How to Make General Tsao's Chicken at Home

I had a friend who came from Korea with her husband. She had no clue how to prepare the customary American dishes that her husband loved. I loved Chinese food and had no idea how to cook any Chinese food recipe. We combined our friendship with our love of cooking and learned how to create each other's favorite dishes. She learned how to make things like pasta salad, beef stew, and lasagna. I learned lo mein, fried rice, and Spicy Chicken. She called it Spicy Chicken, but I recognized it from the restaurant I went to as General Tsao's Chicken.

There are variations of Chinese food recipes. Each region may have used the same spices and oils. However there are many differences in the way the dishes can come together. Here is the Chinese food recipe this lovely little lady taught me for General Tsao's Chicken.

SAUCE:
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger root
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white rice vinegar
1/2 cup hot chicken broth
1 teaspoon monosodium glutamate (MSG) (optional)
Mix these together until the sugar is dissolved

Chicken:
3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 egg
1 cup cornstarch
Add the chicken, soy sauce, pepper, and egg in large bowl. Mix this thoroughly. Now start to dredge the meat with the cornstarch. Use all the cornstarch and make sure the chicken is well coated.

Cooking:
1 cup sesame oil
2 cups chopped green onions
16 chile peppers (dried/chopped if desired)
Add sesame oil to hot wok or deep skillet. Add the onions and peppers. Stir lightly. Add the chicken and allow to cook for a few minutes to allow it to get a little crispy. You do not want to cook it completely, maybe only about 3 minutes. Add the sauce all at once and continue cooking until the chicken is done and the sauce is the desired consistency. You can add water or cornstarch to get the sauce the consistency you like.

It is actually rather easy to prepare Chinese food recipes. You just need to know which ingredients go together. If the meat is crunchy, the vegetables, if there are any, usually are not. If the vegetables are crunchy, like in a stir fry, the meat is tender and juicy. Chinese food recipes are created not only for taste but texture and presentation.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do.