General Tsao's Chicken

This General Tso’s chicken is nothing like the battered, deep-fried takeout version. Thin-sliced chicken breast gets marinated in soy sauce, rice wine, ginger, and cornstarch, then stir-fried in a screaming-hot wok until browned. Dried chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, orange zest, and dried citrus peel build layers of heat, numbing spice, and fragrant citrus.

The marinade does double duty. The soy sauce and rice wine season the chicken while the cornstarch creates a thin, silky coating that helps it brown and hold onto the sauce. Twenty minutes of marinating is enough for thin-sliced breast meat to absorb the flavors.

Stir-frying the dried chilies in hot oil for just 10 seconds before adding the chicken back releases their smoky heat into the oil without burning them. Burnt dried chilies taste acrid and bitter, so that brief flash in the wok is enough.

Kitchen Tips

• Cut against the grain for tender slices. Cutting with the grain gives you stringy, chewy pieces.
• Get the wok ripping hot before adding the chicken. If the oil isn’t nearly smoking, the chicken will steam and turn gray instead of searing brown.
• Drain the chicken after the first fry. Excess oil makes the final dish greasy.
• Roast and grind the Sichuan peppercorns fresh for the most potent numbing sensation. Pre-ground loses its punch fast.

Variations

• Add roasted peanuts in the final stir-fry for crunch.
• Use dark meat (thigh) for juicier, more forgiving results. Breast dries out fast if overcooked.
• Serve over steamed rice or alongside stir-fried broccoli.