New York-Style General Tso's Chicken
Chicken thigh pieces in a soy, egg and cornstarch batter, deep-fried crisp at 375°F, then tossed in a glossy, sweet and spicy sauce of chicken stock, Shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, tomato paste and apricot jam with ginger, garlic and dried chiles.
In 1973 Peng Chang-kuei went to New York and opened his first restaurant on 44th Street. Fuchsia Dunlop writes that Hunanese food was unknown in the US then, and that Peng's cooking caught on when officials from the nearby United Nations, and especially Henry Kissinger, started eating there (NPR:). "When I began cooking for non-Hunanese people in the United States, I altered the recipe," Peng told her. Saveur says the sweetness arrived with that Westernized version, and that the New York Times critic Mimi Sheraton called it "a stir-fried masterpiece"; Wikipedia dates that review to 1977.
Peng was not the only claimant. Wikipedia says Shun Lee Palace credits its chef T. T. Wang with inventing the dish in 1972, and suggests the crisp-fried version may come from Wang under the name "General Ching's chicken" while the General Tso name traces to Peng. Whoever was first, the sweet, crisp dish spread from New York to takeout menus nationwide. When Peng opened a restaurant in Changsha in 1990 with the dish on the menu, Dunlop writes, it did not last; one local chef told her the dish was "too sweet." This version is from Saveur's Kat Craddock, who sweetens and thickens the sauce with apricot jam and colors it with tomato paste instead of food coloring.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Chicken thigh pieces in a soy, egg and cornstarch batter, deep-fried crisp at 375°F, then tossed in a glossy, sweet and spicy sauce of chicken stock, Shaoxing wine, rice vinegar, tomato paste and apricot jam with ginger, garlic and dried chiles.
🇹🇼 The original
Peng Chang-kuei's Taipei version is hot and sour with no sugar: crisp chicken pieces glazed with chiles, vinegar and soy. See the General Tso's Chicken, Peng Chang-kuei's Taipei Version (Hot and Sour, No Sugar) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
A thin batter
Lifting the chicken out of a loose cornstarch, egg and soy marinade leaves a light coat that fries crisp; Saveur warns that too much batter turns doughy when the chicken goes back in the sauce.
Jam as sweetener and thickener
Apricot jam brings sugar and acidity, and its pectin gives the sauce body, so it needs less cornstarch and doesn't turn gloopy.
Step by step
- Step 1
Toss the chicken with the 1/3 cup cornstarch, the egg and 2 tbsp soy sauce in a medium bowl. Marinate at room temperature 15 minutes.
- Step 2
Whisk the stock, 1 tbsp cornstarch, vinegar, wine, jam, tomato paste, 2 tbsp soy sauce and cold water in a small bowl.
- Step 3
Clip a deep-fry thermometer to a wok or deep skillet, add oil to a depth of 3 inches and heat to 375°F over medium-high heat. Lift the chicken from the marinade, shaking off the excess, and fry in batches about 4 minutes, stirring now and then, until crisp and the thickest piece reads 165°F. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Step 4
Pour the frying oil into a heatproof container to cool. Return the wok to high heat with 2 tbsp oil. Stir-fry the ginger and garlic about 20 seconds, until fragrant but not browned, then the chiles 15 to 20 seconds, until they plump and turn tobacco brown.
- Step 5
Keeping your face away from the wok, pour in the sauce; it will sizzle and steam hard. Bring it to a boil, then hold a strong simmer, stirring now and then, 7 to 10 minutes, until thick and glossy.
- Step 6
Return the chicken and stir about 2 minutes, until hot and coated. Plate it, drizzle with sesame oil if you like, scatter scallions and serve with rice.
New York-Style General Tso's Chicken
Serves 4 · 1 large platter · 55 min total
Chicken
- 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- Canola or peanut oil, for frying (about 3 inches in a wok)
Sauce
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or sherry)
- 2 tbsp apricot jam
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 cup cold water
Stir-fry and serving
- 2 tbsp canola or peanut oil
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp grated garlic
- 1/4 cup dried Tianjin or cayenne chiles
- Toasted sesame oil (optional)
- Thinly sliced scallions
- Steamed jasmine rice
Method
- Toss the chicken with the 1/3 cup cornstarch, the egg and 2 tbsp soy sauce in a medium bowl. Marinate at room temperature 15 minutes.
- Whisk the stock, 1 tbsp cornstarch, vinegar, wine, jam, tomato paste, 2 tbsp soy sauce and cold water in a small bowl.
- Clip a deep-fry thermometer to a wok or deep skillet, add oil to a depth of 3 inches and heat to 375°F over medium-high heat. Lift the chicken from the marinade, shaking off the excess, and fry in batches about 4 minutes, stirring now and then, until crisp and the thickest piece reads 165°F. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Pour the frying oil into a heatproof container to cool. Return the wok to high heat with 2 tbsp oil. Stir-fry the ginger and garlic about 20 seconds, until fragrant but not browned, then the chiles 15 to 20 seconds, until they plump and turn tobacco brown.
- Keeping your face away from the wok, pour in the sauce; it will sizzle and steam hard. Bring it to a boil, then hold a strong simmer, stirring now and then, 7 to 10 minutes, until thick and glossy.
- Return the chicken and stir about 2 minutes, until hot and coated. Plate it, drizzle with sesame oil if you like, scatter scallions and serve with rice.
Adapted from Saveur (Kat Craddock), "How To Make General Tso's Chicken" (published April 30, 2019; updated May 27, 2021), serves 4. We follow it as written: 1 1/2 lb chicken thighs in 2-inch pieces with 1/3 cup cornstarch, an egg and 2 tbsp soy sauce for 15 minutes; a sauce of 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock, 1 tbsp cornstarch, rice vinegar, Shaoxing wine, 2 tbsp apricot jam, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1/2 cup cold water; frying at 375°F about 4 minutes per batch; about 20 seconds for the ginger and garlic, 15 to 20 seconds for the chiles, 7 to 10 minutes of simmering and about 2 minutes with the chicken. Saveur cooks the chicken until "cooked through"; the 165°F check is ours. Saveur. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (3)
Tips
- Saveur prefers dark meat; it stays juicy through frying and saucing.
- Tianjin chiles are easier to find than Sichuan or Hunan facing-heaven chiles; dried cayenne chiles are a near substitute.
- For less heat, snip the stems and shake out the seeds before frying the chiles.
- Manzanilla sherry can stand in for Shaoxing wine, Saveur says.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Peng Chang-kuei invented General Tso's chicken. Disputed: Peng told Dunlop he created it in Taiwan in the 1950s; Shun Lee Palace says T. T. Wang created it in New York in 1972 (Wikipedia).
- The sweet version is Peng's own. Documented as Peng's words to Dunlop: he altered the recipe for American diners.
- General Tso's is unknown in China. Disputed: Dunlop says it is virtually unknown in Hunan but that some Hunan chefs and cookbooks have adopted it; Saveur says the American version now appears at Hong Kong's Mott 32.
- Restaurant General Tso's gets its color from food coloring. Folklore: Saveur says its tomato paste colors the sauce "without relying on artificial coloring" but does not say restaurants use it.
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