Goldthread

General Tso’s Chicken | A Basic Chinese Dish

Clarissa WeiMar 02, 2023

It’s now an iconic Chinese-American food, but General Tso’s Chicken was actually invented in Taiwan and named after a Chinese war hero as an homage to Hunan, a province in China. 

The key to this dish is getting the sauce right. It should be a balanced combination of savoriness, acidity, and sweetness. 

If you’d like to follow along, we have the recipe here:

Recipe (Serves two people)

For the sauce:

  • Light soy sauce x 1 tablespoon
  • Dark soy sauce x 1 tablespoon
  • Ketchup x 1.5 tablespoons
  • Rice vinegar x 1 teaspoon
  • Sugar x 1 teaspoon
  • Shaoxing wine x 0.5 teaspoon
  • Cornstarch x 1 teaspoon

 

For the chicken:

  • Boneless chicken thigh x 1 pound (450g) 
  • Dark soy sauce x 1 teaspoon
  • Shaoxing wine x 1 teaspoon 
  • Cornstarch x 2 tablespoons 
  • Neutral cooking oil x 2 teaspoons, plus 6 cups for deep-frying
  • Garlic cloves x 3, minced 
  • Scallion x 1, minced (for garnish)
  • Sesame seeds x 1 tablespoon (for garnish) 

 

Prepare the sauce:

  1. In a small bowl, combine the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, sugar, Shaoxing wine, and cornstarch. Mix to combine and set aside.
     

Prepare the chicken: 

  1. Cut the chicken into two-inch bite-sized pieces and place them in a large bowl. 
  2. Add the dark soy sauce and Shaoxing wine and mix to combine. Massage in the cornstarch and two teaspoons of cooking oil. Let them rest and set them aside for 30 minutes.
  3. Add six cups of oil in a large wok set over medium-high heat. Heat until it reaches 350°F (175°C) on an instant-read thermometer. 
  4. Add the marinated chicken and fry until they’re fully cooked, about three to four minutes. Drain on a paper-lined towel or wire rack in a sheet pan. 
  5. Turn off the heat and safely discard the oil, reserving two teaspoons in the wok. 
  6. Heat up the wok over medium heat and add the minced garlic. Cook and stir until it’s aromatic, about 10 seconds. Add the deep-fried chicken pieces and immediately pour the sauce over the chicken, mixing constantly until the chicken is thoroughly covered with the sauce.
  7. Turn off the heat. Garnish with the scallion and sesame seeds.  
Clarissa Wei
Clarissa Wei is a senior reporter at Goldthread. She spent the bulk of her career as a freelance journalist and has written for outlets like VICE, CNN, Eater, among others. Clarissa has backpacked to over a dozen provinces in China and was once a volcano hiking guide in Nicaragua.
Asian recipesChinese cuisine