General Tso’s Chicken with a pop of orange zest and spicy habanero added to a tasty glaze over crispy fried tempura chicken.
If you’re looking for recipes with habanero, this is perfect!
This is one of those meals we all love, but it takes a little bit of time to make an extra-large batch for our big family so we don’t have it often enough.
We like to eat it with my fried rice recipe, but steamed white rice is good too!
General Tso’s Chicken Ingredients
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- Cornstarch
- Large Eggs
- Salt
- Soy Sauce
- White Sugar
- Peanut Oil
- Chicken Broth
- Rice Vinegar
- Habaneros
- Orange Zest or Orange Peel
- Ground Ginger
- Garlic
- Canola Oil
- Cold Water
Habanero Spiciness
The habaneros add a little heat and the great thing about these peppers is the range of spiciness that can be achieved.
For mild heat, leave the habaneros whole, and for hot, cut the habaneros in half.
The inside lining of the pepper is where the spiciness lies.
How to Cook General Tso’s Chicken
After coating your chicken in the tempura batter, work in SMALL batches as you place it in the fryer.
A fryer works better than a large pan of oil.
The tempura batter sticks. I mean, really sticks.
The way around this is to spray Pam or whatever nonstick cooking spray you use, all over the inside of the fryer basket and on the bottom before adding more chicken.
Be sure to break up the chicken as soon as it hits the oil. Otherwise, it likes to stay in a clump on the basket at the bottom.
It’s important to keep stirring periodically to get the chicken cooked evenly.
The chicken turns out golden and crispy after 4-5 minutes.
How to Make General Tso Sauce
While I’m frying the chicken I get the sauce going in a wok. Allow the wok to get hot first with a teaspoon of oil.
Begin by placing the garlic, habaneros, and orange peels in the bottom of the wok.
Then add in the remaining ingredients, saving the cornstarch thickener for last after the sauce is boiling.
After the sauce is thickened, add the tempura chicken and stir to coat it. We often leave some crispy tempura chicken plain and eat it like nuggets.
The kids definitely like that!
Try these other great Asian cuisine recipes:
- Applebee’s Chicken Wonton Tacos
- Chicken Stir Fry
- Instant Pot Ginger Pepper Steak
- Instant Pot Korean BBQ Beef Short Ribs
- Japanese Steakhouse Ginger Sauce
- Omurice
- Peking Egg Rolls
- Teppanyaki Fried Rice
Enjoy!
General Tso's Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken & Batter
- 1 lb Chicken Breast, diced
- 1 cup Cornstarch
- 2 Large Eggs
- Canola Oil, for frying
- Salt to taste
Sauce
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- ½ cup White Sugar
- ¼ cup Peanut Oil
- ½ cup Chicken Broth
- 2 tbsp Rice Vinegar
- 2 Whole Habaneros, or slice in half for more spice
- 2 tsp Orange Zest or 2 Slices of Orange Peel
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 2 tsp Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Canola Oil
Sauce Thickener
- 2 tsp Cornstarch
- 2 tsp Cold Water
Instructions
- Preheat canola oil in a deep-fryer set to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Scramble egg with 1 cup cornstarch to make the batter. Add diced chicken and coat.
- Working in batches, add chicken to oil. Cook for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Once cooked, place on a towel-lined plate and season with salt.
- In a wok, add 1 teaspoon of canola oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, whole habaneros, and orange zest and cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, peanut oil, and ground ginger. Bring to a boil.
- Add 2 teaspoons of cornstarch to a small bowl and add 2 teaspoons of cold water. Stir to dissolve cornstarch and add to boiling sauce. Stir as the sauce thickens and reduce heat. Add chicken to the sauce and stir to coat. Serve with rice.
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