General Tso's Chicken Recipe - Allrecipes.com
General Tso's Chicken Recipe
  • READY IN 40 mins

General Tso's Chicken

Read Reviews (8)

"This is the classic that is so popular in Chinese restaurants. Banana sauce can be found in Asian stores. It is made in the Philippines. If you can't get it substitute ketchup." —  

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Original recipe makes 4 servings Change Servings
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Directions

  1. Heat 4 cups of peanut oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl; whisk in 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and the cornstarch. Mix in the chicken until all the pieces are coated with batter. Drop into the hot oil a piece at a time; cook until the chicken is golden brown on the outside and no longer pink on the inside, about 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
  3. Stir together the vinegar, wine, sugar, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and the banana ketchup in a small bowl until smooth; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the dried chile peppers and cook for a few seconds until the peppers brighten. Stir in the onion, garlic, and orange zest. Cook and stir until the onion is beginning to brown. Stir in the sauce; bring to a boil before adding the fried chicken. Reduce the heat to medium and stir until the chicken pieces are well coated with the sauce, a few minutes longer. Serve sprinkled with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Kitchen-Friendly View
  • PREP 25 mins
  • COOK 15 mins
  • READY IN 40 mins

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.
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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review
Jul 02, 2011

Good recipe. I used orange juice instead of rice wine. And omitted the peppers because the family doesn't like hot, still delicious

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Most Helpful Critical Review
Apr 10, 2012

It was OK, but I'd rather have the breading on it to really be like restaurant food. Too much onions (our family doesn't like it) and banana ketchup was strange. Too many chilies! I am ok with sorta spicy stuff but it was too much. It wasn't too bad, but not too good. thanks for the attempt, though. overall, it was ok but not a favorite. P.S. This sort of food if you go to china 30 yrs ago they'd be like "what in the world is that stuff?" not real chinese food, Americanized.

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Nov 06, 2011

Yum, I didn't have all the right ingredients, but my substitutes worked well. I used canola oil for frying. 1 Tbs red wine and extra rice vinegar for the rice wine, brown sugar for the white, for the banana ketchup (banana processed like tomato ketchup) 1tsp banana (put through garlic press) and 1 tsp tomato ketchup, 1 Tbs red pepper flakes instead of dried chillies, 2 tsp orange juice concentrate for the zest. Does not turn out restaurant quality, but is still very yummy. A hint, try to fry the chicken while mixing up the other ingredients, otherwise it takes way longer than the stated "Ready In" time.

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Jul 30, 2011

This was a great recipe! I used chicken breast instead of chicken thigh for a healthier alternative and the meat was more tender than the restaurant version. I also added ginger to taste( and smell) to the sauce. My dad, who loves chinese food( take out), LOVED this.

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Feb 14, 2012

Not too bad! I rather enjoyed this recipe...thanks for submitting it! I did change up a few veggies to use what I had on hand. But I finally found something I could use that bottle of banana ketchup I've had rattling around in my cupboard in...that's pretty awesome in my book.

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Jun 20, 2011

loved it! Very similar to my favorite restaurant. Next time I will remove the seeds from the chili pepper because mine were too dry & they wouldn't soften without cutting into smaller pieces.

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Apr 08, 2013

Excellent orange flavor just from the zest. Easy to make. Added broccoli and tomatoes and sweet peppers. Cornstarch batter is fantastic alternative for gf diet, when wanting Breaded Asian entree.

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Jun 07, 2012

Very good! Also tastes great with chicken breast.

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Nutrition

  • Calories
  • 2475 kcal
  • 124%
  • Carbohydrates
  • 52.6 g
  • 17%
  • Cholesterol
  • 174 mg
  • 58%
  • Fat
  • 243.7 g
  • 375%
  • Fiber
  • 1.2 g
  • 5%
  • Protein
  • 28.7 g
  • 57%
  • Sodium
  • 949 mg
  • 38%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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