🇨🇳🇺🇸 My dad's General Tso's Chicken (左宗棠鸡) - A Chinese American Icon

By Made With Lau · 45 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Put them in a bowl with the salt, half of the beaten egg, the cornstarch and the water. Massage for about a minute and set aside.
2. Crush and mince the garlic, slice the ginger into strips and mince it, cut the red bell pepper into strips, and cut the broccoli and tomato if using.
3. In another bowl, add the flour, cornstarch, the rest of the beaten egg, the baking powder and the water. Mix for about a minute, adding more water as needed.
4. Add the olive oil last and mix, adding about ½ tbsp of water at a time until the batter reaches the right consistency.
5. Heat corn oil in a wok or pan to a depth of 1.5 to 2 inches.
6. Heat the oil to about 300°F (149°C) for the first fry. Test it: a drop of batter should sizzle and float up right away without browning instantly.
7. Coat each chicken piece evenly in the batter. Add the chicken to the oil gently, one piece at a time. Fry for about 10 minutes at 300°F (149°C), until the chicken starts to turn golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
8. Let the oil reheat to 350–400°F (176–204°C).
9. Fry the chicken again for 1 to 2 minutes until crisp. Remove it from the oil.
10. Mix the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, ketchup and white pepper, and taste and adjust.
11. Scoop some frying oil into a new pan and heat for 1 to 2 minutes until shimmering. Fry the dried chilies for 10 to 15 seconds, then the garlic and ginger for 20 to 30 seconds.
12. Add the sauce mix and stir for 20 to 30 seconds. Stir in the cornstarch slurry (1 tsp cornstarch with 2 tbsp water) and cook for 20 to 30 seconds until thickened.
13. Add the bell pepper and sesame oil and cook 30 seconds more. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Serve right away on broccoli if you like.

Summarized from Made With Lau's video. Watch it for the details.

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