General Tso's Chicken (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between General Tso and orange chicken? ›

General Tso's chicken is typically spicier and has a more complex flavor profile, with a sauce that includes soy sauce, vinegar, and chili peppers. Orange chicken, on the other hand, has a sweeter and tangier sauce made with orange juice and zest.

General Tso's chicken is a spicy and tangy dish made with a mix of chicken breast and thighs, while sesame chicken is a sweeter option made with succulent chicken thighs. Whether you're in the mood for something spicy or sweet, both dishes offer a delicious and crispy meal that's sure to satisfy your cravings.”

General Tso's chicken is sweet, tangy, and mildly spicy. The chicken thighs are cut into bite size pieces, briefly marinated and fried until crispy and perfectly golden brown. It's one of the most popular Chinese takeout dishes and now you can make this at home in 30 minutes!

What's the difference between General Tso and Kung Pao Chicken? General Tso's is sweeter with a milder spice, featuring deep-fried battered chicken. Kung Pao is spicier with stir-fried chicken, vegetables, and peanuts.

How to Make General Tso's Sauce: The sauce for General Tso's chicken is so simple to make with pantry staple ingredients: rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, water, sugar, and some corn starch to thicken the sauce. Simply add the ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.

So how on Earth did this strange, foreign concoction come to be recognized abroad as the culinary classic of Hunan Province? General Tso's chicken is named for Tso Tsung-t'ang (now usually transliterated as Zuo Zongtang), a formidable nineteenth-century general who is said to have enjoyed eating it.

SAUCE: SUGAR, WATER, MIRIN SALTED COOKING WINE (WATER, DEXTROSE, RICE, CORN SYRUP, SALT), SOY SAUCE (WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT), CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: MODIFIED CORN STARCH, SALT, SPICES, SESAME SEEDS, MINCED GARLIC (GARLIC JUICE, DEHYDRATED GARLIC, SALT), GUAJILLO PEPPER PUREE (GUAJILLO PEPPER, WATER, SALT), ...

Sweet and sour chicken: The two are super similar. The main difference is that General Tso sauce has more ginger flavor, as well as a little more heat from the hot sauce or chili flakes.

General Tso's chicken is about the most dangerous Chinese dish on the menu—dark meat battered and deep-fried, then cooked with vegetables in a sweet, spicy sauce. Szechuan chicken, made with leaner, white meat and sautéed with vegetables, is a far better choice.

General Tso's chicken is battered, deep fried, and tossed with a spicy sauce. Kung Pao chicken, on the other hand, is not deep fried and instead is wok seared and tossed with a marinade. The choice here depends on the restaurant, but in most cases Kung Pao chicken is the winner.

Which is better, General Tso's or orange chicken? ›

While both General Tso chicken and orange chicken feature crispy pieces of chicken coated in a flavorful sauce, the key differences lie in their flavor profiles and origins. General Tso chicken has a more complex and slightly spicy flavor profile, while orange chicken has a bright and citrusy flavor.

You might be surprised to learn that General Tso's chicken, a staple on Chinese-American menus, is almost entirely foreign to people who live in the country from which it supposedly originated. While the dish isn't exactly authentic Chinese food, its namesake was a very real (and very powerful) general.

cheng zi ji (traditional Chinese: 橙子雞; simplified Chinese: 橙子鸡; pinyin: chéngzi jī; Jyutping: caang^4-2 zi¹ gai¹; lit. 'orange chicken'), a calque.

A note about the chicken: When you order General Tso's from your favorite takeout joint you're likely to be served dark meat chicken — and I'm here for that! Dark meat stays juicy and has a rich, meaty flavor (plus it's less expensive).

The dish was retroactively named after Zuo Zongtang (Tso Tsung-t'ang) (1812–1885), a Qing dynasty statesman and military leader from Hunan Province.