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General Tso’s Chicken (Sauce)

August 30, 2013 By Food Retro

tsoI’m not a huge fan of spicy, but I do love General Tso’s (pronounced General Chow’s) Chicken.  This home-made version is every bit as good as from a Chinese restaurant, with none of the MSG, mystery meat or food colouring attached!

You can use cornstarch battered and fried chicken for this recipe, or use julienne’d strips of poached or grilled chicken for a healthier version.  Either way, it requires a little bit of prep up front, but the cooking is EASY!  It’s not as complicated as it looks.  The only special tool you need is a citrus zester… don’t short yourself that sweet taste of orange by omitting it from the recipe.  You won’t regret it.  

General Tso’s Chicken (Sauce)

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General Tso’s Chicken (Sauce)
Serves 4-6
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Total time 20 minutes
Dietary Gluten Free
Meal type Main Dish
Misc Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
This home-made version is every bit as good as from a Chinese restaurant, with none of the MSG, mystery meat or food colouring attached!

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup light oil (light olive oil or vegetable)
  • 6 tablespoons green onion
  • 1-2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (begin with 1 tsp, and add more to heat preference)
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest
  • 1 cup sugar (white or golden)
  • 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp dried)
  • 6 tablespoons chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 4 teaspoons sesame oil
  • 1.5lb chicken (grilled or poached and julienned or cubed and fried in the cornstarch batter)
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic

Thickening

  • 5 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup water

Directions

Step 1.
In a saucepan, heat the oil, and sauté the green onion, garlic, red pepper, and orange zest until the garlic begins to brown nicely.
Step 2. Add the remaining ingredients: chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, sugar.
Step 3.
Bring to a boil, and allow to simmer for three minutes, and increase red pepper seasoning to taste at this stage (if necessary).
Thickening
Step 4. Mix the cornstarch and water, and pour into the sauce, stirring rapidly or whisking to ensure no lumps. Allow to simmer another 1-2 minutes, until the chalkiness of the cornstarch fully incorporates and becomes smooth.
Step 5. Mix the chicken into the sauce and serve with rice and vegetables. Garnish with sesame seeds, optionally.

General Tso's Chicken fried with cornstarch batter and in sauce

Filed Under: Homemade Pantry, Kitchen Chemistry, Meals, Sauce & Condiments Tagged With: dairy free, gluten free, Kitchen Chemistry, main course, nut free

About Food Retro

Baker of deliciousness. Suburban Gardener. Neophyte Urban Homesteader. Mom.

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Healthier Sweet & Sour Sauce »

Comments

  1. tim says

    May 16, 2014 at 12:46 am

    in step 1 it mentions garlic but theres none in ingredient list. how much do i use?
    love to try this and your sweet n sour and the batters

    • Food Retro says

      May 16, 2014 at 8:15 am

      I apologize for that, Tim! Good catch, and thank you for letting me know! It looks like I used about 1 tablespoon of minced garlic in the photo… about 1 large clove. Happy cooking!

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