Crispy General Tao's Chicken

This is the takeout craving, made at home in about twenty-five minutes and arguably better than the box. Crispy chicken breast gets tossed in a glossy sweet-and-savory sauce built on real ginger, garlic, and a whisper of chili heat.

The trick to clean, thin slices: cut the chicken while it’s still semi-frozen so the knife glides instead of tearing. Dredge the pieces in peppered flour, shake off every speck of excess, and fry just one to two minutes until golden. Crowd the oil and the temperature drops, leaving you with pale, soggy chicken instead of crisp.

Here’s the move borrowed from real wok cooking: pour off most of the oil, then bloom the red pepper flakes in what’s left to perfume it before the sauce goes in. The cornstarch-thickened sauce of brown sugar, soy, apple cider vinegar, and broth turns glossy in seconds, so add the chicken right at the end and toss fast to keep the coating crisp.

Swap the soy sauce for tamari and the whole dish goes gluten-free.

Chef Tips

• Add the fried chicken to the sauce at the last second. Let it sit too long and the crust goes limp.
• Want more fire? Double the pepper flakes or drop a few dried chilies into the oil.
• Serve right away over steamed rice to catch every drop of sauce.

It makes a full takeout spread alongside a batch of Crab Rangoon.