General Guys Chinese Chicken Recipes

GENERAL TSAO'S CHICKEN II

Steps:

• Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken cubes; sprinkle with salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and white pepper; mix well. Mix in 1 cup of cornstarch a little bit at a time until the chicken cubes are well coated.
• In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until they turns golden brown and begin to float, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to cool as you fry the next batch. Once all of the chicken has been fried, refry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Cook until the chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the green onion, garlic, whole chiles, and orange zest. Cook and stir a minute or two until the garlic has turned golden and the chiles brighten. Add 1/2 cup sugar, the ginger, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut oil; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
• Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into the water, and stir into the boiling sauce. Return to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch, about 1 minute. Stir the chicken into the boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook for a few minutes until the chicken absorbs some of the sauce.

GENERAL TSO'S CHINESE CHICKEN RECIPE - (4.2/5)

Steps:

• Place sauce ingredients in a quart jar with a lid and shake to mix. You can make ahead of time and refrigerate until needed, shaking again when you are ready to use it. To make the batter, beat the egg in a bowl. Once the egg is beaten, mix the soy sauce in well. Slowly add the cornstarch into the egg and soy sauce mixture, mixing until it is the consistency of peanut butter. Add chicken pieces to the batter and cover them using a fork and allow excess to drip off. Heat the peanut oil in a wok until medium high. Add chicken to hot oil and fry until crispy in wok. Cook up to 8 pieces at a time. Drain chicken on paper towel and keep warm in oven. Repeat until all chicken has been fried. Drain the oil from the wok. Add green onions and hot pepper to the wok and stir fry for 30 seconds. Stir sauce mixture in with the onions and pepper in the wok, and cook until thick. You will see it begin to bubble and thicken. Add chicken and broccoli to sauce and mix together quickly. Cook for just 1-2 minutes and serve over rice. Note: Want crispier chicken, and serve the sauce separate? Add about 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of water and 2 dashes of soy sauce to to the sauce mixture with the broccoli and serve separately.

GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the chicken, mix the egg white with the potato flour in a bowl, then add the soy sauce, Shaohsing wine (or sherry) and the chicken. Turn the chicken over to coat it.
• For the sauce, mix together the tomato purée, 2-3 tbsp water, potato flour, soy sauces, rice vinegar, sugar and Shaohsing wine and set this aside. Snip the chillies into 5cm lengths, discarding the seeds.
• Heat the oil in a wok and cook the garlic, ginger and chillies over a medium heat until they're aromatic and beginning to soften, but not brown.
• Mix the cornflour and plain flour for the coating with salt and pepper and tip into a broad shallow bowl. Working with one piece of chicken at a time, dip it in the flour mix and set the pieces onto a tray.
• Pour enough oil into a deep pan to come 8cm up the sides. Heat until it reaches 200C (if you drop in a test piece of chicken, it should sizzle straight away). Carefully add half the chicken pieces and fry until they're crisp and golden - agitating the pieces to make sure they don't stick together - about 4 mins. Lift the pieces out with a slotted spoon onto a double layer of kitchen paper. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
• Heat the wok, add the sauce mixture to the garlic, ginger and chillies in there and cook, stirring, until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Add the chicken and half the spring onions and warm everything through. Serve with the sesame seeds and the rest of the spring onions scattered on top. This doesn't give you huge servings so it's best to offer another dish with it, as well as boiled rice.

GENERAL'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the fried chicken: Score skin side of breast and thigh with a sharp knife to promote even cooking while keeping the meat moist and tender.
• Whisk together eggs and hot sauce in a bowl. Add flour to a separate bowl. Add chicken pieces first to egg mixture, then transfer to flour, coating every nook and cranny.
• Remove any excess flour from chicken and transfer to a sheet tray.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 300 degrees F. Add chicken thigh and breast and let cook 3 minutes, then add the wing and drumstick. Let cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of each piece (not touching bone) registers 160 degrees F, about 9 minutes more. Let cool. (See Cook's Note.)
• For General's sauce: Heat soy oil in a wok (or medium saucepot) and add ginger. Cook until water from ginger is evaporated, then add garlic and cook until aromatic. Add sugar little by little, stirring continuously, and cook over medium heat until a caramel color is reached, about 20 minutes. Add Shaoxing wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add vinegar and arbol chile. Turn down heat and let simmer while making slurry.
• For the slurry: Add soy sauce and mushroom seasoning to a small bowl and very slowly whisk in cornstarch. If the mixture seems too thick, add a bit of white vinegar to dilute.
• Slowly, whisk slurry mixture into wok, and cook until slurry has thickened the sauce like a proper maple syrup and the cornstarch chalkiness has left completely.
• Bring the oil in the deep-fryer back to 350 degrees F. Fry all chicken pieces together again until skin is golden brown, crispy, and delicious.
• Remove chicken from fryer and dip in sauce (making sure every little piece is smothered in saucy goodness).
• With metal tongs, place the saucy chicken on a really cute plate or your most cherished hardcover novel.
• For garnish: Garnish with chile oil, chile flakes, peanuts, orange segments and a gentle adornment of cilantro to create the most gorgeous display of a half a chicken you've ever seen (and tasted).

MEAN GUY'S GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, thoroughly blend the 1/2 cup of cornstarch and the eggs; add the chicken and toss to coat.
• If the mixture is too thick, add some vegetable oil to separate the pieces.
• In a small bowl, prepare the sauce mixture by combining the 2 tsp cornstarch with the wine, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce.
• First-Stage Frying: Heat 1-2 inches of peanut oil in a wok to medium-high heat (350-400).
• Fry the chicken in small batches, just long enough to cook the chicken through.
• Remove the chicken to absorbent paper and allow to stand (this step can be performed well in advance, along with the sauce mixture, with both refrigerated).
• Second-Stage Frying: Leave a tablespoon or two of the oil in the wok.
• Add the pepper pods to the oil and stir-fry briefly, awakening the aroma but not burning them.
• Return the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until the pieces are crispy brown.
• The General's Favorite Sauce: Add the sauce-mixture to the wok, tossing over the heat until the sauce caramelizes into a glaze (1-2 minutes).
• Serve immediately.
• Serves 4, along with steamed broccoli and rice.