I love General Tso’s Chicken. I also like General Tso’s Tofu, General Tso’s Paneer Cheese, and, last, but not least, General Tso’s Cauliflower! There are so many ways to make General Tso’s “Chicken”, or whatever you’d like to call it, since it isn’t always chicken. And, if I were the betting type, I’d bet you didn’t realize there were so many different options! This has got to be the most versatile General Tso’s “Chicken” out here on the web!! I’m even pretty sure, that, for you carnivores, you could simply substitute any type of meat for the “chicken” in this recipe!
General Tso’s Versatility in Action!
One of the things I like so much about General Tso’s “Chicken” is that bet I just threw out up above, that there are so many options for what you can use as the “chicken” part of the meal. I love that I can use whatever I have on hand. Or, if I’m planning ahead, I can purchase whatever is a good deal at the time. I also like how I have the vegetarian options for this meal. Most times these vegetarian/vegan options can be easier, and much cheaper, to find organic than organic chicken. Unfortunately, organic meats are quite expensive.
I have made General Tso’s many times and have tried a few different recipes. This one that I am going to share with you today is the one I made most recently. It’s also the one my family likes the most. After my eldest, Cold, tried this, he said, “Mom, you have to blog about this!” So, here I am, doing just that – blogging about it!
Some Extra Information Before You Start to Make General Tso’s “Chicken”
Batter VS Coating
There are two ways to make the “chicken” part of this recipe. You can just coat your chicken, tofu, paneer, or cauliflower in cornstarch and fry it in oil. Or you can make a batter to coat it with and then fry it in oil. Both ways are great!
When you use batter, it bulks it up a little. I like the crunch you get with it when battered. But, when you don’t want to use any batter it’s going to be a little quicker from start to finish as there is one less step As a bonus it’s a little less messy during the preparation state AND it still tastes great!
I am adding both options down in the recipe section for you.
Hoisin Sauce
The recipe for the sauce called for Hoisin sauce, but I didn’t have any, so I found a recipe for a substitute for the sauce (which I had to modify, as well, because I didn’t have all those ingredients either!). I am adding the Hoisin sauce substitute that I used in the recipe.
This recipe isn’t very spicy. If you like it spicy, you can add more crushed red peppers to the sauce when making it. Or, if you have some people in your family that don’t like spicy food, like I do, you can serve it and then let each person add their own crushed red peppers.
This goes great served on a bed of rice or over yakisoba noodles.
Disclaimer ;D
I can’t find the website that I found the recipe for this on, I’m sorry. I can tell you I found it on Pinterest quite some time ago. And then, as is my standard operation procedure, I perfected it with modifications. Here is my version of General Tso’s “Chicken”with you.
I hope you find all the options helpful and enjoy it as much as we do!
| Servings |
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- 1 pound chicken
- 1 package extra-firm tofu pressed for 10-20 minutes to remove excess moisture
- 1 block paneer cheese
- 1 head Cauliflower
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 3/4 cup cold water
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce Hoisin sauce substitute (3 T barbecue sauce, 1 T molasses, 1 t soy sauce, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 t ginger)
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 6 tablespoons Vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup Water
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper or more to desired spiciness
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1/4 c water
- 1 small Onion finely diced
Ingredients
Chicken or Vegetarian Substitute - Use any of the following:
Batter: Optional
Sauce:
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- Cut chicken/desired substitute into small bite size pieces.
- Coat pieces with cornstarch (about 1/2 cup) or if using batter, mix batter ingredients together in bowl and coat pieces with batter.
- Heat oil in a pan or wok, and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes.
- Drain on paper towels.
- Sauté onion in small amount of oil for a few minutes.
- Combine all ingredients except onion in a small bowl.
- Pour into the pan with onions and cook until thickened.
- Pour over chicken or substitute and serve over rice or yakisoba noodles.
I will be making this recipe tonight for dinner. Funny thing is I had your bread recipe saved on my phone and randomly came across it today and thought I’d give it another go. And had already pull chicken out for sweet and sour chicken. Then I seen this recipe 😂. Going through your website you just have such a sweet family!💜 and love the recipes!!
Thank you so much!
Happy New Year 🎉