Chinese Fried Chicken (CFC)
That’s what this dish basically came down to. Fried chicken. Coated in a sweet savory glaze. It’s so addictively delicious that it’s one of the most ordered takeout in the United States.
I lived near NYC’s Chinatown, surrounded by classic Cantonese cuisine.
But there was one neighborhood restaurant I would frequently go to again and again for General Tso’s Chicken. It’s not until I got older I realized it was an American Chinese fast food that I was eating.
I was still hooked. Tender fried chicken surrounded by a crispy crust in a sweet soy glaze piled on top of pork fried rice. And it was one of those lunch specials so an fried eggroll and can of soda was lumped in for a really good price.
Those were the days.
Cooking General Tso’s Chicken at Home
This is one of the easier Chinese takeout items to replicate at home. And since today AI specifically Chapt GPT is so popular. I asked for its version of General Tso’s Chicken.
Granted it’s not actually using it’s own thinking power. Rather AI scours the inter-web in a flash and then narrows down the information.
And this is what I got:
Recipe
Ingredients:
- 500g Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
Chicken Marinade
- 1 Egg White (from large egg)
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Shioxing Cooking Wine
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Cornstarch
Fry Coating
- 1/2 Cup Cornstarch
- 1/2 Cup Potato Starch
Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Rice Vinegar (or Black Vinegar)
- 3 Tbsp Sugar
- 1 Tbsp Hoisin Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Shaoxing Wine
- 1/2 Tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Tsp Cornstarch
- 4 Tbsp Chicken Stock or Water
Aromatics
- 3 Dried Red Chili
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Tsp Ginger
- 1 Tsp Chili Paste (optional for heat)
- 2 Stalks Green Onion
Cooking Instructions
Chicken Marinade
First, ChatGPT says to marinate 500 g of boneless chicken thighs—start by cutting them into 1-inch pieces.
1 inch pieces is a good start. When these chickens are fried it will expand. Larger pieces might be more difficult to handle during cooking. Pieces this small will cook quicker too.
Just make sure to cut them all around the same size. Doesn’t have be the exact same size. J
ust close enough to ensure they call cook roughly around the same time
We’re going to marinade the chicken with the usual Chinese ingredients.
An egg white, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp shaoxing wine, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper and finally 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
The Dry Coat
Prepare 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1/2 cup potato starch.
Cornstarch and potato starch I think is a great combination for a light and airy crunch.
If you’ve never fried chicken using cornstarch and potato starch I highly recommend trying out this combination once.
Just combine the two and whisk then set aside.
The Sauce
In a mixing bowl goes, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce, 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, tsp cornstarch and last, 4 tbsp chicken stock or water.
I highly recommend chicken stock, preferably no or low sodium.
Aromatics
Time to prepare the aromatics,
3 dried red chilies cut into 1/3. Finely mince two cloves of garlic. 1 teaspoon of ginger minced.
Finally the prerequisite 2 stalks of spring onions, chopped, separating the white and green parts.
Time to fry the chicken.
Dredge the marinated chicken in the dry starch mix until evenly coated. Or I like to say until it resembles powdered donuts.
When you’re all done, heat a pan large enough to fry these chickens. But I recommending frying batches.
My pan is large to fry it in two batches which is what I’ll do. Never, fry with too many ingredients.
Heat oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius. Here’s the old school chinese way to tell if you’re oil is hot enough.
Stick a wooden chopstick down the center of the oil. If it fizzes on contact the oil is hot enough.
Carefully place the chicken into the hot oil. Again I’m going to cook in two batches. Each batch took about 3-4 minutes for me to fry to this golden color.
When they’re done place on a wire rack to drain.
To make these freshly fried chicken extra crispy we’re going to double fry. First let the chicken hang out for ten minutes.
When those 10 minutes are up. Jack the heat up we are using the oil again for a second fry. Chat GPT says heat until oil temps get up to 375 degrees Fahrenheit or 190 degrees celcius.
I use the same chopstick trick, except I wait an extra minute for it to get extra hot and then I add all of the chicken at once.
Second fry should last around 30 seconds. When you pull it all out the fried chicken should look a shade or two darker.
Let the freshly double fried chicken hang out on a wire rack, we’re going to build the sauce now.
Cooking
On a clean pan heat on medium high and add 1 tbsp cooking oil. Wait for the oil to shimmer then add the dried chilis, toss until it darkens, about 10 seconds.
Then add garlic and ginger and white parts of the green onions. stir fry for 10 -15 seconds until fragrant.
Deglaze the pan with Shaoxing wine, this is optional, but any chance I can use chinese cooking wine, I do.
Pour in the prepared sauce and stir and cook until it thickens and turns glossy, about 30 seconds.
If you want to add Chili sauce this is the time to do so.
Now add the chicken back into the sauce, toss quickly over high heat
Coat the chicken best as you can on high heat so the sauce caramelizes.
Finally garnish with chilis and toasted sesame seeds.
The chilies i can go with. But sesame seeds I am doubtful. You add that and you’re going into Sesame Chicken territory.
I’ll just top it off with some green onions on a bed of broccoli.
