Best General Joys Chicken Recipes

JOE'S GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl until smooth. Stir in 1/2 cup of cornstarch until no lumps remain, then mix in the chicken until evenly coated in batter.
• In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until the chicken turns golden brown and begins to float, about 3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the dried peppers, and cook for about 30 seconds until the color brightens. Add the chicken, and cook for a few minutes until the chicken turns a deep, golden brown. Stir the vinegar, rice wine, sugar, soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch together in a small bowl. Pour into the wok, and boil until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy, about 2 minutes. Garnish with green onions to serve.

JOE'S GENERAL TSO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Mix all sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl, stir and refrigerate until needed.
• Cut chicken into 1-inch cubed pieces.
• Place in large bowl and add 1/4 cup soy sauce and pepper.
• Stir in egg.
• Gradually add cornstarch until well coated. Will be very sticky.
• Add up to a 1/2 cup oil as needed to separate chicken. Will still be sticky, but easier to manage.
• Fry chicken in small batches at 350 degrees until crispy. About 4 minutes per batch.
• Drain on paper towels.
• In a wok (or in a pinch use large spaghetti pot) heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium to medium high heat.
• Add chili peppers and onions Stir fry for 30 seconds.
• Add sauce mixture to wok stirring until sauce thickens to a nice glaze.
• Remove from heat.
• Add chicken stirring until well coated.
• Serve with steamed broccoli and rice.

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 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.