Name: General Tso's Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: ½ cup chicken broth low sodium; 3 tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium); 2 tablespoons hoisin suace; 1 tablespoon rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon sesame oil; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 pound chicken thighs (boneless and skinless, cut into bite size pieces); ¼ cup cornstarch; 3 cloves garlic (minced); 2 teaspoons ginger (minced); ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes; 2 green onions (chopped); vegetable oil (for frying)

This tasty sweet, spicy, and tangy General Tso’s Chicken with a crispy coating is a popular classic Chinese-American take-out favorite! But you can easily make this recipe and produce a restaurant-quality good dish at home in just a few simple steps in under 30 minutes!

general tso's chicken over a bed of rice in a plate with chop sticks.

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Easy General Tso’s Chicken Recipe

General Tso’s chicken is a fried chicken dish coated in a yummy sauce that is sweet and tangy with a touch of spice. It’s very similar to Sesame Chicken in some ways but has a nice kick to it! General Tso’s chicken is one of the most commonly ordered and well-known Chinese-American menu items in restaurants across the United States. But most people never make it at home because they think it’s too difficult. But I’m going to prove that’s not true!

One of the best parts about this dish aside from its deliciousness is that you can find all the ingredients in any grocery store. You won’t find anything on the list that you need to special order or go to an Asian market to pick up. The base of the sauce is just simple soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and hoisin sauce. It’s a really easy Chinese dish to whip together with basic ingredients. You don’t even need a wok!

And it’s quick! The sauce takes seconds to whisk together and the chicken fries in minutes.

So if you begin making Instant Pot Rice before you start this recipe, about 20 minutes later both the rice and this General Tso’s chicken will be done and ready to serve. This is a fantastic weeknight meal that isn’t boring and is incredibly good!

freshly made general tso's chicken in a wok.

Why You’ll Love This General Tso’s Chicken

Quick and Easy! This classic Chinese-American chicken recipe doesn’t require any hard to find ingredients, any equipment other than a skillet, and comes together in under 30 minutes!
Authentic Flavor! When you use the right combination of a few staple Asian ingredients along with fresh garlic and ginger you can easily create flavors just as tasty as Chinese takeout.
Family Favorite! Who doesn’t love fried chicken coated in a yummy sweet, tangy, spicy sauce!?! Your family will not believe that this dish is homemade and will be begging you to make it again and again.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Sauce

Chicken Broth – I like to use a low-sodium broth to control the amount of added salt.
Soy Sauce (Low Sodium) – Regular soy sauce will work just as well as gluten-free tamari. But the low-sodium variety will help you control the saltiness of the dish.
Hoisin Sauce – This thick sweet savory sauce can be found in the Asian aisle at your local grocery store.
Rice Vinegar – A very mild vinegar commonly used in Asian cooking. Apple cider vinegar is the best substitute.
Sesame Oil – Adds loads of flavor. Always use roasted sesame oil for the best taste.
Brown Sugar – Used to make the sauce sweet. You can use light brown or dark brown sugar.
Cornstarch – Just a bit is used to thicken the sauce. You can also use arrowroot flour if you prefer.

Chicken

Chicken – You’ll need boneless skinless chicken thighs. You can also use boneless skinless chicken breasts if you prefer.
Cornstarch – Provides a coating that protects the chicken from the high heat when it’s fried and gives it a crispy finish.
Garlic – Always use fresh garlic cloves. Store-bought minced garlic has preservatives that can impact the taste.
Ginger – Use a fresh knob of ginger to add a burst of flavor that just can’t be found in ground ginger.
Red Pepper Flakes – Add a bit of heat to the chicken. Use more or fresh red chilies to make it extra spicy or omit them if you want to make this dish without spice.
Green Onions – Used to add a final layer of fresh flavor and garnish the dish.
Vegetable Oil – Used for frying. Peanut oil is another option.

How To Make General Tso’s Chicken

This is a quick 30-minute recipe layered with flavor! But once you start cooking the steps go fast, so be sure to have your ingredients measured out and ready to go before you start frying!

Make The Sauce

process shots showing how to make general tso's chicken.

The sauce is what makes the dish so tasty! But it’s super easy to make. All you have to do is whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and then set it aside for a later step. Just be sure everything is fully combined.

Coat The Chicken

Now, put the chicken in a separate bowl and sprinkle it with the cornstarch. Then toss them together well to combine making sure that the chicken is fully coated in the cornstarch. This helps to make the chicken crispy when it’s fried.

Fry The Chicken

Next, let’s fry some chicken! Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large skillet over high heat until it reaches 350°F (177°C). Then add the chicken and fry it for about 5 minutes until it’s cooked through and crispy. It’s important not to crowd the pan when frying the chicken, so you may need to do this step in a couple of batches. Then transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate so that the excess oil can drain.

Stir Fry The Aromatics

Before you start adding anything to the skillet you need to remove the oil from the pan. But be really careful because the oil is really hot! Then return the pan to the heat. Now, add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and cook for just 30 seconds to a minute until fragrant.

Finish The Dish

With the sauce made and chicken fried, you can begin putting everything together. First, stir the sauce into the aromatics in the skillet and let it cook until it thickens up. Next, put the cooked chicken back into the skillet along with the green onions. Then toss everything together until the chicken is fully coated in sauce.

Garnish And Serve

Once the General Tso’s chicken is ready, garnish it with more green onions and some sesame seeds. Then serve it over steamed rice along with some Broccoli and Spring Rolls to start if you like!

How To Make Crispy Fried Chicken?

Toss it in cornstarch! Together with high-heat chicken coated in cornstarch comes out crispy every time. Basically, the starch absorbs all the moisture on the surface of the chicken, then swells when it hits the hot oil pushing the water out before forming a brittle structure that creates super golden crispy chicken. Chicken fried in cornstarch is also less oily and remains more crispy when tossed with sauces.

Is General Tso’s Chicken The Same As Orange Chicken?

These two fried chicken dishes are very similar in a lot of ways with a sweet tangy sauce. But unlike General Tso’s chicken, orange chicken typically isn’t spicy and always contains some form of orange added to it for flavor. You will also find some variations of orange chicken that aren’t fried.

Expert Tips

Fry the chicken in batches. For the chicken to evenly cook and fry properly it’s important not to crowd the pan. So unless you are using an extra large skillet it’s best to cook it in batches.
Don’t burn the aromatics. The garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes just need to saute for about 30 seconds to become fragrant. Any longer and you risk burning them which will affect the taste of the dish.
Temp the chicken. For food safety, you can easily make sure that your fried chicken is fully cooked by using an instant-read digital meat thermometer to ensure that it has reached at least 165°F (74°C).

Storage

Leftover General Tso’s chicken will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer in an airtight container. Then to reheat, you can put it in the microwave for a few minutes on medium power or heat it in a skillet on your stovetop. However, if it’s frozen, you need to let it first thaw out overnight in the fridge before reheating.