chicken is fully cooked through, golden, and extra crispy.
- Make the sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, grated ginger, minced garlic, sake, chili paste, hoisin sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, and red chili flakes. Stir in cornstarch until the mixture is smooth and lump-free.
- Cook the sauce: Heat a large wok or skillet over medium heat and pour in the sauce mixture. Continuously whisk and cook for about 3 minutes until the sauce thickens. If it becomes too thick, gradually add water 2 tablespoons at a time to reach desired consistency.
- Toss chicken in sauce: Add the crispy fried chicken pieces to the wok with the sauce and gently toss until all pieces are thoroughly coated.
- Serve immediately: Serve the General Tso’s Chicken hot over steamed rice, garnished with chopped green onions if desired.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Make sure to maintain oil temperature at 350°F for best frying results.
- Adjust the amount of chili paste and red chili flakes to control the spice level.
- For gluten-free option, substitute soy sauce with tamari and ensure chili paste is gluten-free.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/4 of recipe)
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 34g
- Cholesterol: 110mg
