How to Make General TSO's Chicken like the Experts

I love General TSO's Chicken. I do not know who he is or if the general is a person, but I love his chicken. General TSO's chicken is a Chinese food you will find at many Chinese restaurants. Each Chinese restaurant have their own variation. These variations can go from slightly spicy to extremely spicy. I like my General TSO's chicken somewhere in the middle. Check out the recipe.

Things You Will Need

• A deep fryer or a pan (Wok)

• Vegetable oil

• 1lb. of boneless skinless chicken. Chicken breast is preferred (cut into small chunks)

• 5 dried chili peppers

• 3 green onions (sliced)

• 3 eggs (beaten)

• ½ cup of corn starch

• 4 tablespoons of rice vinegar

• 5 tablespoons of rice wine

• 3 tablespoons of sugar

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch

• Olive oil

• White rice

1. Buy the ingredients for General TSO's chicken. You can buy most of the ingredients at the supermarket. You can find chili peppers, rice vinegar, and rice wine at a Chinese store. You may also buy a Wok at your local Chinese store. If you cannot find a Chinese store (in your area) look it up in the Yellow Pages.

2. Cook the chicken and cut it into small pieces. General TSO's chicken at your local Chinese is cut in small pieces. If you like larger pieces, cut them the way you prefer.

3. In a large mixing bowl combine ½ cup of cornstarch and three beaten eggs. Mix well to create a batter. Add the chicken bits and coat thoroughly.

4. Heat the deep fryer or Wok to 375 degrees. Deep fry chicken bit in batches. When one batch is done, dry the grease off on a paper towel. Continue this process until you have cooked all of the chicken pieces. You are getting closer to enjoying your own home cooked General TSO's chicken. Can you taste it yet?

5. To make the sauce for your General TSO's chicken-In a small bowl combine rice vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce, and sugar. Wait on the cornstarch for a minute. Decide how thick or thin you want your sauce for the General TSO's chicken. Some people will not use the cornstarch. Other people will use the cornstarch to thicken up the sauce. Do what you prefer.

6. Get your Wok ready for cooking. Add one to two tablespoons of olive oil to your Wok. Add dried chili peppers to your Wok and stir fry for thirty seconds. This is where you decide how spicy you want your General TSO's chicken. Add more chili peppers for spicier chicken, less for not so spicy chicken.

7. Get your rice cooker ready. Put some white rice in the rice cooker and put it on cook. If you don't have a rice cooker (unlucky you) cook your rice in a pan. You will need rice to fully enjoy your General TSO's chicken.

8. Add the chicken bits to the Wok and stir fry for a couple of minutes

9. Add the sauce to the mixture and stir fry. If you used cornstarch, you will have to lower the heat. If you don't, the sauce will thicken too fast, and become a sticky mess. Cook on low heat until the General TSO's chicken is done. You will know this by the thickening sauce or the sauce coming to a boil. Again, this is determined by the use or cornstarch.

10. Take your onions and cut them up, use them as a garnish on your General TSO's chicken. Put the General TSO's chicken over your white rice and enjoy. This recipe should feed three to four hungry people.

Tips

• The amount of chili peppers will determine the spiciness of the meal

• Sauce with corn starch will cook too quickly if the Wok is too hot

• Buy a rice cooker

• Buy a Wok

• You can have more sauce by doubling the sauce ingredients