Quick & Easy General Tso Chicken

Quick & Easy General Tso Chicken

General Tso Chicken. Crispy chicken smothered in a sweet, tangy, glossy sauce with a spicy kick! This general tso chicken from scratch is easy to make at home. It serves deliciously for dinner, lunch or leftovers. Ready in just 25 minutes! I also share air-fryer instructions below in the Notes below.

4.98 from 40 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Servings

Calories per serving 747 kcal

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
⅓ 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!

Notes

How to Air Fry General Tso Chicken:

Follow steps 1-2 as above.

3. Instead of pouring the cornstarch right over the cubed chicken (as instructed above), place the cornstarch on a plate and dredge each piece of chicken into the starch. Feel free to add more starch if needed. This creates a more even coating.

4. Then 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.

5. Spray enough oil over chicken. Air fry at 400 degrees F for 12-14 minutes until crispy and brown, no flipping required.

6. Meanwhile, in a wok set over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon oil and your ginger slices.

7. Next pour in your pre-mixed sauce and let it come to a boil until it is thick and glossy.

8. Then add your air-fried chicken into the sauce to mix. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

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