Crispy juicy chicken coated in a sweet and savory sauce with a spicy kick! This quick and easy General Tso Chicken recipe is ready in 25 minutes saving you money on Chinese takeout!
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What is General Tso Chicken?
General Tso Chicken is a very popular Chinese dish. It features crispy chicken coated in a sweet, savory, flavorful sauce with spicy flavors! A great main dish served at many Chinese restaurants with white rice and vegetables.
This dish was first invented in the 1950's by a chef named Peng Chang-kuei from Hunan, China. It was dedicated to Tso Tsung-t'ang, who was a 19th century General who loved the dish, hence the name!
This is one of my favorite chicken recipes because it's simple to make and the flavors are so good! My husband and I love enjoying it on a busy weeknight because it comes together so easily.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Skinless boneless chicken thighs:Â or substitute with chicken breast but please reduce the cooking time by a couple minutes.
- Cornstarch:Â or substitute with potato starch. Avoid using tapioca or rice starch as it'll cause the chicken pieces to stick while frying.
- Fresh ginger
- Green onion
- Neutral oil:like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
- Sesame seeds: If you're allergic, please omit.
General Tso Sauce
- Hoisin sauce:Â the key ingredient to our sauce. Do not substitute with oyster sauce as it's not the same!
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.Â
- Brown sugar: Or substitute with white sugar
- Rice vinegar: Or substitute with white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or Shaoxing wine.
- Garlic
- Sesame oil: omit if you're allergic.
- Red pepper flakes or red chili flakes: omit if you prefer this mild.
- Cornstarch and water
Variations
- Gluten-free version? Substitute with a gluten-free hoisin sauce and gluten-free soy sauce of your choice, tamari sauce or coconut aminos.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients.
Expert Tips
- Prepare ingredients ahead of time as the cooking process is fast.
- Do not pat dry the chicken! You need some moisture on the chicken so the starch can adhere to it.
- Evenly dice the chicken so they evenly fry.
- Fry in small batches if needed to maintain oil temperature.
- Spread chicken apart after tossing into pan. This allows for each piece to develop a crust.
- Medium high heat is the key to getting the chicken crispy and golden.
- Avoid stir frying the chicken. This prevents it from getting crispy.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make General Tso's Chicken:
Create Sauce
In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients and set aside.
Dice Chicken
Cut each thigh into bite size pieces, about 6-8 pieces per thigh depending on size. Do not pat chicken thighs dry, some moisture is needed for the next step. If you plan to air fry your chicken, see the below FAQ on how to do that.
Coat Chicken in Starch
In a large bowl, add chicken pieces followed by cornstarch. Mix to coat each piece of chicken evenly.
​Shallow Fry Chicken
In a wok or large pan, set over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil or any neutral oil. Carefully lower coated chicken into oil and quickly spread apart.
Once chicken is spread apart, do not touch or move the pieces around. Allow pieces to sear and form a golden crust, about 5-6 minutes on each side.
Remove Chicken from Oil
​Remove and transfer fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate or a wire rack for excess oil to drip off. Pour out any excess oil from pan.
​Simmer Sauce
In the same wok set over medium high heat, add your ginger followed by pre-mixed sauce. Let it come to a boil to thicken and reduce.
​Toss in Chicken & Garnish
Then finally toss in your fried chicken and mix until each piece is coated in sauce. Optionally, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? This can be stored in a freezer friendly bag and frozen up to 3 months or until you see freezer burn. To reheat, defrost it and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan.
Pairing Suggestions
General Tso's Chicken serves well with egg rolls, egg drop soup, white or brown rice, cauliflower rice, fried rice, chow mein, lo mein, plain noodles, or cooked vegetables like garlic bok choy or garlic green beans.
FAQ
Yes, the chicken can be cooked in the air fryer by following these instructions: Lightly spray air fryer basket with oil. Transfer the coated chicken into your air fryer basket in a single layer, giving each piece enough space. You may need to air fry in two batches depending on the size of your air fryer. Spray enough oil over chicken. Air fry at 400 degrees F for 12-14 minutes until crispy and brown, no flipping required.
No, a large pan will work too! But if you want that smoky taste that you'll find in most Asian takeout, use a steel wok. When the oil hits the hot steel, it creates a smoke in the air that envelops the food making it taste smoky.
Yes, you can substitute the chicken with shrimp, diced sturdy white fish, beef, pork, or extra-firm tofu.
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📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy General Tso Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs diced
- ¼ cup cornstarch or potato starch
- 5 slices ginger peeled (each slice is about ¼ cm thick)
- ½ stalk green onion finely chopped
- â…“ cup vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds optional garnish
General Tso Sauce:
- 4 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 2 teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or red chili flakes)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
- ½ cup water cold
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients and set aside.
- Cut each thigh into bite size pieces, about 6-8 pieces per thigh depending on size. Do not pat chicken thighs dry, some moisture is needed for the next step. If you plan to air fry your chicken, please refer to Notes now.
- In a large bowl, add chicken pieces followed by cornstarch. Mix to coat each piece evenly.
- In a wok or large pan, set over medium high heat, heat vegetable oil or any neutral oil. To test if oil is hot, insert a wooden chopstick into the oil and look for bubbles. If you see bubbles, the oil is hot
- Carefully lower coated chicken into oil and quickly spread apart. Once chicken is spread apart, do not touch or move the pieces around. Allow pieces to sear and form a golden crust, about 5-6 minutes on each side.
- Remove and transfer fried chicken to a paper towel lined plate or wire rack. Pour out any excess oil from pan.
- In the same wok set over medium high heat, add your ginger followed by pre-mixed sauce. Let it come to a boil to thicken and reduce.
- Then finally toss in your fried chicken and mix until each piece is coated in sauce. Optionally, garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Arlene
It was very easy to make and tasty. Will definitely add it to my meals cycle. Thank you for sharing.
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for leaving a positive review, Arlene! Have a great day!
Teri
DELICIOUS! Will definitely make again! Love that it was easy and fast.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Teri! I am so happy that it was delicious, easy and fast 🙂 Have a wonderful day!
Denise
I finally made this and placed it over cauliflower rice. This was so good and full of flavor. Thank you.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for sharing this kind review, Denise! I'm very glad that you found it flavorful 🙂 Have a great day!
Allysa
Haven't made yet but looking to tonight. I don't have the ginger though. Is it going to make that much of a difference without it?
Christie Lai
I hope you enjoy it! I does have a slight impact without it so if you even have ginger powder, a dash of it would be helpful to even out the flavors.
Paul
Topp recipe.
I found u yesterday on facebook the first time, and ur recipes are verry cool and tasty.
Have a own asian wok and a burner with 10,5 kw, and i think its enough heat cooking ur suuuuper dishes.
Manny greetings from germany/ paul
Christie Lai
Hi Paul, thank you so much for the kind and positive review! I am so happy that you enjoyed my recipe. Most of my recipes only require low-medium to medium-high heat (about 425 degrees F) so you should be good! A wok will be to your advantage for that smoky flavor. Enjoy and greetings from Canada.
Lily D
Made this tonight. Wow. Very flavorful and tasty! Easy to make. A keeper.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Lily! So happy that you enjoyed the dish.
EEVA
This recipe has been on my weekly rotation for months. My family really loves it. Thank you for sharing
christieathome
Thank you so much for sharing your kind review with me! I really appreciate that and so happy it's a family favorite! Have a great day 🙂
Katrina
A great staple dish for students and those new to cooking! The instructions are so well written and the chicken turns out perfect every single time. Awesome for left overs as well!
christieathome
Thank you so much for your kind review, Katrina! I'm really happy you enjoy the recipe so much and thank you for the positive feedback on my instructions 🙂 Have a lovely day!