Do you enjoy Chinese food? If so, then this blog post is perfect for you! In this post, I will be discussing two different types of Chinese cuisine: Tai Chien chicken and General Tso.
Tai Chien chicken is a type of fried breaded meat with vegetables in it.
General Tso is another type of fried breaded meat that has more sauce than the other dish.
This blog post will compare Tai Chien chicken vs General tso to help you make a decision!
What is special about Tai Chien chicken?
Tai Chien chicken is a dish that originates from the Szechuan province of China.
It’s spicy, but not too spicy, and typically served with rice or noodles.
The word Tai Chien literally translates to “hot wok.”
Tai Chien chicken is traditionally made with bone-in pieces of meat (chicken thigh) that are marinated in garlic, ginger, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and sesame oil for an hour before being cooked in hot wok until golden brown and crispy.
This dish has become popular outside of China because it’s tasty and much less intimidating than other dishes from this region like mapo tofu or ma po doufu.
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What is special about General Tso?
General Tso is a dish that has been around since the 1970’s.
It is named after Zuo Zongtang, also known as General Tso, who was an army commander in China during the Qing Dynasty.
The dish consists of meat or vegetables stir-fried with garlic and chili peppers in a brown sauce along with some other condiments such as soy sauce and rice wine.
There are many variations to this recipe depending on what type of meat you use but it is traditionally chicken.
What are the differences between Tai Chien chicken vs General Tso?
Tai Chien chicken and General Tso are both popular Chinese dishes in the United States.
What is the difference between them? The table below will give you the answer.
| Tai Chien chicken | General Tso | |
| Texture | Tai Chien chicken is also deep fried, but the meat is not breaded and it does not have any sauce on top | General Tso’s chicken is a deep-fried breaded chicken dish that has been coated in a sweet and spicy sauce |
| Flavor | Tai Chien will just include salty or slightly sweet flavors with no spice | The taste of General Tso’s chicken usually includes a combination of sweet, salty, sour, and spicy flavors with an orange color to the sauce |
| Nutritional value | The same amount of Tai Chien has only about 250 calories | A serving of General Tso’s has about 667 calories |
| Sauce | Tai Chien chicken has a savory soy-based sauce with the same mixture of garlic and ginger as in General Tso plus some Chinese five spice powder for flavor | General Tso has a sweet sauce that tastes like it’s been mixed with sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vinegar, cornstarch or rice wine |
| Cooking methods | Tai Chien chicken is fried in oil | General Tso is made with a batter and deep-fried |
| Serving | The ingredients in Tai Chien Chicken are mostly vegetables (broccoli, carrots) | General Tso’s dish doesn’t have vegetables like broccoli or carrots, but does have onions |
| Price | Tai Chien can only be found at Asian restaurants for around $8-$12 per order | General Tso’s can be found at most chain restaurants for about $10-15 per order |
What are the similarities between Tai Chien chicken vs General Tso?
Tai Chien chicken and General Tso are two of the most popular Chinese dishes.
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Besides the differences, they are also similar in some points as follows:
1. Both dishes can be served over rice or with noodles as well as in a sandwich bun
Tai chi chicken and General Tso can be served over rice or with noodles as well as in a sandwich bun.
This dish is usually found at Chinese restaurants, but you may find it popping up on menus across the country too!
2. Both dishes are prepared by coating the meat in flour or cornstarch before frying it
The key technique in both Tai Chien chicken and General Tso preparation involves first coating pieces of beef or poultry with a thick mixture including eggs, cornstarch or flour before frying it up on high heat.
By adding this extra step into cooking process – which can take as little as 3 minutes – you are able to create crispy fried meats with a crunchy exterior while still having juicy tenderness inside!
3. The ingredients
Both Tai Chien chicken and General Tso include soy sauce, sugar, water chestnuts, garlic cloves, ginger root, rice wine vinegar or white vinegar.
Which one is better?
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The General Tso’s chicken is a classic Americanized version of the dish, while Tai Chien Chicken has its origins in Shanghai.
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It’s hard to say which one tastes better for sure because they are both so different from each other!
If you like spicy food with lots of flavor and tenderness, then Tai Chien might be your best choice.
On the other hand, if you prefer something more sweet than salty or if you want something that doesn’t have as many calories, go with General Tso’s instead.
Either way it will taste great!
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