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Sweet, and spicy is the combination that makes General Tso Chicken a family favorite. Pair with green beans for an easy family dinner.
Last week was my husband’s birthday so I asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner. His usual response is “I like anything you make.” And then I will ask him to be a little more specific and he will say, “chicken” and then a little more specific and I got “stir fry.” General Tso’s Chicken is one of our favorite Chinese takeout choices so that is what I decided to make for his birthday.
The dish was a total hit with everyone and I think my husband mentioned three or four times during dinner how much he liked it! It was great with fresh green beans. I think next time I may try it with snow peas or maybe even asparagus. Something green!
General Tso Chicken is a popular dish in many Chinese restaurants in the US. Althought the name of the dish comes from Zuo Zonttang, a military leader from the Hunana Province, there is no real connection between him and the dish. In fact, sometimes the dish is called General Gau Chicken.
General Tso is traditionally a sweet and fairly spicy dish because of the use of red pepper flakes. Moderate the heat in this recipe by increasing or decreasing the amount of red pepper flakes you use. The addition of brown sugar to traditional Chinese recipe ingredients like soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, give this dish the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless
- Egg Whites
- Vegetable Oil
- Light Brown Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Green beans
- Garlic
- Ginger, fresh
- Soy Sauce
- Red Pepper FlakesÂ
- Salt & Pepper
How to make General Tso Chicken
- Bring a pan of water to a boil on the stove top.
- Add the green beans and let them boil for 2-3 minutes until they are bright green and slightly tender.
- Remove them from the water into a colander and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process.
- Combine cornstarch and cold water in a bowl and stir until smooth.
- Add green beans, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of red-pepper flakes to cornstarch mixture; toss to combine and set aside
- Combine egg whites, remaining cornstarch, salt and pepper in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add chicken to egg white mixture and toss to coat
- Heat vegetable in a large nonstick skillet, add red pepper flakes.
- Lift half of the chicken from the egg white mixture, shaking off excess coating, and add to skillet.
- Cook chicken, turning occasionally, until golden. About 8-10 minutes)
- Transfer chicken to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken.
- Add the green bean mixture to the skillet
- Cover and cook until beans are tender and sauce has thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes
- Return chicken to skillet and toss to coat.
- Serve over hot rice.
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General Tso Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breast boneless, skinless, cut into one inch pieces
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 lb green beans snow peas, or asparagus trimmed and halved crosswise
- 4 tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
- 3 Tbsp light-brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1/2 – 1 tsp red-pepper flakes depending on amount of heat you want.
- 2 large egg whites
- Salt & Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth and cornstarch has dissolved
- Add snow peas (or green beans), garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of red-pepper flakes to cornstarch mixture; toss to combine and set aside
- In another bowl, whisk together the egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
- Add chicken, toss to coat
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- Lift half of the chicken from the egg white mixture (shaking off excess) and add to skillet
- Cook, turning occasionally, until golden (8-10 minutes)
- Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, adding red pepper flakes. Set aside
- Add the green bean mixture to the skillet
- Cover; cook until beans are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes
- Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat
- Serve over hot rice
Nutrition Facts:
Kimberley says
I just found this blog and this looks delish. One question, does the snow peas (or green beans), garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of red-pepper flakes go into the mixture of cornstarch and water, or different bowl? I’ve never had it before so I’m not sure what the exact prep is. Thank you!
Leigh Anne says
Yes, add the greenbeans and seasoning into the cornstarch mixture – enjoy!
Alex says
Thank you for this recipe….it came out perfectly….I made it with asparagus and added green onions that were close to wilting…excellent! Even my picky eater ate 5 pieces!
Leigh Anne says
Yum – love the idea of asparagus and green onion!
Anh Wood says
OMGosh! I made this last night and what a hit with my family. My picky eater daughter cleaned her plate. My husband enjoyed the different flavor since prior to this, I basically use Trader Joe’s “General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce” for all my asian dishes. Trader Joe’s sauce is good too; however, I love the flavor and freshness of this recipe. I made this dish exactly as stated in the recipe with the exception of reducing the amount of the pepper flakes for hubby. At first, I was hesitant about cooking the chicken in two batches since the pan I was using was quite large. However, I’m so glad I followed the recipe exactly because I think that was a great technique for the chicken to turn out so moist without being mushy. This recipe is a definite keeper. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Jane says
We had this for Sunday dinner, it was wonderful. Thank you!
Amy says
My family loves this recipe. We have it lots.