Home-Friendly General Tso's Chicken
This version of General Tso's uses a wet marinade that goes straight into the flour dredge - the extra moisture creates these crazy craggy bits that get super crispy when you fry them. Double-frying at 325F then 375F ensures the chicken is cooked through but the coating stays shatteringly crisp even after you toss it in sauce.
Ingredients
For the Chicken & Marinade
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
For the Breading
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
For the Sauce & Assembly
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese black vinegar
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek chili garlic paste
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1-inch piece fresh ginger minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 6-8 whole dried red chiles like Tien Tsin
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
- Neutral oil for frying
- Sliced scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Whisk egg, soy sauce, and black vinegar in large bowl. Add chicken pieces, coat well. Marinate 20 minutes.
- Mix flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powder in separate bowl.
- Heat oil in saucepan. Cook ginger, garlic, dried chiles 1 minute.
- Add broth, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin, sambal, sesame oil. Boil, reduce heat, simmer 3 minutes.
- Whisk in cornstarch slurry. Cook 1 minute until thickened. Set aside.
- Pour marinated chicken with liquid into flour mixture. Coat thoroughly.
- Heat oil to 325F. Fry chicken in batches 4-5 minutes until cooked. Drain on wire rack.
- Increase oil to 375F. Fry chicken again 2-3 minutes until golden brown.
- Toss hot chicken with sauce to coat. Garnish with scallions.
Notes
Serve immediately over steamed rice. Double-frying ensures extra crispy coating.