Directions
- 1Cut chicken into approximately 2-inch chunks.
- 2Combine 2 egg whites, 3 Tbsp dark soy sauce, 3 Tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine, and 3 Tbsp vodka; beat until frothy.
- 3Pour out about half of the frothy mixture into another bowl and set aside for later.
- 4To the remaining half of the mixture, add 3 Tbsp cornstarch and 1/4 tsp baking soda; whisk until no lumps remain.
- 5Add the chicken chunks to this marinade and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- 6In a large bowl, combine 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup cornstarch, a little salt, Benefiber, and 1 tsp baking powder; whisk together.
- 7Re-whip the reserved marinade until very frothy again.
- 8Add about half of the re-whipped marinade to the dry breading mixture and whisk until nice clumps form.
- 9Shake off excess moisture from the marinated chicken and drop it into the breading mixture.
- 10Toss the chicken in the breading using a large bowl until evenly coated.
- 11Heat about a quart of oil in a wok to 375°F for shallow frying.
- 12Carefully drop the breaded chicken into the hot oil, avoiding splashes.
- 13Fry the chicken in batches, maintaining a high oil temperature, until cooked through and crispy.
- 14Drain the fried chicken by initially placing it on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet half-covered with paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- 15Once oil is absorbed, move the chicken to the uncovered part of the rack to maintain crispiness.
- 16Keep the fried chicken warm and crispy in a low 200°F oven until ready to serve.
- 17Prepare orange peel by getting nice big swaths of pithless rind and slicing them comically thinly into tiny strips.
- 18Peel and grate 4 cloves of garlic and 2 inches of frozen ginger.
- 19In a bowl, combine 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar, 4 Tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp roasted sesame oil, 4 Tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine, 4 Tbsp chicken stock, 3 Tbsp honey, 1 tsp oyster sauce, 1 tsp hoisin sauce, and 1 Tbsp cornstarch; whisk well.
- 20Taste the sauce and add about 1 Tbsp of plain sugar if more sweetness is desired.
- 21Heat 1-2 Tbsp of the deep-fry oil in the wok.
- 22Grate the frozen ginger directly into the hot oil.
- 23Crush 4 cloves of garlic into the wok.
- 24Add chili stir or dried Chinese chilies and orange peel to the wok; mix and let them get some nice dry heat.
- 25Add scallion whites to the wok and toss around.
- 26Add the pre-combined liquid sauce mixture to the wok; it should start to thicken immediately.
- 27Slice scallion greens on the bias and add a bunch to the sauce.
- 28Add the fried chicken to the sauce and toss carefully to coat.
- 29Garnish with plenty of scallion greens and toasted sesame seeds.
- 30For the easier version, combine ground chicken with 2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp roasted sesame seed oil, 2 tsp Shaoxing cooking wine, 1 tsp rice wine vinegar, and some garlic powder; mix it up.
- 31For the easier sauce, pre-combine 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 tsp rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp roasted sesame seed oil, 1 tsp chili flake, 1/2 cup chicken stock, and 3.5 tbsp brown sugar; whisk until sugar mostly dissolves.
- 32For the dredge, combine 1/3 cup cornstarch, 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, some salt, and some sesame seeds; mix well.
- 33Form the ground chicken mixture into General Tso's-sized chunks, press them together, and drop them into the dredge.
- 34Toss the chicken chunks in the dredge until coated.
- 35Shallow fry the breaded chicken chunks in a nonstick pan until nice color is achieved on one side, then flip.
- 36Remove the fried chicken from the pan and place on a platter while frying the rest.
- 37Leave about 2 tsp of fat and flour in the pan.
- 38Add scallion whites, grated frozen ginger, and crushed garlic to the pan; sauté briefly.
- 39Give the pre-combined sauce one last whisk and add it to the pan; it should thicken with the flour in there.
- 40If the sauce is too thin, grab some of the flour-oil mixture from the pan to thicken it further.
- 41Add the fried chicken to the sauce and toss to coat.
Ingredients
- chicken, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 2 egg whites
- 3 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
- 3 Tbsp vodka
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch
- 0.25 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornstarch
- salt
- Benefiber (wheat dextrin)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 quart oil
- orange peel
- orange juice
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 inches ginger
- 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 4 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp roasted sesame oil
- 4 Tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine
- 4 Tbsp chicken stock
- 3 Tbsp honey
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp hoisin sauce
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- chili stir or dried Chinese chilies
- scallion whites
- scallion greens
- toasted sesame seeds
- chili oil
- ground chicken
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp roasted sesame seed oil
- 2 tsp Shaoxing cooking wine
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tsp roasted sesame seed oil
- 1 tsp chili flake
- 0.5 cup chicken stock
- 3.5 tbsp brown sugar
- 0.33 cup cornstarch
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- salt
- sesame seeds
- scallion whites
- grated ginger
- crushed garlic
Equipment
large bowlwhiskwokrimmed baking sheetrackpaper towelovennonstick pan
Tips
- For crispy coating, use only egg whites as yolks contain fat.
- Marinate chicken at room temperature for 30 minutes to avoid over-tenderizing.
- Use Benefiber (wheat dextrin) in breading to keep chicken crispier longer.
- Toss chicken in a large bowl to bread instead of massaging by hand to avoid flattening the breading.
- Drain fried chicken first on paper towels on a rack, then move to the uncovered part of the rack for the crispiest results.
- Keep fried chicken warm and crispy in a 200°F oven.
- Freeze ginger to make grating easier and prevent it from becoming a goo.
Related recipes
Sweet and Sour Sauce
Chinese · Drink
Orange Chicken
Chinese · Drink
Da Hong Pao Milk Tea
Chinese · Drink
Bourbon Chicken
Chinese · Drink
Classic Orange Chicken
Chinese · Drink
Bang Bang Chicken
Chinese · Drink
Papa TeaPapa Tea's Orange Chicken
Chinese · Drink
Crispy Honey Lemon Chinese Chicken
Chinese · Drink
One Pan Meal with Ground Beef
Chinese · Drink
Sweet and Sour Chicken & Rice Bowl
Chinese · Drink50m
HOISIN MUSHROOM ‘DUCK’ SANDWICHES
Chinese · Drink21m
Caramelised Soy Chicken with Rice
Chinese · Drink