Name: Jeremy Pang’s General Tso’s chicken
Prep time: 40 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: Serves 2
Ingredients: 10 dried red chillies; 300g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced; 200g cornflour, seasoned with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper; ½ thumb-size piece ginger, finely sliced; 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced; 2 spring onions, finely sliced; Vegetable oil for deep-frying; 30g caster sugar; 1 tsp sriracha chilli sauce; 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce; 1 tbsp oyster sauce; ½ tbsp black rice vinegar (see Easy Swaps and Know How); 1 tbsp light soy sauce; ½ tsp dark soy sauce; 1 tsp sesame oil; ½ tsp sugar; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 medium free-range egg, lightly beaten; Sliced red chilli; Sliced spring onions; Steamed rice; Flash-fried green vegetables; Digital thermometer

Jeremy Pang’s General Tso’s chicken

Learn how to make General Tso’s chicken with expert chef Jeremy Pang. The popular wok-fried chicken dish is the perfect balance of sweet, sour, spicy, savoury and salty. You’re going to love it. Recipe from Jeremy Pang’s School of Wok (Hamlyn £20). Photography by Kris Kirkham

Dairy-free

Serves2

Hands-on40 min

DifficultyEasy

Method

Soak the dried red chillies in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain. Mix the sauce ingredients with 50ml water in a small bowl.

Put the chicken in a mixing bowl and massage the marinade ingredients into it. Tip in the cornflour and massage in until each piece of meat separates and has a dry white coating.

Build your Wok Clock*: start at 12 o’clock with your coated chicken, followed by the ginger, garlic, spring onions, the soaked chillies and lastly the sauce.

Deep-fry the coated chicken in vegetable oil at 180°C for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with kitchen paper.

If using your wok for deep-frying, carefully pour out the oil into a heatproof bowl to cool, then give your wok a quick wipe with kitchen paper. Put the wok back on the hob and bring 1 tbsp veg oil to a high heat. Add the ginger, garlic and spring onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Next add the soaked chillies, followed by the sauce. Boil for 3-4 minutes until syrupy, then add the deep-fried meat, tossing the wok a few times to fully coat the chicken. Sprinkle with sliced red chilli and spring onions and serve immediately with steamed rice and flash-fried green veg.

Per serving (Serves 2)

Calories

801kcals

Fat

31.4g (3.8g saturated)

Protein

37.1g

Carbohydrates

91.5g (23.1g sugars)

Fibre

1.7g

Quick wins, tips & make ahead

*”My Wok Clock is such a simple and practical tool – a way of reminding yourself to be super-organised in the kitchen,” says Jeremy. “Once you’ve prepared all your ingredients, arrange them around the plate in the order in which you’ll need them, beginning at 12 o’clock and working your way around the plate clockwise.”

EASY SWAPS You can use regular rice vinegar instead of black rice vinegar. You could use balsamic vinegar – but use half the amount specified in the recipe and make sure it’s not too sweet or syrupy.

For a more wallet-friendly dish, swap the chicken for deep-fried tofu. To make the tofu dish vegetarian, you’ll need to omit the oyster sauce.

Rate & review

1 comment

Marilyn Renfrey says:

July 3, 2022 at 8:58 pm

Make extra sauce it’s delicious, I used less cornflour you need to shake off the excess before frying. Loved this recipe

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