
The battle of chicken dishes has been going on for centuries.
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You might be wondering General Tso’s Chicken vs Orange Chicken, which one is better? But the answer is not so simple.
Let’s accompany us and figure out how to differentiate these two chicken recipes in this article, then you’ll have your own answer.
What is General Tso chicken?
[amazon fields=”B085B9L8XF” value=”thumb” image=”1″ image_size=”large” image_align=”center”]General Tso is a popular Chinese dish that many Americans have come to love.
It’s one of those dishes that you can’t find on any Chinese restaurant menu but instead has become an Americanized version of the classic dish.
While it looks simple enough, there are some surprising ingredients in this popular take-out food!
The ingredients are usually chicken, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots braised together with dark soy sauce and dry sherry to create a sweet taste.
What is orange chicken?
[amazon fields=”B077J976WX” value=”thumb” image=”1″ image_size=”large” image_align=”center”]Orange chicken is a popular Chinese dish that can be found in many restaurants.
It’s made with battered and fried chicken, which is then mixed with a sweet sauce and orange zest.
The dish has become so popular that it has been modified to be served as an entrée or side dish at some American restaurants.
In North America, it’s most commonly served over steamed rice with vegetables on the side.
What are the differences between General Tso and orange chicken?
1. General Tso is a dish that originated in China, while orange chicken is likely an Americanized version of the dish
General Tso was originally a dish that originated in China, but over time it has been changed to fit American tastes.
Nowadays many people order General Tso as an appetizer with their meal or for takeout orders because the taste is so addictive and easy to consume on the go.
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Orange Chicken became popular when Chinese restaurants were being introduced into America a long time ago, during the 1970s and 1980s by chefs who had traveled from mainland China after President Nixon’s visit there made trade relations more open between these two countries.
2. General Tso chicken has a more flavorful taste
The ingredients for General Tso are soy sauce, sugar, water chestnuts (or bamboo shoots), green onions (scallions), garlic cloves (minced), ginger root (grated), and ground pepper.
Whereas for orange chicken, you will need eggs, cornstarch/corn flour/potato starch flour mixture as well as salt.
Therefore, you can feel the explosion of different flavors in your mouth while eating General Tso due to a variety of numerous ingredients and spices.
3. General Tso chicken is made from dark meat like thigh or leg meat, while orange chicken uses white meat like breast or tenderloin
General Tso’s main ingredient is dark meat which gives it more flavor than its counterpart because of its higher fat content.
Whereas for Orange Chicken there are no differences between dark and light meats when cooking them
4. Orange chicken is crispier on the outside and juicy on the inside due to different ingredients and cooking method
The secret to the crispy coating of these fried morsels lies with Chinese batter which contains eggs, rice flour, wine, or vinegar as well as spices such as ginger root powder and garlic flakes.
The first step required when making this popular dish is deep-frying it after being coated in breadcrumbs before submerging it into hot cooking oil again, which makes the outside crispier than ever while still keeping all those delicious juices inside!
What are the similarities between General Tso chicken and orange chicken?
Besides many differences between General Tso and orange chicken, you can also find them a lot in common.
They both originated in Chinese cuisine and now popular in America
As mentioned earlier, General Tso and orange chicken are both Chinese dishes, but the orange chicken is more well-known with the American Chinese version.
They are flavorful and both consumed as a snack or eat with rice
Each dish has its unique flavor, but generally, any Asian-based dish can be perfect to serve with hot rice.
Which one is better?
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There are many people who say that General Tso is better than orange chicken.
If you want a definitive answer about which one tastes more amazing, just try them both out for yourself!
Each of them might satisfy your personal taste buds, and we would love to hear from you your experiences in trying these recipes and which one you prefer.
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