Every now and then we treat ourselves at a nearby Chinese restaurant. And our favorite dish is General Tso's chicken. So recently we tried to make some at home. The only recipe we could find called for soy sauce, white vinegar, garlic, ginger root, chili peppers etc. Came out edible, but not good enough to try again. Had a pronounced soy sauce/vinegar flavor, although it was about the right amount of "hot". Anybody got a good recipe for this? Thanks

-- Brad (homefixer@mix-net.net), April 02, 2000

Answers

General Tso's Favorite Chicken: Marinade: 3T. Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, l 1/2 T. oyster-flavored sauce, 2t. cornstarch, 1# boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces. Sauce: 1/4 c. chicken brothe, 1T. rice vinegar, 1T regular soy sauce, 1T dark soy sauce, 1T sugar, 2t. sesame oil. 2T cooking oil, 6 small dried red chilies, 1T. minced garlic, 2t. minced ginger, 2 green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths, 1/2t. crushed dried red chilies, l 1/2t. cornstarch dissolved in 1T water, 1/4 c. roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped. Getting Ready: Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Plaace chicken in marinade and turn to coat. Let stand for 10 min., Combine sauce ingredients in a bowl. Cooking: Place a wok over high heat until hot. Add oil, swirling to coat sides. Add chilies and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry for 2 min. Add garlic, ginger, green onions, and crushed chilies; stir-fry for 1 min. Add sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 min. Add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens. Place chicken on a serving plate and sprinkle with peanuts.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 02, 2000.

You might want to check out Martin Yan's (Yan Can Cook, was on pbs). Do a search for his name or www.assianconnections.com

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 02, 2000.

Good question and thanks for the answer. That's my favorite Chinese recipe, but I never thought I could make it at home!Now I'll give it a try.

-- Jennifer (jkmills@freewwweb.com), April 03, 2000.

Here is the one I use. Works for me here on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands.

General Tso's Chicken

3/4 lb Boneless chicken breast 2 ts Dark soy sauce 2 ts Rice wine or dry sherry 1 ts Finely chopped ginger root 1 ts Cornstarch 1 ts Sesame oil 1/3 c Oil, preferably peanut 2 Dried red chiles - cut in half lengthwise 1 tb Chopped fresh orange peel OR 2 ts - dried citrus peel -(soaked & coarsely chopped) 1/2 ts Roasted Sichuan peppercorns * (finely ground), optional 2 ts Dark soy sauce 1/4 ts Salt 1 ts Sugar 1/2 ts Sesame oil

CUT CHICKEN INTO THIN SLICES 2 inches long, cutting against the grain. Put it into a bowl together with the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, ginger, cornstarch and 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Mix well, and then let the mixture marinate for about 20 minutes. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet until it is very hot. Remove the chicken from the marinade with a slotted spoon. Add it to the pan and stir-fry it for 2 minutes until it browns. Remove it and leave to drain in a colander or sieve. Pour off most of the oil, leaving about 2 teaspoons. Reheat the pan over a high heat and then add the dried chiles. Stir-fry them for 10 seconds, and then return the chicken to the pan. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir-fry for 4 minutes, mixing well. Serve the dish at once.

Add toasted sesme seeds to make sesame chicken.

-- Merv Baer (mervb@viaccess.net), May 08, 2002.