
In this final section, we’ll wrap up by providing some side dish recipes that are perfect for pairing with either Szechuan chicken or General Tso chicken. Must-Read: Delicious Side Dish for City Chicken: Elevate Your Meal with this Tasty Recipe Side dishes to pair with If you have never made General Tso’s before, it can be a bit intimidating at first because there are so many steps involved in making sure that you get everything just right.īut as with any recipe, once you make it one time and learn what works best for your kitchen setup, it’ll become easier each time after that! The cooking time for each variety will vary based on the size of your wok and how much oil you use in it. Szechuan chicken is cooked in a wok, whereas General Tso chicken is deep fried.

The flavors of each dish are very different. Szechuan chicken has a spicy and numbing flavor, whereas General Tso chicken is sweet and savory. The main difference between General Tso’s chicken and Szechuan chicken is the sauce: Szechuan has a thicker sauce than General Tso’s sweet and sour sauce because it’s made with less water. They’re made with boneless chicken breast or thighs, but you can also use dark meat if that’s what you have on hand. Szechuan chicken is a dry dish (meaning that no sauce is added during or after cooking), whereas General Tso chicken contains sauce that’s added both during and after cooking.īoth dishes are popular in Chinese restaurants and can be found on menus around the world. Szechuan chicken is stir-fried and takes on the shape of bite-sized pieces.īecause General Tso chicken is deep-fried, the pieces are much larger than those in a typical plate of Szechuan chicken. When it comes to appearance, there are some clear differences between these two dishes. The ingredients are easy to find in any grocery store and can be used as a main dish or side dish that pairs well with rice or noodles.

This is the traditional way to make Szechuan chicken, but it is also very easy to cook at home. It has been served there for many years because it goes well with local cuisine such as noodles or rice dishes made from locally grown wheat flour mixed with water into dough balls and then steamed before being deep-fried or boiled until tender to eat as an accompaniment for sesame oil flavored fried chicken pieces seasoned with soy sauce & vinegar dressing drizzled over top followed by spicy hot sauce dip made from minced garlic cloves finely diced white onions finely chopped red peppers finely sliced green peppers all mixed together hot chili powder mix cayenne pepper black peppercorns ground ginger ground cinnamon ground cloves all crushed up together then sprinkled onto top before serving. Szechuan chicken originated in Sichuan province, which is located in the eastern part of central China between Tibet and Hainan Island. This war was waged by Britain and France against China over trade rights and resulted in European nations gaining control over Hong Kong and other ports along China’s coast.įood historians believe that General Tsao was named after this Chinese general so that Americans could identify with him better when eating this dish. General Tsao, as he was originally named, was a Hunanese general who fought on the side of China in the First Opium War (1839-1842).

General Tso chicken is a dish that was created in the United States.
