General Tso’s Recipe

Prepare chicken

Trim excess fat from the chicken thighs and cut into 1- to 1½-inch bite-size pieces. Pat pieces dry with paper towels.

Season and coat

In a medium bowl, beat the egg lightly. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Transfer coated chicken to a shallow bowl and dredge evenly in 1 cup cornstarch until thoroughly coated; shake off excess.

Heat oil

Pour about 1 cup vegetable oil into a large skillet or wok and heat over medium-high until shimmering and a small piece of cornstarch sizzles on contact (about 350°F / 175°C if using a thermometer).

Pan-fry chicken

Working in a single layer (frying in batches if needed), add chicken pieces to the hot oil and cook 3–4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer cooked chicken to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. If you prefer, shallow-fry until crisp, or use a deep fryer at 350°F.

Make sauce mixture

In a bowl, whisk together ½ cup chicken broth, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 teaspoon chili paste (or a pinch of red pepper flakes). Set aside.

Prepare slurry

Whisk 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water until smooth; set aside.

Cook aromatics

Wipe out most of the frying oil from the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Return pan to medium heat. Add minced garlic (2 cloves) and minced ginger (1 tablespoon) and stir-fry about 30 seconds until fragrant but not browned. If using dried red chilies, add them now and briefly toast.

Combine sauce and thicken

Pour the sauce mixture into the pan with the aromatics and bring to a simmer. Stir the cornstarch slurry once more, then slowly whisk it into the simmering sauce. Cook 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens to a glossy coating consistency.

Coat chicken

Add the fried chicken pieces back to the pan and toss to coat evenly with the sauce, cooking 1–2 minutes so the chicken absorbs the flavors and the sauce clings.

Add scallions and garnish

Slice scallions into 1½-inch pieces. Add most of the scallions to the pan and toss briefly with the chicken and sauce to wilt slightly; reserve a few for garnish. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds over the top.

Serve

Transfer General Tso’s chicken to a serving platter and garnish with remaining scallions and optional extra crushed red pepper if desired. Serve immediately with steamed white rice or fried rice.