General Tso’s Chicken Recipe

5 from 3 votes

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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!

With a little sweet, and little spice, and a whole lot of flavor, this chicken is a fun way to dress up dinner and make it even more delicious, without anymore effort!

general tso's chicken in skillet with wooden spoon
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Easy At-Home General Tso’s Chicken

I’m a sucker for good takeout, whether it’s spicy Thai or saucy Chinese. And this General Tso’s chicken recipe is basically all the good flavors of a universal favorite takeout dish, without wondering what’s in it or feeling like it’s 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 scrumptious and addicting. The sauce is pretty much everything; I would drink it if it weren’t totally frowned upon.

Serve it up over your favorite rice or other grain (quinoa would work well, too, 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, no matter if you’re crunched for time. You just pan fry the chicken, whisk up the sauce, combine them in your pan, and serve! How simple is that?! I can’t wait for you to dig into your new favorite at-home “takeout.”

general tso's chicken with white rice in white bowl with chopsticks

What does General Tso’s chicken taste like?

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 big flavor and big-time delicious.

Is General Tso’s chicken spicy?

The good thing about this recipe is that you can make it as spicy (or not) as you like! It’s up to you to 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.

Is General Tso’s chicken healthy?

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”… That’s a weird one, but not bad for you!)

General Tso's Chicken with White Rice in white bowl on blue towel

How to make General Tso’s chicken:

  1. In a shallow bowl, combine cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Dredge chicken pieces in cornstarch mixture.
  2. Cook chicken pieces in batches over medium-high heat, using a few tablespoons of oil to cook each batch.
  3. Make sauce by combining all sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl and mixing well.
  4. Return chicken to skillet and pour in sauce.
  5. Stirring occasionally, cook over medium heat until thickened, about 3 minutes.
  6. Serve over rice with your favorite stir fried veggies.
General Tso's chicken with white rice on white dish with skillet of general tso's
General Tso's Chicken Step by Step Prep Photos
sticky general tso's chicken pieces over rice in a white bowl up close
5 from 3 votes

General Tso’s Chicken Recipe

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!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 6

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 of 6 servings, Calories: 476kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 97mg, Sodium: 1575mg, Potassium: 710mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 33g, Vitamin A: 171IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 1mg
Like this recipe? Rate and comment below!

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This post was originally published in 2010, and has been updated and rephotographed in December 2019.

General Tso’s chicken is a big flavor, better-than-takeout, everyone-will-love-it dish that is so easy to make and fun to eat!

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Recipe Rating




12 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    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!

    1. 5 stars
      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!

  2. 5 stars
    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!

  3. 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!!!

    1. 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….

  4. This looks delicious! and I’ve used fresh ginger once and it was so good! I’m going to definitely try this!