Recipe by Chef Heidi Fink
General Tao Chicken
- Prep time 30 mins
- Cook time 30 mins
- Ready in 1 hour
- Yield Serves 4
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This Chinese takeout classic is easy to make at home and so delicious.
Ingredients
- Chicken
- Sauce
- Garnish:
Directions
- Chicken: Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Place in a bowl and mix in the 4 tsp of vegetable oil and the salt. Stir well and set aside while prepping the sauce ingredients (see below).
- When sauce ingredients are prepped, contnue with the chicken. Add egg to the chicken and mix well. In a large bowl, have the cornstarch (or mix of starches) ready. After the egg has mixed onto the chicken, drain off any excess egg, leaving enough to coat the chicken well. Transfer chicken to the bowl with the starch, mixing well to coat every piece with starch. Add more starch if necessary.
- Heat a cast iron pan with about ½ cup of oil over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add chicken in one layer and fry on all sides until crispy. You may need to do this in batches, adding more oil, if necessary. Alternatively, deep fry the chicken.
- When chicken is cooked through and crispy, remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Sauce: Remove seeds from the dried chilis and place in a little bowl. Mince the garlic and ginger and mix together in a little bowl.
- Mix together the sauce ingredients (from 3 Tb soy sauce through to 2 tsp cornstarch) in a bowl and set aside.
- Slice the green onion and set aside.
- Heat a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2 Tb of vegetable oil and the dried chilis. Let sizzle until the chilis just start to darken, then add the garlic and ginger. Stir-fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds, then add the remaining sauce ingredients. Mixing vigorously the whole time, cook the sauce until it boils and thickens and looks glossy.
- Add the deep-fried chicken and toss (or stir) to coat evenly with the sauce. Stir in the sliced green onions and serve immediately. with rice.
