General Tso's Chicken

If you've ever been to a Chinese Buffet, chances are you've had General Tso's Chicken.  It's the most popular item on most buffets and on most Chinese restaurants' menus in North America.   But it actually has about as much to do with General Tso as a Lincoln Town Car has to do with Old Abe.

This dish has been associated with the name of Zuo Zongtang (1812–1885), a Qing Dynasty general from Hunan.  Zuo himself could not have eaten the dish as it is today, and the dish is neither found in Changsha, the capital of Hunan, nor in Xiangyin, the home of General Tso. Moreover, descendants of General Tso still living in Xiangyin, when interviewed, say that they have never heard of such a dish.

Several restaurants in both Taiwan and North America lay claim to inventing the dish.  It's generally accepted in most cases to have originated at New York City's Shun Lee Palace restaurant, claiming that it was invented by a Chinese immigrant chef named T. T. Wang in 1972.

But what the hell do you care?  You, like most people, just love General Tso's Chicken and want to make it at home, right?  Well, look no further, here's how!

Now, this recipe is very close to the original Shun Lee Palace recipe, with a few of my own changes..  Most buffets tend to make it sweeter and less hot, so I'll give you tips on how to aim for that goal at the end of this post.

Step One...Sauce: (make first...before you do anything else)

Mix the chicken, egg, cornstarch and soy sauce

1/2 Cup Cornstarch
1/4 Cup Water
1 1/2 tsp Minced Garlic
1 1/2 tsp Ginger
1 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Teriyaki Sauce
1/4 Cup Vinegar
1/4 Cup Cheap White Wine
1 can Condensed Chicken Broth (or mix up 1 cup of about triple strength bouillon)

Mix all this thoroughly in a jar (I use a quart Mason jar) and refrigerate.

Step Two...Chicken:

I like to use Chicken Thighs, but it's a little more work.  Thighs come with one bone in them, which I like because I remove the skin and the bones, throw them in a pot with 2 quarts of water and simmer for a couple hours to make Chicken Stock for later use in soups.   But you can use boneless skinless Chicken Breasts, it's a lot quicker.  Start with either 6 Thighs OR 4 Breasts.  Cut the meat into about 1 to 1 1/2 inch chunks and put in a deep bowl.

Add to the bowl:

1/4 cup Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Water
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Cornstarch

Stir thoroughly to mix the cornstarch in with the egg and soy sauce and set aside.

Deep frying the chicken

Now heat up some cooking oil in a medium, deep pot.  The oil should be at least 3 inches deep, and use a candy or deep fry thermometer to bring the temp up to 350.   Working in small batches, fry the coated pieces of chicken in the oil.  It will only take a few minutes before they're golden brown.  Gently move them about with a tongs or granny fork to keep them from sticking together.  Remove and place on a plate covered with paper towels, keep warm in the oven on it's lowest setting between batches.   When you've fried all the chicken, put in the oven to keep warm.

Step Three...Stir Fry:

2 cups Green Onions, chopped
1 large or 2 small heads of Broccoli, trimming just the florets from the stems
*8 dried Cayenne (or similar) Peppers

Add sauce and stir fry til bubbly and thick

Now get out your Wok or a big fry pan.  If it's an electric wok, set it to it's highest heat setting.  If you're using a gas stove and a carbon steel wok, you want a medium high flame.   Add a little oil, bring up to heat and then stir fry the Onions and Peppers for a minute, then add the Broccoli.  Stir til cooked and turning to a bright green.  Then add the sauce that you prepared in Step One, stirring constantly til it thickens and starts to bubble.  At that point, grab the plate of chicken from Step Two out of the oven, add to the wok and either unplug the wok or remove from heat.  Stir and toss thoroughly to coat the chicken and serve immediately over rice.

*A lot of people don't like hot and spicy food.  You can leave out the peppers entirely if you like.   I make it at home without the peppers and serve crushed red pepper (like you'd put on pizza) as a condiment on the table for those who like it spicy.

If you want it to be more similar to the type of General Tso found on most Chinese buffets, try substituting Teriyaki Sauce entirely for Soy Sauce in the first step, and adding some Orange Zest (that's finely grated outside of the orange) or a little Orange Extract.  That should make it much sweeter and add more of that orange, citrusy flavor found in most buffet General Tso.