Best General Guys Chinese Chicken Recipes

GENERAL'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the fried chicken: Score skin side of breast and thigh with a sharp knife to promote even cooking while keeping the meat moist and tender.
• Whisk together eggs and hot sauce in a bowl. Add flour to a separate bowl. Add chicken pieces first to egg mixture, then transfer to flour, coating every nook and cranny.
• Remove any excess flour from chicken and transfer to a sheet tray.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 300 degrees F. Add chicken thigh and breast and let cook 3 minutes, then add the wing and drumstick. Let cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of each piece (not touching bone) registers 160 degrees F, about 9 minutes more. Let cool. (See Cook's Note.)
• For General's sauce: Heat soy oil in a wok (or medium saucepot) and add ginger. Cook until water from ginger is evaporated, then add garlic and cook until aromatic. Add sugar little by little, stirring continuously, and cook over medium heat until a caramel color is reached, about 20 minutes. Add Shaoxing wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add vinegar and arbol chile. Turn down heat and let simmer while making slurry.
• For the slurry: Add soy sauce and mushroom seasoning to a small bowl and very slowly whisk in cornstarch. If the mixture seems too thick, add a bit of white vinegar to dilute.
• Slowly, whisk slurry mixture into wok, and cook until slurry has thickened the sauce like a proper maple syrup and the cornstarch chalkiness has left completely.
• Bring the oil in the deep-fryer back to 350 degrees F. Fry all chicken pieces together again until skin is golden brown, crispy, and delicious.
• Remove chicken from fryer and dip in sauce (making sure every little piece is smothered in saucy goodness).
• With metal tongs, place the saucy chicken on a really cute plate or your most cherished hardcover novel.
• For garnish: Garnish with chile oil, chile flakes, peanuts, orange segments and a gentle adornment of cilantro to create the most gorgeous display of a half a chicken you've ever seen (and tasted).

GENERAL TSAO'S CHICKEN II

Steps:

• Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken cubes; sprinkle with salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and white pepper; mix well. Mix in 1 cup of cornstarch a little bit at a time until the chicken cubes are well coated.
• In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until they turns golden brown and begin to float, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to cool as you fry the next batch. Once all of the chicken has been fried, refry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Cook until the chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the green onion, garlic, whole chiles, and orange zest. Cook and stir a minute or two until the garlic has turned golden and the chiles brighten. Add 1/2 cup sugar, the ginger, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut oil; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
• Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into the water, and stir into the boiling sauce. Return to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch, about 1 minute. Stir the chicken into the boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook for a few minutes until the chicken absorbs some of the sauce.

GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the chicken: Place your broccoli florets in a medium bowl and add 2 tablespoons water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 2 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside until ready to use.
• Heat the oil in a 4-quart (3.8-liter) Dutch oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) using a frying thermometer. Rinse the chicken in cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Mix 1 1/2 cups (335 grams) of the tempura flour and 1 cup (240 milliliters) water into a thick batter. It should look like thick pancake batter. Dredge the chicken cubes in the 1 cup (223 grams) of tempura flour and then coat them in the batter. Fry them in two batches until golden brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain the chicken on paper towels or a rack.
• Heat a wok or large skillet to high and add 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) of oil. When you see the first wisps of white smoke, stir in the fried chicken, onion, chiles, broccoli, and 1/3 of the ginger and garlic and cook them for about 30 seconds.
• For the sauce: While the chicken cooks, add the oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, sugar, white vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch slurry, red food coloring if using, 1/3 cup water and the remaining chopped ginger and garlic into a 1-quart (946-millileter) saucepan and bring the heat up to medium. Whisk gently as it comes to a simmer. Allow it to simmer and keep whisking it for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and reserve it.
• Stir in the sauce and allow it to coat the chicken and simmer. Cook it, folding all the ingredients until they are well coated, about 2 minutes. Garnish with the scallions.

GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• Bring oil to between 350 and 375 degrees F. Cut chicken into chunks, then mix together with cornstarch. Fry in oil.
• For the sauce: Mix together soy sauce, sugar, hoisin, vinegar, cornstarch, garlic, ginger, chili flakes and 1/2 cup water. Toss fried chicken in sauce, then serve.

MEAN GUY'S GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, thoroughly blend the 1/2 cup of cornstarch and the eggs; add the chicken and toss to coat.
• If the mixture is too thick, add some vegetable oil to separate the pieces.
• In a small bowl, prepare the sauce mixture by combining the 2 tsp cornstarch with the wine, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce.
• First-Stage Frying: Heat 1-2 inches of peanut oil in a wok to medium-high heat (350-400).
• Fry the chicken in small batches, just long enough to cook the chicken through.
• Remove the chicken to absorbent paper and allow to stand (this step can be performed well in advance, along with the sauce mixture, with both refrigerated).
• Second-Stage Frying: Leave a tablespoon or two of the oil in the wok.
• Add the pepper pods to the oil and stir-fry briefly, awakening the aroma but not burning them.
• Return the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until the pieces are crispy brown.
• The General's Favorite Sauce: Add the sauce-mixture to the wok, tossing over the heat until the sauce caramelizes into a glaze (1-2 minutes).
• Serve immediately.
• Serves 4, along with steamed broccoli and rice.

GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN (TSO CHUNG GAI)

Steps:

• Mix together egg, salt, black pepper, and cornstarch in a bowl.
• Add the chicken cubes; mix to coat, and marinate for at least 15 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic, ginger,hoisin sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, and sherry for the sauce; reserve.
• Heat wok over high heat for a minute or so; add about 3 1/2-4 cups of peanut oil to wok, and heat to 350 degrees F.
• With tongs, remove chicken cubes individually from bowl, dust with 1 tbsp. cornstarch, shaking off excess, and place in the hot oil.
• Deep-fry chicken pieces for 1 1/2-2 minutes, until browned and crisp.
• turn off heat, and remove chicken with a wire strainer and drain over a bowl.
• Pour off all but 1 1/2 tbsp. of the oil from the wok.
• Heat the wok over high heat for 20-30 seconds; add the chilies and stir-fry for 15-20 seconds, then add the green onions, cooking for 30 seconds more.
• Add the chicken and cook, stirring, for 1 minute; remove all from wok and set aside.
• Stir sauce mixture into wok,stirring well, until sauce thickens into a nice glaze
• add chicken and chilis/onions back into the wok, stirring until everything is well coated, about 1 1/2-2 minutes.
• Place on platter; and garnish with steamed broccoli florets.
• Serve with rice.