I'll probably get rocked for this but General Tso's Chicken has always been one of the victims of what I like to call "Chinese Food Non-Standard Syndrome". Anyway, the original recipe called for the copious use of peppercorn and chili spices, along with some vinegar. The chicken is lightly battered, deep fried, then mixed in a wok with some oil, ginger, vinegar, and the mix of the above mentioned spices. The result is a very delicious dish but very painful aftermath.
I've been to many places where they've served some bastardized version of this dish with heavily breaded chicken and huge peppers...and then they called it General Tao's Chicken. I've owned an authentic Chinese restaurant for 15 years and I've been asked the same question: "What's the difference between General Tso's Chicken and General Tao's Chicken?" My answer is always the same: "General Tso really did come from China. General Tao, however, worked with Colonel Sanders."