Description
General Tso's Chicken is a popular Chinese-American dish featuring crispy fried chicken coated in a tangy, sweet, and slightly spicy sauce. This recipe delivers juicy chicken pieces enveloped in a flavorful sauce made from soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, and chili flakes, perfect for a quick and satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 chicken breasts, cubed
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (or cornstarch)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic salt
Sauce
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp red chili pepper flakes (optional)
Other
- 3/4 cup oil for frying
Instructions
- Prepare the Chicken: Cube the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. In a bowl, mix the all-purpose flour (or cornstarch) with paprika and garlic salt. Coat each chicken piece evenly in the flour mixture to prepare for frying.
- Fry the Chicken: Heat 3/4 cup of oil in a deep skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Fry the coated chicken pieces in batches to avoid overcrowding until they turn golden brown and crispy on all sides. Remove and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Make the Sauce: In a separate saucepan, combine sugar, water, white distilled vinegar, salt, soy sauce, and red chili pepper flakes (if using). Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
- Simmer the Sauce and Chicken: Add the fried chicken pieces to the sauce. Allow it to simmer uncovered for about 12 minutes until the sauce thickens and fully coats the chicken.
- Serve: Once the sauce has thickened and the chicken is well coated, serve immediately with steamed rice or your choice of side.
Notes
- For extra crispiness, use cornstarch instead of all-purpose flour.
- Adjust the amount of red chili pepper flakes to control the spiciness.
- Do not overcrowd the pan when frying to ensure chicken pieces cook evenly and stay crispy.
- Make sure to simmer the sauce long enough for it to thicken and properly coat the chicken.
- Leftover General Tso's Chicken can be reheated in a skillet over low heat to retain crispness.