This is the traditional dish that is so well-liked in Chinese eateries. Asian grocery stores have banana sauce. The Philippines is where it was created. If you can’t find it, use ketchup instead.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 40 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 4 cups peanut oil for frying
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- 3 tablespoons white sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon banana ketchup
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 6 dried whole red chilies
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 2 tablespoons minced green onions
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Heat 4 cups of peanut oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl; whisk in 1 teaspoon of sesame oil and the cornstarch. Mix in the chicken until all the pieces are coated with batter. Drop into the hot oil a piece at a time; cook until the chicken is golden brown on the outside and no longer pink on the inside, about 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Stir together the vinegar, wine, sugar, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and the banana ketchup in a small bowl until smooth; set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the dried chile peppers and cook for a few seconds until the peppers brighten. Stir in the onion, garlic, and orange zest. Cook and stir until the onion is beginning to brown. Stir in the sauce; bring to a boil before adding the fried chicken. Reduce the heat to medium and stir until the chicken pieces are well coated with the sauce, a few minutes longer. Serve sprinkled with green onions and toasted sesame seeds.
- Editor’s Note
- The nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of the batter ingredients. The actual amount of the batter consumed will vary. We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. The exact amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and the specific type of oil used.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 2475 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 53 g |
| Cholesterol | 161 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 42 g |
| Sodium | 949 mg |
| Sugars | 11 g |
| Fat | 244 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Delicious…however I added 1/2 cup orange juice. Awesome!!!
Instead of making my own sauce, I bought premade sauce and added a few things from the original recipe to it like onions and garlic. My boyfriend loved it. I did try to follow the recipe but I had so much chicken I just added General Tso to what I had already my mixed
I followed the instructions step by step and it was great. “Far” better the what I am used to at the chinese restaurant. I made again but substituted the chicken with cauliflower. It tastes great!
YES . I enhanced the recipe with my own twist.
Only two stars if the nutrition facts are correct. Otherwise it is very tasty and would get more stars. But one serving for 2475 cal and 243 g of fat just cannot be correct!
Tried this recipe as written except that I used crushed red pepper instead of the red chilis. recipe was good but the orange zest actually ruined the taste. My family tried it but everyone suggested I leave the orange zest out next time.
While my family did eat it, I was not at all impressed.I made this recipe right to the letter and it almost wasn’t enough for my family of four. It made a really small amount. Thank goodness I made rice to go with it lol. It tasted nothing like the many restaurant versions I’ve had. I’m gonna try the misspelled General Tsao’s II on this site and give this meal another shot.
This is awesome as written. Thanks!
Excellent orange flavor just from the zest. Easy to make. Added broccoli and tomatoes and sweet peppers. Cornstarch batter is fantastic alternative for gf diet, when wanting Breaded Asian entree.
Very good! Also tastes great with chicken breast.
It was OK, but I’d rather have the breading on it to really be like restaurant food. Too much onions (our family doesn’t like it) and banana ketchup was strange. Too many chilies! I am ok with sorta spicy stuff but it was too much. It wasn’t too bad, but not too good. thanks for the attempt, though. overall, it was ok but not a favorite. P.S. This sort of food if you go to china 30 yrs ago they’d be like “what in the world is that stuff?” not real chinese food, Americanized.
Not too bad! I rather enjoyed this recipe…thanks for submitting it! I did change up a few veggies to use what I had on hand. But I finally found something I could use that bottle of banana ketchup I’ve had rattling around in my cupboard in…that’s pretty awesome in my book.
Yum, I didn’t have all the right ingredients, but my substitutes worked well. I used canola oil for frying. 1 Tbs red wine and extra rice vinegar for the rice wine, brown sugar for the white, for the banana ketchup (banana processed like tomato ketchup) 1tsp banana (put through garlic press) and 1 tsp tomato ketchup, 1 Tbs red pepper flakes instead of dried chillies, 2 tsp orange juice concentrate for the zest. Does not turn out restaurant quality, but is still very yummy. A hint, try to fry the chicken while mixing up the other ingredients, otherwise it takes way longer than the stated “Ready In” time.
This was a great recipe! I used chicken breast instead of chicken thigh for a healthier alternative and the meat was more tender than the restaurant version. I also added ginger to taste( and smell) to the sauce. My dad, who loves chinese food( take out), LOVED this.
Good recipe. I used orange juice instead of rice wine. And omitted the peppers because the family doesn’t like hot, still delicious
loved it! Very similar to my favorite restaurant. Next time I will remove the seeds from the chili pepper because mine were too dry & they wouldn’t soften without cutting into smaller pieces.