PProvenance
Enter
Cooking in
Summerland · the Okanagan
Nearest city · Kelowna Change
General Tso's Chicken
American · New York

General Tso's Chicken

General Tso's chicken is a Chinese-American creation — there is no General Tso's chicken in China. The dish was developed in the 1970s in New York by Taiwanese chef Peng Chang-kuei, and bears little resemblance to Hunanese cooking. However, as an expression of Chinese-American cooking at its best, it is worthy of serious treatment: boneless chicken, crispy-fried in a light batter, tossed in a sweet-hot-sour-savoury sauce of soy, vinegar, sugar, and dried chillies.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
Serves4
Total35 min
Within reach0of 4 in Summerland

Four not yet within reach.

How the 4 are reached
Not yet within reach
4 · neutral oil, fresh ginger, soy sauce, roasted cashews
Cook
‹ Previous · Easter Simnel Cake|Next · Green Goddess Salad (Tahini, Herb and Lemon Build) ›
I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

600 g
chicken breast
cut into 2 cm cubes
Your own market
30 ml
neutral oil
Not yet within reach of Summerland · each reach is counted
4 cloves
garlic
minced
Your own market
15 g
fresh ginger
minced
Origin · New ZealandNot yet within reach of Summerland · each reach is counted
3
dried red chilies
whole
Your own market
60 ml
rice vinegar
Your own market
45 ml
soy sauce
Not yet within reach of Summerland · each reach is counted
30 g
caster sugar
Your own market
5 ml
sesame oil
Your own market
240 ml
chicken stock
Your own market
15 g
cornstarch mixed with 30 ml water
Your own market
2
scallions
cut into 2 cm pieces
Your own market
8
roasted cashews
whole (optional)
Origin · IndiaNot yet within reach of Summerland · each reach is counted

Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.

The larder of Summerland →
II

The Method

1
Heat neutral oil in wok over high heat; stir-fry chicken in batches until 60% cooked, about 3 minutes per batch. Set aside.
2
Add ginger, garlic, and dried chilies; toast for 30 seconds until fragrant.
3
Deglaze with rice vinegar; add soy sauce, sugar, and chicken stock.
4
Return chicken to wok; bring sauce to simmer and cook 8 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
5
Drizzle in cornstarch slurry while stirring until sauce thickens and coats chicken, about 1 minute.
6
Finish with sesame oil; fold in scallions and cashews if using.
7
Serve immediately over steamed white rice.
III

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where General Tso's lives or dies is the sauce temperature — the sauce must be at a rolling boil in the wok when the fried chicken is added. The hot, bubbling sauce coats the chicken immediately and caramelises slightly on contact. Cold sauce on hot chicken produces a wet coating instead of the sticky, caramelised finish.
Pillar IV
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
V

What to Pour

Pouring for London ·

The pairing
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Buffalo Trace Distillery · Kentucky Bourbon Country
Not yet stocked in London
Whisky
From London

Nothing from London holds against this yet.

Without alcohol
Golden Kiwi Fruit Tisane
Short and Stout Tea Co.
Not yet stocked in London
Traditional

Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →

The whole pairing
Pillar VI
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
The working kitchen
Cost this recipe
Part of The Profession · ingredient costs and your margin
→
HACCP brief
Part of The Profession · the food-safety plan
→
← PreviousEaster Simnel CakeOne standard · no exceptions