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Deb's General Tso's Chicken

By: Deb K  
"A traditional Chinese favorite, you'll enjoy the spicy sweet soy sauce with ginger and garlic flavors, ingredients that make this dish so addictive. This is a true General's chicken recipe which requires frying the chicken twice to give it that extra crispiness. The cornstarch batter gives the chicken a light coating. Don't scrimp or replace the ingredients or you might be disappointed. If you are on a busy schedule, you can cut down the time considerably by making and refrigerating the sauce and chicken up to 3 days; and doing the second stage of frying the chicken later. Serve with rice or noodles tossed with lightly steamed fresh vegetables of your choice, such as broccoli, zucchini, squash, and green onions."

Rating: This weblink has been rated 1 time with an average star rating of 5.0 Read Reviews (1)

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Prep Time:
25 Min
Cook Time:
30 Min
Ready In:
55 Min

Servings  (Help)

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Original Recipe Yield 6 servings
 

Ingredients

  • 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
  •  
  • 1 1/2 cups white sugar
  • 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/4 cup dry sherry
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  •  
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 12 dried whole red chilies, or to taste
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger, or to taste

Directions

  1. Heat the frying oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl until smooth. Mix in the 1/2 cup plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch until no lumps remain. Mix in the chicken until evenly coated in the batter.
  3. In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until the chicken turns golden brown and begins to float, about 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
  4. Meanwhile, combine the sugar, white vinegar, rice vinegar, sherry, soy sauce, and garlic in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce thickens to the consistency of light pancake syrup, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
  5. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the dried chiles and ginger; cook and stir until the ginger begins to brown, about 30 seconds. Remove the chiles and ginger from the wok and stir them into the sauce. Place the fried chicken cubes into the wok and cook until very crispy and dark golden brown. Serve the chicken with the sauce.

Footnotes

  • Editor's Note
  • The nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of the batter ingredients. The actual amount of the batter consumed will vary. We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and the specific type of oil used.

Nutritional Information open nutritional information

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 829 | Total Fat: 37.3g | Cholesterol: 202mg

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The reviewer gave this recipe 5 stars. This recipe averages a 0 star rating.
Reviewed on Nov. 16, 2009 by SHEWETT 
This was very good. I used crushed red pepper flakes instead of the chilies. I was yummy! ... MORE

 
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