Quick Answer: What Is General Tso’s Chicken?
General Tso’s chicken (左宗棠鸡, Zuǒ Zōngtáng jī) is best known today as crisp fried chicken coated in a sweet, tangy, mildly spicy sauce. It is a familiar Chinese American restaurant dish, often served with broccoli and rice.[1]
- Its documented story connects a Hunan-born chef, Taiwan and later New York, rather than the general’s own kitchen.[4]
- Restaurant-style deep frying and home skillet methods produce different coatings.[1]
- Cook the chicken to 165°F/74°C before relying on a brief final toss in sauce.[5]
The recipe below gives one complete skillet version, rather than reproducing an earlier Taiwanese formula.
The useful cooking sequence is to prepare the sauce, crisp the chicken, then combine them briefly. That keeps the sauce stage short and gives you control over the coating before it meets moisture.[3]
Taiwanese Origins and Chinese American Versions
Chef Peng Chang-kuei (彭长贵, Péng Chángguì) described creating his version in 1950s Taiwan, drawing on the spicy, sour and salty flavours of his home province. He later added sugar when serving it in 1970s New York. The namesake, Zuo Zongtang (左宗棠, Zuǒ Zōngtáng), was a nineteenth-century Hunan military leader; the named dish developed much later.[4]
- Peng’s earlier flavour profile: An emphasis on chili, sourness and salt, connected to Hunan cooking through the chef’s background.[4]
- Chinese American restaurant profile: Crisp chicken pieces with a sweeter, glossy sauce, often accompanied by broccoli. Individual restaurants differ in sweetness, coating and heat.[1]
These are useful reference points for understanding Chinese and Chinese American food traditions. They do not establish one recipe as the only legitimate version.
Ingredients for a Skillet Version
Keep the coating and sauce cornstarch quantities separate.[2]
- Chicken and coating: 450 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2.5 cm pieces; 1 tablespoon neutral oil; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 beaten egg; ½ cup cornstarch.[2]
- Sauce: 80 ml chicken stock; 2 tablespoons Chinkiang vinegar (镇江香醋, Zhènjiāng xiāngcù); 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒, Shàoxīng jiǔ); 1 tablespoon each light soy sauce (生抽, shēngchōu) and dark soy sauce (老抽, lǎochōu); ¼ cup sugar; 1 tablespoon cornstarch.[2]
- For the pan: 3 tablespoons neutral oil; 7–8 dried red chilies; 2 teaspoons minced ginger; 4 minced garlic cloves.[2]
How to Make General Tso Chicken in a Pan
- Prepare the sauce and chicken. Mix sauce ingredients separately. Combine chicken, its 1 tablespoon oil and salt; refrigerate for 10–15 minutes.[2][5]
- Coat and pan-fry. Mix the beaten egg into the chicken, then add the ½ cup cornstarch. Heat the pan’s 3 tablespoons oil in a heavy skillet and spread chicken in one layer. Use batches if needed. Brown both sides, about 2–3 minutes per side as a guide; verify 165°F/74°C in the centre of the larger pieces.[2][5]
- Make the glossy sauce. Transfer chicken to a clean plate. Take the skillet off heat for 2–3 minutes, then return to medium heat. Cook chilies, garlic and ginger briefly until fragrant; stir the sauce again, pour it in and simmer while stirring until thickened.[2]
- Toss briefly and serve. Return the fully cooked chicken to the thickened sauce, turn to coat and plate promptly. A quick final coating preserves more crispness than simmering the fried pieces in sauce.[1][3]
Rice and steamed greens make straightforward accompaniments. Broccoli can be served beside the chicken rather than being part of the frying mixture.[1][3]
FAQs About General Tso’s Chicken
Is it an old dish from Hunan?
The chef’s Hunan background is part of the story, but the named recipe described above was developed in Taiwan in the twentieth century. It should not be presented as a dish cooked by General Tso himself.[4]
Can I use chicken breast?
Yes. Cut it into similarly sized pieces and monitor doneness closely: breast is less forgiving of extended frying than thigh. Stop relying on colour alone and check the same 165°F/74°C endpoint.[3][5]
Why does the coating go soft?
A crowded pan makes crisp browning harder, and the coating takes up moisture from the sauce. Brown the chicken first, thicken the sauce separately and toss just before serving. Serve promptly for the best contrast between crust and sauce.[3]
How should I keep and reheat leftovers?
Refrigerate in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Keep at 40°F/4°C or colder for 3–4 days and reheat to 165°F/74°C. The coating will be softer after storage.[3][6]
Sources
[1] Bill Leung. General Tso’s Chicken
[2] Maggie Zhu. General Tso’s Chicken: Crispy Chicken Without Deep-Frying
[3] Nagi Maehashi. General Tso’s Chicken
[4] Fuchsia Dunlop. General Tso and His Chicken
[5] Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chicken and Food Poisoning
[6] U.S. Department of Agriculture. How Do I Handle Leftovers Safely?