General Tso's Chicken with Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp 老干妈左宗棠鸡
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Author:
Souped Up Recipes
Servings
2
General Tso's Chicken was actually created in America, so it's not an authentic Chinese dish but is known for it's complex, tangy, sweet, and spicy flavors. Lao Gan Ma is perfect at replacing the chilies, adding a beautiful fragrance, introducing a nutty taste, and making an American Chinese takeout dish into something truly special.
Ingredients
To marinade and coat the chicken
- 350g / 12.3 oz boneless chicken thigh or chicken breast
- 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tbsp of Chinese cooking wine
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/3 cup of cornstarch
- 1/3 cup of all-purpose flour
To make the General Tso's sauce
- 2.5 Tbsps Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisp
- 2 tsp of minced garlic
- 1 tsp of minced ginger
- 3.5 tbsp of sugar
- 1.5 tbsp of Chinese black vinegar
- 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp of cornstarch
- 2 tbsp of water
Others
- 1.5 cups of oil for deep frying
- 3 Tbsp of diced cilantro for garnish
- 1/2 Tbsp of roasted sesame seeds to add at the end
Directions
- Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and marinade it with 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/2 tbsp of Chinese cooking wine, and 1 egg yolk. Don't waste the egg white, we gonna save it and make the Mongolian Beef Recipe.
- Combine 1/3 cup of cornstarch and 1/3 cup of flour in a bowl and stir well. Use half of the flour mixture to cover the bottom of a container. Then add the marinated chicken and spread it out. Cover the chicken with the other half of the flour mixture. Put on the lid and shake thoroughly. Once done, let the chicken sit in the flour for about 5 minutes so it can adhere more and create a thicker coating.
- Put all the coated chicken into a strainer and shake to remove the excess flour. Set the chicken aside.
- Heat 1.5 cups of oil in a wok to 360 F (182 C). Fry the chicken over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Make sure you stir constantly to ensure even cooking. Take the chicken out and let it sit for 10 minutes. The rest of the heat will continue to cook the chicken through.
- Use a fine sieve to fish out the crumbs from the oil; otherwise, they will burn during the second frying and ruin the taste of the dish.
- Increase the oil's temperature to 400F (204C) and fry it over high heat for 1-2 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown. Remove the chicken from the oil and set it aside.
- To make the General Tso's sauce, add 2.5 Tbsps of Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp, 2 tsp of minced garlic and 1 tsp of minced ginger to a wok. Saute over low heat until fragrant.
- Add 3.5 tbsp of sugar, 1.5 tbsp of Chinese black vinegar, and 1.5 tbsp soy sauce. Stir for a minute.
- Quickly mix 1 tsp of cornstarch with 2 tbsp of water until no lumps and pour it into the wok. Stir until the sauce thickens. Please be patient here to evaporate as much moisture as possible because if the sauce is too thin, it will soften the crust when mixed with the chicken.
- Add the fried chicken and toss until every piece is coated nicely. Sprinkle 3 tbsp of diced cilantro and 1/2 tbsp of roasted sesame seeds. Give it a final toss and you are done.
