General Tso's chicken facts for kids
General Tso's chicken
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| Alternative names | General Tao Chicken, Zuo Gong Ji |
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| Course | Main |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Serving temperature | Hot |
| Main ingredients | Chicken, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar Shaoxing wine or sherry, sugar, sesame oil, scallions, hot chili peppers, batter |
| Variations | Orange chicken (Westernized version) |
| General Tso's chicken | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 左宗棠雞 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 左宗棠鸡 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Alternative Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 左公雞 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 左公鸡 | ||||||||||||||||||
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General Tso's chicken is a popular sweet and spicy chicken dish. You can find it in many Chinese restaurants in North America. The chicken is usually deep-fried until it's crispy.
This dish is named after a real person, Zuo Zongtang. He was an important leader and soldier in China a long time ago. He lived during the Qing dynasty. But here's a fun fact: Zuo Zongtang probably never ate this dish! It's not even from his home province of Hunan in China.
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The Mystery of the Name
The dish is named after Zuo Zongtang (1812–1885). He was a famous statesman and military leader from Hunan Province in China. But Zuo Zongtang himself never knew about this dish. It's not found in his hometown or the capital of Hunan. Even his family living there today say they've never heard of it.
There are a few different stories about how the dish got its name. One idea is that "Zongtang" in the name doesn't refer to Zuo Zongtang's personal name. Instead, it might mean "ancestral meeting hall." This is because the Chinese words sound similar.
The dish has many different names. Some of these include General Tao's chicken, General Gao's chicken, or even General Joe's Chicken.
Who Invented General Tso's Chicken?
Many people wonder who first created this tasty dish. There are two main claims about its origin.
Peng Chang-kuei's Story
Chef Peng Chang-kuei from Taiwan is often said to be the inventor. He was a very skilled chef who cooked for the Chinese government. When the government moved to Taiwan, he went with them. Later, in 1973, he opened a restaurant in New York City.
Peng's version of General Tso's chicken was first made without sugar. He changed it to be sweeter to suit people in America. This made the dish very popular. When he tried to open a restaurant in Hunan, China, in the 1990s, it didn't do well. People there found the dish too sweet!
Peng's Restaurant in New York City claims it was the first to serve the dish. A review from 1977 called their General Tso's chicken a "stir-fried masterpiece." Chef Peng passed away in 2016 at 98 years old.
Wang's Story
Another restaurant in New York City, Shun Lee Palace, also claims to have invented the dish. They say a chef named T. T. Wang created it in 1972. The owner of Shun Lee Palaces, Michael Tong, says many other restaurants copied their dishes.
Some people think both stories might be partly true. Chef Wang might have introduced the crispy fried version of the chicken. He might have called it "General Ching's chicken." Meanwhile, Chef Peng might have used the name "General Tso's chicken" for his version, which was cooked differently.
These different stories are explored in a 2014 movie. It's called The Search for General Tso. The movie also shows how Chinese food in America changed as more Chinese people moved there.
What's in General Tso's Chicken?
The main ingredients for General Tso's chicken usually include:
- Sauce: Soy sauce, rice wine, rice-wine vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, dried red chili peppers, and garlic.
- Batter: Egg and cornstarch.
- Dish: Broccoli and cubed dark chicken meat.
How it's Different in Taiwan
The General Tso's chicken served in Taiwan is a bit different from the one in North America. In Taiwan, the dish is not sweet. Also, the chicken is cooked with its skin on. Soy sauce is a much stronger flavor in the Taiwanese version.
See also
In Spanish: Pollo General Tso para niños
