General Tso's Chicken

• 750 g (1.65 lb) raw chicken dark meat, boneless and skinless.
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• Seasoning to taste
• 2–3 tbsp cornstarch, or as needed
• 700 ml (3 cups) oil to deep fry, or enough oil to shallow-fry
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp red Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp chicken stock or water
• 1 tbsp finely-chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp crushed and minced garlic
• 1 tbsp cornstarch (to thicken sauce; optional)
• 4 spring onions, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped dried chile peppers

Ingredients for 4 servings (1 kg) · the original recipeShow how each ingredient was counted

Method

1. 1

   Cut the chicken into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes.

2. 2

   Beat the egg, light soy sauce, and seasoning in a bowl.

3. 3

   Add the chicken pieces to the egg mixture, and stir in the cornstarch to thicken the mixture.

4. 4

   Mix the sauce ingredients in another bowl and set aside until needed. Stir out any lumps.

5. 5

   Heat the oil in a wok (if deep frying, aim for 180°C or 350°F).

   Stovetop
6. 6

   If deep frying, fry the pieces of battered chicken a few at a time until crispy (around 3 minutes). If shallow-frying, fry until the chicken is cooked and the batter is golden. Remove excess oil from the chicken pieces after frying.

   Stovetop
7. 7

   After frying the chicken, empty and wipe clean the wok. Add 2 tbsp oil back to the wok, and return to the heat.

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8. 8

   Fry the spring onions and chili peppers together for about 30 seconds.

   Stovetop
9. 9

   Add the chicken pieces back to the wok, and stir fry with the vegetables until browned.

   Stovetop
10. 10

    Stir sauce and add to wok. After the sauce comes to a boil, cook for about 1 minute or until sauce thickens. The exact time will depend partly on how much cornstarch you added.

    Stovetop
11. 11

    Remove from heat and serve immediately.