General Tso Chicken vs. Szechuan Chicken: What Is the Difference?

Have you ever noticed how many Asian fast-food restaurants are in the United States? They are simply anywhere, but it makes a lot of sense, to be fair. 

Why? Well, because they are simply awesome – they’re not only cheap but also have delicious food! 

And that last thing is exceptionally accurate when talking about General Tso and Szechuan chicken, two of the most popular dishes in these kinds of bistros.

And since these two meals also both consist of pieces of chicken in a delicious sauce, many people tend to think they’re the same. However, that is not entirely true.

So what is the difference between General Tso chicken and Szechuan chicken? The most significant difference between General Tso chicken and Szechuan chicken is their taste because the former is bitter and heavily spicy. On the other hand, General Tso is sweet with just light spicy undertones.

But this is hardly everything there is to tell about the differences between these two meals because they are not very alike in other things as well.

What are the other differences, then? That is exactly what we’re going to uncover in this article, so let’s get into it!

Is General Tso chicken and Szechuan chicken the same?

No, General Tso chicken and Szechuan chicken are not the same, mainly because they don’t even originate in the same cuisine.

Szechuan chicken indeed is a traditional piece of Chinese cuisine, but General Tso chicken belongs more to the Chinese-American one.

Both of them are also made fairly differently because the chicken used to make Szechuan chicken undergoes more procedures than the one for General Tso does.

And because of all of that, General Tso chicken and Szechuan chicken are simply not the same.

What is General Tso chicken?

General Tso chicken is a favorite meal that originates from Chinese-American cuisine. In fact, it can probably be called its signature piece. 

That’s partly because General Tso consists of the well-known Asian fried chicken in crispy breading beloved by many people.

But another important thing contributing to General Tso chicken’s popularity is undoubtedly the dark sauce used to make it, which gives it the so famous sweet and spicy flavor.

What is Szechuan chicken?

Szechuan chicken is a famous traditional Chinese dish that has also found its home in many western countries, primarily the United States. It is made out of chicken pieces prepared similarly to the one used in General Tso.

Unlike them, though, after the initial deep-frying, the chicken pieces for Szechuan chicken also have to be stir-fried with red peppers.

Then they are mixed with rice and a delicious, slightly bitter, and heavily spicy sauce, which makes this meal what it is.

What is the difference between General Tso chicken and Szechuan chicken?

Even though General Tso chicken and Szechuan chicken look similar, they are very different dishes. That’s mainly because of two things:

Firstly, General Tso uses the classic Asian-style deep-fried chicken pieces in crispy breading. On the other hand, Szechuan chicken is prepared a bit differently – even though it is deep-fried in the same way as well, then it also has to be stir-fried with red hot chili peppers.

Secondly, the sauces are different in each case as well – the sauce used to make Szechuan chicken has a sour and intensely spicy flavor, but General Tso doesn’t and is instead sweet and spicy just mildly.

What do General Tso chicken and Szechuan chicken have in common?

With all the differences we’ve just talked about above, you may be wondering whether General Tso chicken and Szechuan chicken don’t have some things in common as well. And yes, they do.

Mainly, they’re both kinds of Asian fast-food meals based on mixing deep-fried chicken with some rice, vegetables, and sauce. And no matter the differences between each one of them, all of these meals are fundamentally pretty similar.

Which one tastes better, General Tso chicken or Szechuan chicken?

As much as we would like to answer this question indeed, we must say that we’re afraid we’re not quite able to.

That’s because, just like with any other food, the choice between General Tso chicken and Szechuan chicken depends just and only on you and your tastebuds.

With that being said, though, we probably can help you a bit – if you’re a fan of really spicy, intense flavors, then you should definitely go with Szechuan chicken. But if you’re looking more for things with a sweet taste, General Tso chicken will probably suit you better.

Summary

General Tso chicken and Szechuan chicken are nowadays two of the most beloved meals in Chinese fast-foods throughout the United States.

However, just Szechuan chicken comes from China because General Tso chicken originates from Chinese-American cuisine.

And maybe because of that, General Tso chicken and Szechuan chicken are two pretty different dishes – while the former is sweet with just light spicy undertones, the latter is a highly spicy meal.

Related:

• General Tso Chicken vs. Hunan Chicken
• General Tso Chicken vs. Sweet and Sour Chicken
• General Tso Chicken vs. Orange Chicken

Resources

Image credits – Canva