General Tso's Chicken
General Tso's chicken is one of the most famous Chinese dishes in the West, yet it is barely known in China — a sweet, tangy, gently fiery tumble of twice-fried chicken in a glossy soy-and-vinegar glaze. It is named for Zuo Zongtang, a 19th-century Hunanese general, though the dish as we know it was created by Hunanese chefs in mid-20th-century Taiwan and New York rather than on any battlefield. What makes it work at home is the double fry: a first, gentler fry cooks the chicken through, and a second, hotter fry sets a shell that stays crisp even under the sauce. The glaze should be balanced, not cloying — enough vinegar to cut the sugar, and dried chillies bloomed in oil for a warmth that builds rather than burns.
Double-fried
A shell that survives the sauce
Sweet-sour-spicy
Balanced glaze with dried chillies
Takeout classic
The Western favourite, better at home
Warming heat
Chillies bloomed in oil
Ingredients 4 servings
- 600 g boneless chicken thigh, cut into 3 cm pieces
- 1 egg, beaten
- 4 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour), divided — 3 for the coating, 1 for the sauce
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce, for the marinade
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 800 ml neutral oil, for deep-frying
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce, for the sauce
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 120 ml unsalted chicken stock
- 4 dried red chillies, snipped (shake out the seeds for less heat)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cm fresh ginger, minced
- 2 spring onions, sliced (whites and greens separated)
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
How to make it
- 1MARINATE: toss the chicken pieces with 1 tbsp soy sauce and the Shaoxing wine; leave 15 minutes.
- 2MIX THE SAUCE: in a bowl stir together 3 tbsp soy sauce, the rice vinegar, sugar, hoisin, chicken stock and 1 tbsp cornstarch until smooth; set aside.
- 3COAT THE CHICKEN: add the beaten egg to the marinated chicken and toss, then add 3 tbsp cornstarch and the flour and toss until each piece wears a dry, craggy coating.
- 4FIRST FRY: heat the oil to 170 C; fry the chicken in three batches for 3-4 minutes each until pale gold and cooked through, lifting onto a rack; do not crowd the pan or the temperature drops.
- 5SECOND FRY: raise the oil to 190 C and fry all the chicken together for 1-2 minutes until deep golden and shatteringly crisp — this second fry is what keeps it crunchy under the sauce; drain.
- 6MAKE THE SAUCE: pour off all but 1 tbsp oil from a wok; over medium heat fry the dried chillies 20 seconds until they darken, then add the garlic, ginger and spring-onion whites and stir 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 7GLAZE: stir the sauce mixture again and pour it in; simmer 1 minute until it turns glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon, then add the fried chicken and toss quickly, 30-60 seconds, so every piece is lacquered but still crisp.
- 8FINISH: off the heat, stir through the sesame oil and spring-onion greens; serve immediately with steamed rice.
Nutritional info
per serving (~400 ml)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
