General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
on Jan 17, 2010, Updated Aug 02, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Fill your dinner plate with flavor with this easy, saucy, ultra-savory, just a bit tangy, and sweet General Tso’s chicken recipe, perfect over rice with a bit of green onion and sesame seeds!
This General Tso’s chicken Recipe is all the good flavors of a universal favorite takeout dish, without wondering what’s in it or feeling too indulgent. After all, anything homemade is automatically a bit healthier in my book! And it’s not deep-fried like many traditional versions. This dish is one you’ll want to make week after week, it’s so tasty and addicting. The sauce is pretty much everything; I would drink it if it weren’t frowned upon.
Serve it over your favorite rice or other grain (quinoa would also work well to soak up all the saucy goodness). And don’t forget the green onion and sesame seeds on top! They’re not necessary but they add just a little more flavor and texture that makes this dish truly irresistible. The best part is how easy and fast it is to cook up. You just pan-fry the chicken, whisk up the sauce, combine them in your pan, and serve!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It combines sweet, savory, and spicy flavors that appeal to many taste preferences. The crispy chicken coated in a tangy sauce strikes a balance that’s so irresistible!
- General Tso’s chicken can be varied in so many different ways. You can add noodles or rice, add some veggies, or change some ingredients in the sauce. Make it authentic to your tastes.
- Make sure the oil is hot enough before frying the chicken to ensure crispiness and prevent the chicken from absorbing too much oil.
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken breast or thighs
- Cornstarch
- Olive oil — Other oils work too!
- Green onions
- Hoisin sauce
- Ketchup
- Rice vinegar
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Brown sugar
- Ginger — fresh or powdered
- Garlic — fresh or powdered
- Red chili paste — chili pepper flakes work too!
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make General Tso’s Chicken
Step 1: Combine cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Dredge chicken pieces in cornstarch mixture.
Step 2: Make sauce by combining all sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl and mixing well.
Step 3: Cook the chicken pieces in batches, using a few tablespoons of oil per batch. Cook each batch for about 6 minutes.
Step 4: Return chicken to skillet and pour in sauce. Stirring occasionally, cook over medium heat until thickened, about 3 minutes.
There are a bunch of yummy flavors at work in General Tso’s chicken, like garlic, ginger for a tangy bite, green onion, hoisin sauce and soy sauce for a salty element, red chili for a kick, brown sugar for a cut of sweetness, and more. Basically, it’s a big flavor and big-time delicious.
The good thing about this recipe is that you can make it as spicy (or not) as you like! Scale up or down the red chili paste or red pepper flakes depending on how hot you like it. I like it spicy, but my kids like it a bit milder, so you can also add chili flakes to your own bowl to give yours more heat.
This rendition is pretty healthy because it’s not deep-fried like the takeout kind or full of questionable ingredients. (I promise you can pronounce everything that goes into it! Well, except maybe “hoisin”—a weird word, but not bad for you!)
Expert Tips
- Let the coated chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before frying to allow the coating to adhere well.
- Fry the chicken in batches in hot oil (around 350-375°F or 175-190°C) until golden brown and crispy. Don’t overcrowd the pan, as this can lead to steaming instead of frying.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels before coating to ensure a crispy exterior.
More Easy Dinners To Consider
Beef Recipes
Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon
Pasta Dishes
Easy Slow Cooker Vegetable Lasagna
Slow Cooker Recipes
Perfect Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil or avocado oil, for pan frying
- 3 green onions, sliced
- Sesame seeds for garnish, optional
For the sauce:
- 5 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 5 tablespoons ketchup
- 5 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled, minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon red chili paste OR 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, depending on your heat preference
Instructions
- In a shallow bowl, combine cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Dredge chicken pieces in cornstarch mixture and tap off excess. You can also put the chicken and cornstarch mixture in a large plastic bag or container and shake to coat.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook chicken pieces in batches, using a few tablespoons of oil to cook each batch. The chicken will no longer be pink in the middle when cooked, about 6 minutes per batch.
- Make sauce by combining all sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl and mixing well.
- Return chicken to skillet and pour in sauce.
- Stirring occasionally, cook over medium heat until thickened, about 3 minutes. Top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
- Serve over rice with your favorite stir fried veggies.
Notes
- Marinate the chicken: In a bowl, mix the marinade ingredients: Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry), soy sauce, egg white, and cornstarch. Then, add the chicken pieces and toss to coat evenly. Let marinate for at least 15-20 minutes.
- Use a wok or a large skillet with high heat to stir-fry quickly and evenly.
- Adjust the amount of sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce to achieve the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors.
- Let the coated chicken rest for 10-15 minutes before frying to allow the coating to adhere well.
I’ve been thinking about trying this over quinoa…just hadn’t gotten around to it yet…..now I will for sure…..he will probably freak…bahahahahahaha. This is definitely one of my favorite recipes!
It would be great over quinoa!
Quinoa threw my brain into a tizzy….Asian food must have to have rice or noodles evidentally for my brain to cooperate with my taste buds! I never tire of this recipe!
LOL the texture is what gets me on it too.
So I whipped up a batch and ran it thru a freeze dryer . This may be our favorite backpacking meal ever! I never tire of this recipe!!! You da bomb!
This is so so so so so so GOOD!!!!! I can hardly wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow! If I stay up after midnight tonight….I can nibble on it “tomorrow”….I am so full from eating and I am drooling just telling you how good this is!! Did I mention how good this is???? He really loved it too!!!! SCORE!!! Thanks for a great recipe!!!
PS….I keep a finger of ginger in a baggie in the freezer. Super easy to scrape of some skin and shave off what I need. Tastes fine to me…maybe not to a gourmet, but hey….
Great idea! I never keep it on hand…
This is for dinner tonight! Amber referred me to this recipe actually:)
thanks for this recipe! I made it and we loved it!!
I am excited to have this again! It was so good!!! Thanks for sharing!
This looks delicious! and I’ve used fresh ginger once and it was so good! I’m going to definitely try this!