General Tso’s Chicken

Alright people. The day has finally come.

I’ve made actual General Tso’s Chicken, not healthy General Tso’s, just straight up deep fried delicious all-American General Tso’s. Can anyone taste the irony in that statement?

All I needed to make this dish was a hellacious historical blizzard to lock me in my home with endless free time. When one is home all day with nothing to do, one cooks up content!

In the past I’ve talked about my love for the real General Tso’s Chicken.

If you don’t feel like clicking that link, here’s a quick intro from that post:

Ah General Tso. The Military Mastermind who made enemies kneel before him and his chicken empire. Oh wait…none of that is true. What is true is that General Tso was in fact a general his name was, Zuo Zongtang or if you prefer the Romanized Tso Tsung-tang. He was a Qing Dynasty general and statesman.  How this delicious chicken dish actually relates to him gets a little Murky. Some say it’s to pay homage to the general, while others say that some form of it originated from Hunan where the General was from. Either way from what I gathered, actual Chinese people in China have no F’ing clue what this chicken is because it’s pretty much an entirely Chinese American dish created to satisfy American customers.

BUT WAIT! I WAS COMPLETELY WRONG!

Between the time that post came out and this post was written, I have learned a plethora of General Tso’s knowledge. Courtesy of the Search for General Tso movie which is a FASCINATING movie about the dish itself and the overall growth of Chinese food in America. Anyways, I learned from this movie that the good General is a revered figure in his native province of Hunan. He was victorious in battle and individuals from that region hold him in very high regard. But there is just one thing, General Tso really probably would not have been too fond about Chinese cuisine becoming Westernized.

So now the real mystery, where was General Tso’s chicken invented/created? For years nobody knew the real answer, well thanks to the Search for General Tso I now know. General Tso’s chicken was prepared by a chef in Taiwan, who was preparing a meal for the Taiwanese President, Chiang Kai-Shek. For those of you who are not familiar with their nationalist China history, General Chiang was a pretty big deal. He ruled Taiwan for over 20 years and he was an ally of the United States. Whether he was a great guy or fair leader, is a different story for a different blog. What we do know is that the man was all about having a tasty meal. So the creator of General Tso’s chicken was tasked for creating a meal. Wanting to create something different and unique for the good General, Chef C.K. Peng pulled from his Hunan roots to cook up a tasty dish for the General. He named is General Tso’s due to the fact that Tso was such a iconic figure in Hunan lore.

This is all taking place in the mid-1950s. One of Peng’s understudies, Chef T.T. Wang, immigrates to New York where he worked with Michael Tong to form the Shun Lee Palace and Hunan Restaurant in New York, both the first of their kind in New York to specialize in Hunan cuisine. When Hunan opens in the early 1970’s it marks the first time General Tso’s chicken appeared on a Chinese menu in the U.S. And from then on the good General’s chicken spread like wildfire across the country. Now the dish is so ubiquitous that I dare you to name a more popular dish at a Chinese food restaurant.

So General Tso’s isn’t all-American after all. But I will say that the American version is much sweeter than the original version made by Chef Peng.

My love for the dish is well chronicled, it’s perfection. Sweet, spicy, crunchy just perfection.

Now this is where I come in. General Tso’s chicken was my brother and I’s favorite dish growing up. When we were just two little overweight fatties, we would have to order two servings of the dish just to avoid a fist fight between us. I would literally sneak down in the middle of the night to spite eat this dish just so he couldn’t have any. Yes the life of a pre-teen fatty is a stressful one ladies and gentleman. Food Anxiety is REAL!

This dish really was a big inspiration for me growing up to learning how to cook fried chicken. Why? Because the fatty inside of me just wanted to be able to make this whenever I wanted! The sweet and crunchy combination was so perfect and unlike anything I had ever tried before. I can eat it cold or hot, doesn’t matter everything about General Tso’s chicken is perfect.

When I came back from Italy all I wanted was this dish. How sad is it that by the end of my sojourn through the streets of Italy, all I wanted was some delicious General Tso’s chicken. So what did I do when stepped foot on U.S. soil again? Mrs. Unmanly Chef and I drove directly to our favorite Chinese food restaurant and scarfed down a whole plate of General Tso’s chicken in all its glory.

Making the dish is insanely easy. All you really need is good frying oil, corn starch, a blend of sauces, and some chicken thighs. The dish is traditionally made with dark meat. White meat is less flavorful and not as ideal for the dish. Use boneless chicken thighs for the best results.

*I don’t use the chilies because I do not have a death-wish for my anus. I just use gochujang in my sauce base to give it a nice spicy flavor instead. *

Recipe – General Tso’s Chicken

Ingredients

Deep pot or Wok for Frying

1 Pound Boneless Chicken Thighs (Cut into Chunks)

Enough peanut oil to fill the pot about half way (you want to be able to completely submerge the chicken if necessary)

1 Cup of Corn Starch (or enough to coat all the chicken pieces)

2 Eggs

Sauce

1 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

1/4 Cup of Plum Sauce (if you don’t have plum sauce, use about the 2 Tbsp. of Table Sugar)

1 Tbsp. Gochujang paste

1/8 Cup of Hoisin Sauce

2 Tsp. Fish Sauce

1/8 Cup Chicken Stock

1 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar

1 Tbsp. Crushed Garlic or Garlic Powder

Method

Step 1 – Beat the eggs in a large bowl (big enough to dip chicken in)

Step 2- Dip the chicken in the egg wash (allow the extra egg wash to drip off).

Step 3 – Transfer the chicken to the corn starch and allow it to be well coated, set on a wire rack to prep for frying.

*Repeat these three steps until all of your chicken is coated

Step 4- Heat your oil in a wok or large pot to 350F, or just throw a dash of flour into the oil to see if it starts to crackle, then it’s hot enough.

Step 5- In batches cook your chicken by laying it gently in the oil and allowing it to cook to a beautiful golden brown color. About 10 minutes a batch, give or take.

Step 6 – Once all your chicken is cooked, mix together all of your sauce ingredients in a large bowl. *You can also make the sauce ahead of time prior to all your chicken business, whatever is easier for you*

Step 7 – In a large saucepan, heat the sauce until it becomes nice and thick (but not too thick).

Step 8 – Transfer your chicken to the saucepan, mix it in with the sauce until it’s coated nicely.

Step 9 – Serve immediately and wow your friends with your awesome dish.

Enjoy!