How I optimized General Tso's Chicken for Busy Home Cooks (3 Methods)
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- Опубликовано: 28 май 2024
- General Tso’s Chicken is one of the most delicious dishes on the planet, except there’s a problem...no one makes it at home. So today, I want to change that. So in today’s video, we are going to compare take-out General Tso's to 3 different variations.
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⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
1:02 Why General Tso's is tough for a weeknight
3:12 Breading Chicken
4:38 Option 1: Air Fried
6:02 How to make frozen Chicken Nuggets
7:59 Option 2: Air Fry from frozen
8:26 Option 3: Deep Fry from frozen.
9:10 General Tso's Sauce
12:12 Taste Test Comparison
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Edited in: Premiere Pro
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Most of the takeout versions of General Tso's Chicken in my area have been Tso Tso.
I hate this joke. I'm going to make this chicken and use it nonstop
@@FatalDeceit lol same
Nice one, dad!
I was also gonna make a Chinese food pun but I figured that was too Lo, Mein.
@@Homer-OJ-Simpson lol
An even lazier option is to take Popeye's popcorn chicken or frozen popcorn protein and combine with homemade sauce
given the price in store, just order out, probably be cheaper, lol
@@Leto617Not even close. The prices at the store are severely inflated. You can get multiple pounds of frozen nuggets for the cost of one takeout container of general tso
@@Leto617 do you know how to do maths?
Kenji Lopez has his recipe for this on serious eats if anyone is interested.
Now this is something I'll actually do lol
Out of all RUclips chef/cooks, I love how you have priorities on the combination of saving time, simplifying, and either reducing calories or making the dish more well-rounded. I always look forward to what you come up with, keep up the good work!
I love this show because of how he adds in the concept of time to make something, and I wish he would also talk a little bit more about how many perishable ingredients you need to also have on hand, and how well things reheat, because if you're only cooking for one or two people, sometimes dishes with a lot of ingredients end up costing more than just buying it from a local place (if you're picking up, not paying for fees and tip and stuff) - because packages of ingredients like peppers, broccoli, lettuce, and mushrooms, and green onions, etc. etc. are REALLY hard to use up before they go bad if you don't make huge batches of stuff.
That and also how to do substitutions. Often my only option is Walmart or Dillons, and neither have a lot of the nicer pantry items. That and I'm also on a budget. Overall he feels like the kind of well off online cook that still understands average people don't have a lot to work with lol
ethan's a lot more enjoyable and useful to watch than joshua weissman, that's for sure
Thank you for including the method to make it closer to takeout version, a lot of youtubers jump in with "better" and "healthier" and forget that some of us just want the closest approximation to the flavors that comforted us through the rough spots, much appreciated.
With the air fried version, try adding some crushed corn flakes to the breading station. Makes the texture more similar to real general tso.
Good call, that would definitely add that extra missing texture!
100% corn flakes add that missing crunch. Works well on homemade chicken tenders
Corn flakes, meaning the cereal?
@@Dad_Lyon Correct
Cornflakes is not the way to achieve the authentic crunch it is instead a simple technique.
The side broccoli, when not overly steamed, adds some nice freshness and - crucially - soaks up the sauce beautifully. General Tso's broccoli (no deepfrying) can be super satisfying as a weeknight meal.
Its odd I don't think I see it with broccoli too often. Bell peppers on the other hand seem like a staple ingredient. I wonder if this is a regional thing.
@@ieatstheinternetNew Englander here...I have never seen a bell pepper near General Tso's. Must be regional, interesting!
It's a delicious and nutritious garnish.🥦
I have this weird thing with general Tso chicken where I have to have broccoli and rice with it because that’s what the takeout restaurants always did. I love the way the sauce tastes with the broccoli.
Broccoli is there to cut oily taste that overwhelms after a few bites of the chicken… it’s called เลี่ยน in Thailand. A word that express for a food that is overwhelm by richness and oily so much that you don’t enjoy the rest of the meal/dish
I need broccoli too. But I ran out of broccoli when I made it a few years ago & used snow peas instead. The textural difference wasn’t as big, but the flavor actually worked better! Also works with snap peas, carrots, & baby corn (I tested all 3 after the snow pea revelation.)
If anyone wants the broccoli you can blanch them in boiling water for a bit and or flash fry them in the high heat oil to preserve the green and crispness.
Ethan, almost all of your videos seem to ask the question “how can we cut the calories” and it’s just awesome. With your advice, I have been incorporating more low calorie, good eating into my day to day meals. They’re the meals I look forward to the most. I have been eating your chicken quesadilla recipe like… 4-5 times a week. I’m realizing that flavor doesn’t need to equal excessive oils and cheeses. Capstone of this realization… pickled onions. Anyway, I can tell just three minutes in, this video is another banger.
I agree. I’ve used his low Calorie sauces and dips. I would have never thought Greek yogurt or (cottage cheese) could make a nice base for a sauce or dip. I use a chipotle - Greek yogurt (plus herbs and a little oil) sauce frequently for my Chicken meals that are often on rice or quinoa.
Try sumac, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley on freshly chopped onions if you don't have pickled onions. Also I just can't go back to plain ol' greek yogurt after I discovered tzatziki sauce
@@yaqubebased1961 I'm not familiar with tzatziki sauce but looked it up. It seems like a savory yogurt. And it seems like there are different ways of making because when I look up the nutrition, I get various answers from 0 or very little protein to high protein. seems it's high protein if you use mostly greek yogurt to make it?
@@Homer-OJ-Simpson you have to use greek yogurt, shredded cucumber (salt it now to release liquid as we'd have to drain it anyway), extra virgin olive oil and white vinegar with a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio (preference), minced or crushed garlic, then add it all together plus more salt and black pepper. Lastly you can also add some chopped herbs as well (I use dill). It goes well with everything but especially good with any protein wrap
@@yaqubebased1961 definitely giving that a try. Thanks!
Ethan has no idea what he's done for me by making this one.
He probably has some idea
for a super quick sauce, i use ketchup, sweet chili paste, hoisen sauce and a little bit of soy sauce. super fast and only a few ingredients you need on hand.
I made it at home maybe 5 times and quickly realized this was worth paying to just get. It actually taught me a great lesson of using going out to eat for stuff I definitely wouldn't make at home vs just getting something generic.
Honestly. Like I won't make sushi at home.
But ill easily make a burger at home.
I can make stir fry and chicken fried rice.. but certain things like general tsos chicken etc. Is not worth the time for me to do.
Can’t get it here.
Yep. I can grill steaks, burgers, smoke baby back ribs or pork butt (long processes, but mostly hands off work), but certain things are best left to a commercial kitchen.
Yeah, like I've gotten pretty good at making amazing steaks, but if I want a slow-roasted Prime Rib, I go and get one. I just can't do that at home - not in the same way and not even for less money. I love the honesty of this show.
Took me like 40 minutes beginning to end. and that was with me measuring things out and watching the video. I did it in the air fryer. I've eaten a lot of takeout Gen tso, this sauce was better by far. Better if you deep fry but I didn't bother. Turned out quite crispy.
As an American, I thought I'd never say this, but THANK YOU for using metrics on your measurements. I don't know how many recipes I've gone through only to find cups, tsp, and tbsp weren't being used properly and to have what i made "not come out right" because the person that wrote the recipe used dry measure cups for liquids or vice versa. Or the writer did something else like convert their oz of ingredient into cups... Also, cups of irregularly shaped ingredients (e.g. "cup of broccoli" or any "cup of..." sliced or julienned produce) is the most asshatteriest measure of those types of ingredients ever...
I really like how you offer options and different methods. Many other cooking channels can learn from that.
Great video! I'm standing in my kitchen right this second shooting a General Tso's video!
I made about 30 different versions over the past month and noticed a lot of the same things you did. The problem with the batter of most takeout versions is that they tend to use only cornstarch and whole egg. I think it's the fat in the egg yolk that makes it so cakey and spongy. Also, the fact that there is no gluten in the cornstarch makes their batter soggy as soon as it hits the sauce. Kenji Lopez's version for the fried chicken was the best - by far - but the crust was a bit too tough, so I think it needed to be made a tad lighter with more cornstarch.
Most takeout sauces are an absolute travesty. Just like you stated - they are totally one-dimensional in the sweet note. Others at more traditional places I've tasted were a bit too tart and just not balanced. A good GT sauce should be sweet/sour/spicy/savory. The best solution I've found is to use brown sugar in a smaller quantity and to blend white vinegar with unseasoned rice vinegar in chicken stock. I was able to finally get to sauce I really enjoyed after testing about 30 different versions and combining the best elements of each one.
The deep-fry/freeze/deep-fry is the method most takeout places that I've spoken with use. It's just the cornstarch only + whole egg combo that makes their batter so soggy after saucing.
I thoroughly enjoyed your video! I hope you do more in the takeout series! Cheers!
Great tips, thanks!
There's a takeout place nearby that has a really spicy GT sauce, and I always have to ask them to dial the spice back a bit because of my acid reflux... but yeah, most places are 100% about the sweet.
Pro tip: Trader Joe's frozen orange chicken. Once my friend showed me those I never attempted to make it myself again. It's incredible, and I'm not one for frozen items, this one is an anomaly.
The actual laziest way...I buy popcorn chicken at the grocery store, sauce from Leeann Chin, and instant pot some rice. It's not typically how I would cook such things, but sometimes, you do what works. 😊
Instant rice? I thought rice is lazy enough with you just needing to pour rice and water and let it cook.
@@jesusofsuburbia3675 cooking rice in a pressure cooker not instant rice
@@jesusofsuburbia3675 You have to wash the rice several times and then you have to either cook it on the stove which is extra dishes or a rice cooker which is also dishes but not as bad. Rice is sticky to pans, so you have to add in the effort to wash up afterwards. Also, depending on climate or even the day, getting the right consistency on the rice could be a challenge for a lot of home cooks. Sometimes the more consistent and easiest option would be to just use a prepackaged rice. There's actually not much of a health disadvantage to packaged rice compared to most foods you buy that's been heavily preserved. A good brand typically will use salt and a little starch to preserve rice with not many additives. The same way they do in Chinese cooking. If you notice the differences between fried rice from a Chinese takeout compared to a home cook, they're able to get a more separate/dry texture on the rice due to the salting and starching to prevent spoilage and mitigate moisture. Sometimes the frozen or packaged ingredients are just as healthy if not fresher than what you could get in a grocery store.
@@arabscamel1034 @ArabsCamel "several times-" bro a few rinses to wash the starch (2 in my cases) isn't that hard??? And what do you mean by "depending on the climate-" rice are cooked the same whether there's a monsoon out or the summer. If anything it's so hard to f*ck up cooking rice.
"Challenge to home cooks" yeah lol.
@@arabscamel1034 Getting rice right using a rice cooker is very easy, even kids can make rice. So if you like rice, it is very worth to invest in a rice cooker. You dont really need to wash rice, that's a remnant of the old times when there are physical dirt and rocks in the rice, but in these modern times with modern agriculture, rice you buy in supermarket are pretty clean already(the free starch thing doesn't factor as much as long as you get the water ratio right)
I guess the problem that non-asians encounter most is estimating the amount of water to add, as that heavily depends on the type of rice used.
I was one of the voters who said they'd cooked it one time and never again. The chicken turned out perfect, but it was a pain in the butt to accomplish. So, I am very glad to see this video! Thanks!!
I make it once a month… I knew I was weird. I was a server at PF Changs in college and got their recipes from the head chef. It’s absolutely amazing. The beauty is once you make the sauce you can store it and do new concepts with the sauce. Example, Dark sauce can yield Mongolian ribs or Mongolian green beans and it would change your life.
Hook a brother up with that recipe
@@baddiemcbadbad9231no shit don’t keep that secret from us
I say it almost every week, but your deep dive comparison tests are just SO helpful! If I kept a little jar of Orange Chicken sauce and General Tso's in the fridge, my only problem would be keeping enough nuggets in the freezer! That might be all I ever ate. I rough chop a baby bok choy (leaves and all) and add it to my Orange Chicken. It's really tasty and actually adds vitamins with a welcome change of texture that doesn't leave me feeling like I've made any sacrifice for the sake of being "healthy" at all. Not sure what would go well with General Tso's.
Would love to see more high protein quick and easy meal recipes
I just wanted to tell you that the format of this video is really awesome! Combining the ease/health/blind test along with the presentation pace really presents your methods as credible, worthwhile, and reasonably doable for the interested.
Thank you for editing out the chewing sounds from your tasting shots!!! 10/10!!
Those are the best part, though?
@@Sargentlemangross. It's disgusting unless it's crunchy
@@zvezdoblyat Schlopp, schlopp, hoszzzk, schlopp, schlopp, gulp. Delicious.
@@Sargentleman lol I don't have misophonia. Better luck next time! I can tolerate all things related to chewing except slurping. If you can imitate slurping via text, I'll give you a cookie
Love this dish. In Germany, it isn't really available otherwise, so I have made it multiple times myself. But yeah, very time consuming to make.
My trick to make it more healthy is just to leave out the rice. Don't need it if the chicken is already crusted in carbs.
Also German and never heard of it but it looks like a guilty pleasure of Americans
das ungesunde ist das reudige öl und das billige weißmehl, in dem das fleisch frittiert wird, und der hohe zucker und salz gehalt der soße und nicht der weiße reis, du otto.
To add, I like using cauliflower rice or using shirataki noodles/rice so it is lower in calories, but highly filling. Easier method is to just sauté veggies if having something in the side is a must
I mean rice is only like 260 calories per serving? It’s not that much. When I make this dish it’s only about 750 cals total, very reasonable
@@sofiak2750 to most non Americans that is pretty high. It is fried chicken so idk I just go all out with stuff like this, but I am sure many Europeans wouldnt go past 500 cals for a meal
Moved to rural Germany, take out- none here. So I‘ll have to make it from scratch, I don’t mind the effort. This is so right on, Ethan.
I must say, seeing that poll the other day about General Tao made me excited knowing Ethan would likely roll out a video with it soon. While I have only made it a small handful of times, I’m feel inspired to try it again!
I love your channel man. You always make things simple and fast for the home cook. And all the meals you feature focus on taste rather than looking fancy or being trendy. I appreciate you man keep being yourself.
Ethan, You are wonderful, thoughtful and honest! Thank you for taking this journey. Making food, testing it and giving us your findings! Your tweeks to recipes and the variations during the preparations are amazing. You are doing everything I would want, if I had more hours to my day. Your passion for what you are doing is SINCERE! I appreciate you and your labor immensely. THANK YOU SIR!!!
I love these hybrid methods of doing most of the cooking/prep on a weekend and then finishing up during the week.
Thanks for the recipe!
Ethan, I tried your recipe tonight, did not have chicken breast on hand so I use chicken thighs. The chicken came out just divine, so soft and juicy on the inside, crispy on the outside. Thank you so much (dziekuje bardzo) for sharing the best recipe.
Thigh meat is the way to go, Back in NJ or NYC they never use breast meat, too dry
blown away by the quality of your videos. you have every little detail covered!!! congrats
This is awesome! I've never even considered making this because I thought it would be too hard! Your suggestion to pre fry and freeze the chicken opens up a ton of weeknight options. You definitely get the home cook who likes to produce delicious food, but on a time, energy, and money budget. Thanks for your inspiring content!!
I completely agree! I can get boneless skinless chicken breast for $1.99 a pound on sale and do a bunch of these over the weekend to store for the week. Then whip up whichever sauce I'm in the mood for 😊😊
if u want quick AND GOOD try a frozen box of Innovasian General Tso from the store (air fryer) over their frozen rice (microwave), or better yet Uncle Ben's 90 second rice packages, take 10 minutes and is actually very close to restaurant style. I used to make a trip to the Chinese restaurant once a week for takeout Tso - now i only eat it at home.
im vegetarian and i do this with falafel all the time, goes straight in the freezer after deep frying and airfried later. even if im planning to eat it the next day. taste + texture is infinitely better than leaving it in the fridge and/or microwaving.
This was really good, I have been looking for bulk prep ahead idea's and having you do all the work really helps as well as the food choice.
Such high quality content, Ethan (concepts, recipes, videography, and presentation)!
I love this channel because you answer questions that I never thought I had.
I've been waiting for you; someone like you doing this recipe!!!
I love your channel. I like how you break down a common cooking problem (scientifically, practicality, nutritionally, etc.) time and time again. I love General Tsao Chicken but wouldn't dream of trying to make it myself.
Tien Tsin chilis are the 100% best option for this dish no questions asked. I spent about 2 months perfecting my version a few years ago and I had to order them, but it was totally worth it.
Honestly, your version sounds tasty, and I will have to try it. My fave so far is Seonkyoung Longest’s Asian at Home General Tsos sauce, I have taken her orange chicken recipe and adopted it to make a stir fried version of general tsos, with the same sweet, tangy, spicy general tsos sauce.
great recipe, will be making this, also i love the editing on the label at 6:46 when the oil spread out and "revealed" the temp
Thanks Ethan. Made 4 batches tonight in the air fryer and wacked some in the freezer for later. The kids loved it. Much nicer than supermarket stuff and more flavour. Excellent recipe. Thanks for all your work bud.
My wife and I used to get General Tso's at a local Chinese place and loved it. they went out of business and all the other local places have terrible general tso's chicken. it is always mushy and soggy with a super thin sauce. Not at all what I want or like. So, I made this today! I did the double fry then froze it and will heat it up in the air fryer. I used thigh meat and it is crispy and delicious. I did double up on the sugar and I liked the sauce. Next time i think I will use about half as much black vinegar. I thought it was a little too present in the sauce for my taste. Keep it up I enjoy your videos!
Love the practical advice and variations. Awesome stuff! I really want to try this!
This video finally made me buy an airfryer. I live in a country where Chinese restaurants do not offer Tso's chicken, so making it is the only option. Unfortunately my partner hates the smell of cooking oil (even though I use fresh canola oil), while I'm not a fan deep frying for practical reasons. Your version of the sauce is so aromatic and has such a depth that it's hard to tell whether it was deep or air fried. By the way for breading I used the chestnut flour. An expensive option, but totally worth it. It contains a lot more natural sugars which makes the breading even more crispy.
Ethan: made this last night with the double deep fry method and was so incredibly pleased with the results. Whenever I’ve tried to make Chinese food, the seasoning always comes out very bland, uninteresting, and overly homogenous. This recipe was FULL of flavor: spiciness, hotness, sweetness, and truly worthy of a Chinese restaurant. The only thing I added was a tsp. of ground black pepper to the flour dredge. It’s just me so I had one serving last night and froze the other three. I plan on taking one of those and doing a re-fry tonight. I have a few “go-to” recipes when guests come over and this will DEFINITELY be one of them! Thanks again for your recipe and research.
It's insane how good this channel is. It feels illegal.
Can't wait to try these different recipes. Thank you for sharing.
Oh my goodness, this was so good. I used the air fryer, and I was a little reluctant to dump the raw chicken and the marinade all into the flour/cornstarch mixture, but I am so glad I did because it gave it these crunchy chewy edges just like General Tao’s is supposed to have. Thank you so much for the recipe and details, my husband was blown away 😁
My husband's birthday is tomorrow. He asked me to make General Tso's for him as his gift. You uploaded this at the perfect time! Thanks!
I want so many more of these videos! Fantastic job!
Definitely I’m doing this one next. I’m defrosting my chicken now 👍🏼 thank you for all the perfect work you do. Love your recipes and the way you educate us and explaine ❤
Don't need to defrost. Just airfry it or deep fry it straight out of the freezer.
I partook in that poll and literally the day before I found a new Chinese place that makes the best one I’ve had yet. This came out at the perfect time
Great video like usual!! I’ve only made it double deep fried but you’ve got my wheels spinning!🤔😂 That’s why I love your videos, they bring so much different insight and perspectives in multiple ways!! Thanks bro!!!🔥🤘🏽
I just bought a vacuum sealer w freezer bags, def giving this recipe a try!! Thanks 😊
Don't vacuum these tho, just freeze them on a tray and transfer to bag. Keeps them fluffier and easy to take out however many you need at a time.
Great Video Ethan. You answered a question of mine also, I always wondered what you did with all the waste oil from all the frying videos. Love these comparison videos.
I make it at home many times....I have a great recipe and instructions....probably one of my favorite dishes.. Thanks Ethan
I would like to see Ethan do a follow-up video with some other Sauces that would work great with this fry method. Orange Chicken, Sweet and Sour, etc.
love theses videos! keep them coming my dude
Love these experiments Ethan, keep it up!
With two small children and crazy days, this is great just for general meal prepping and having a quick go to dinner. I make a good orange chicken, now to add this sauce to the fridge and some bags of chicken to the freezer. More time swinging the girls around outside. I can't wait to try this sauce!
I like that someone like me who isn't necessarily interested in the comparison can still just get a nice recipe out of this, thank you
Thanks Ethan love the recipe, going to try this for the week
Been looking forward to this video since you posted the question
Having some buddies over to watch the Master's this weekend. Going fried version and half way there. Nuggets are in freezer. Thanks Ethan for this recipe. Love your content. Cheers!
i do a vegetarian version periodically since i always have tofu on hand, but i typically use just cornstarch (sometimes with a tbsp of flour but usually not) and do a shallow “fry” with just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. i also always get lazy on the sauce, so i will be giving this sauce a try!
Tempeh would also probably be good for a vegetarian version, depending on which taste/texture you prefer.
Thank you for the recipe 'push'. I bought a bag of frozen, deep fried, chicken nuggets from Aldi a month ago, planning to make General Tso's or Orange Chicken in my AF. This week is it!
So regarding cutting calories - I know it's not "traditional", but when I do general tso at home, I just skip deep frying the chicken altogether. Basically what I do, using a wok, is cook the chicken, set it aside, then continue using the wok to make the aromatics, sauce, thicken, etc, then throw the chicken back in to sauce it up and move it to the rice.
Basically Ethan's process, my ingredients are slightly different but looking forward to trying this version especially with the black vinegar. It uses one pan (the wok) and takes like 15 min to cook. I can have it done faster than my rice (I don't have a rice cooker and instead steam it on a pot on the stove, comes out perfect in 20 min)
Amazing job, thanks for sharing!
Love these types of comparison vids.
Having grown up in Boston and lived there the first 25 years of my life, the biggest culture shock I got from being a "Bostonian-American immigrant" on the West Coast is that, like bowling, Chinese food is something we do completely different in eastern New England. Just like how Bostonians bowl candlepin rather than tenpin, our Chinese-American food is a product of a completely different tradition.
Americanized Chinese food for most folks has its roots in the California gold rush in the mid-19th century, when Chinese immigrants adapted their cuisine for their new homeland.
Bostonian Chinese food, meanwhile, is largely the brainchild of Cantonese immigrant Joyce Chen, who opened her restaurant in Cambridge, MA in 1958 and set the standard that so many Chinese restaurants around Massachusetts still use. The menu's different, and the words "duck sauce" mean something _completely_ different to use of that phrase anywhere else.
I'd never even seen General Tso's chicken until I moved to Reno in 2002.
Yes, my brother-in-law and family had the same experience when on the West coast. Whenever they came back East, Chinese-American takeout was mandatory.
Made this today. It was dope. Air fryer only. Substituted AP flour with rice flour. Surprisingly crispy. Didn't have garlic chili paste, whatever that is (lol), so I threw some garlic and thai chillis and a touch of oil in the mortar and pestle. Also did half mirin, half rice vinegar for the sauce, and a bit less sugar. I also didn't have dried chilis so I toasted some thai chilis. two for the chili garlic paste and two for the sauce itself. It was perfect. really enjoyed this thanks a lot!
Thanks for this! Perfect time to see this. I love General Tso's Chicken. I like spicy, so getting away from the sweetness of take-out will be a good thing. We have a new air fryer I have not used yet, and we're trying to eat healthier so... This checks all the boxes. Definitely going to try! I'm going to go with the simple air-fry only as a first attempt.
Meal prepping a bag of those this weekend for sure
Videos are always so cool! Exactly what I want to watch as a food geek
Like many I've never made it. Thank you man much appreciated. You should make more vids like this
Yooooooo LFGGG!!! HYPED ASF FOR THIS VIDEO
I just imagine the dog in your profile pic screaming that and I find it humorous
@@BasedPeanutButterEnjoyer lol
Wow Man...love all Your videos, but this one was a masterpiece... Thank's a lot - good job!
I love watching you. Thank you so much.
Nice video. I made the sauce and stir fry with chicken/ vegetables. Avoided all the frying and came out awesome!
Aww I've been cooking General Tso's ever since Babish dropped his basics episode! Excited to see how you do it.
Gotta say Ethan your deep-fried videos make me wanna try it more. I’ve only deep fried once. I think I just gotta do it lol.
Also any video where you’re blindfolded tasting food is always a great one
I am more of an Air Fryer rather than a deep fry (mostly because I don't like the popping of oil from the fryer), but the deep fryer of #4 looks and sounds amazing 😋
I'll definitely have to make this sometime!
Thank you for bringing up the over-sweetness of the takeout sauces. I got some takeout a week ago and it was supposed to be two different types of chicken, but they tasted the same and were so sweet they could've been a dessert dish.
made the sauce tonight. it smells and tastes perfect. I can't wait until dinner tomorrow night!
Yeah.
Definitely the straight Air Fry.
I made the 1865 White House Chicken Fricasee, [Abe's Fave] and it was brutally taxing.
The first time I made Gen Tsao at home, it was too involved.
Now my Ninja Foodie is gonna getta workout!😊
Def gonna try this
8:07 - Honestly amazed you were able to get that Chosen Foods oil spray to actually *spray.* Regardless of how much I shake it, it only ever comes out as a stream.
Haha I love the content. Like the way you tested all options!
Definitely will try the airfryer one aswell!
I've been using Made With Lau's recipe for the past couple years and make it at least 3 times a month for a family of 4. The whole process is less than 45 minutes for 8 - 12 servings in order to have leftovers. I don't really understand where all the alleged time is going if you're multitasking during the process. The only main difference is his is a batter instead of a dredge. The freezing for later step is a nice addition that I might start doing in the future. Normally we don't really care about the leftovers being crispy the next day. I'm personally opposed to air fryers in general considering how little you can put in them and the redundancy if you already own a toaster oven so I wont be testing that route. If I'm feeling extra lazy I'll just use bottled general tso sauce from House of Tsang. It tastes basically identical to the take-out sauce.
Awesome video bro thanks so much for sharing
Thanks for the awesome video, Ethan. Would you PLEASE consider doing a series like this with ingredients we can prep, freeze, and then use in a variety of recipes during the week...like real recipes and homemade versions of our favorite freezer aisle snacks, not salads, lol. I love salads, but everyone does that already. Thank you 🙏🏾
I haven't even watched yet and I know I'm gonna love it
Man that looks so so good!
Nice work Ethan 😊. From frozen gives a far better crust. The water particles in the crust freeze and break open the starch cells which creates more surface area to crisp.
I’ve been making general tso at home for like two years now, thank god I got an air fryer. I’ve never actually tried it in a restaurant because it’s not very popular here in the UK, but the homemade version SLAPS. The secret is the shaoxing rice wine 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
Does the UK even have general tso? I've never heard or seen it here.
@@shoobzy3431 not that I’m aware of, no, I just didn’t want to say we 100% don’t have it in case somethings changed in the past few years
There is a recipe from "school of wok" from Covent Garden, London. So it make it's way to the UK. But in the US, it's really all over the place. I'm usually cooking the version from Seonkyoung Longest. Even translated it to german and posted it. (Naming my source of inspiration, of course.)
Amazing and thanks Ethan ❤
Yes, pulling out the oil, heating it up, maintaining the temp through batch cooking, letting it cool, straining, and all the clean up specific to the oil is totally just a difference of about five minutes of actual work. Totally.
He didn't mention it, but I've had great results with frying, freezing, then baking. I don't own an air fryer and this method produces great results.
An air fryer is a miniature convection oven, hence the similarities to a regular oven. Frying and freezing keeps the oil in the coating, and that oil allows it to crisp up in the oven!
@@mauz791 Yes I figured that. If your oven has a convection setting, that's basically the same as an air fryer (mine unfortunately doesn't).
Hell yea with the frozen meal prep! I need to figure out how to recreate those frozen heat and serve pasta bags but can't figure out the different component and par-cooked pasta nests.
How about taking the raw chicken pieces, vacuum-sealing them in a bag with a baking soda and/or cornstarch slurry (to tenderize the chicken), sous vide cooking that a bit below temp, then removing from bag, pat dry, dredge in the dry ingredients, and frying it once... ? Goal is crispy outside with a more tender, juicy inside. Heck, you can add some marinade to the bag as well to give some extra flavor to the chicken and/or rice.
Edit: I was just thinking you could sous vide the rice too. A search for this reveals rice needs to cook at 200 ° F for around 30 mins and the chicken at 140 ° F for about 90 mins. So you'd probably want to cook the chicken first, cook the rice next (letting the chicken cool a bit), then pat the chicken dry and start the fry. The bonus with this method is you can have portions of chicken and rice vacuum-sealed in your freezer, ready to cook. You can also drop a vac-sealed bag of broccoli in toward the end of the chicken bath.
This was dope. I gotta try it