General Tso Chicken

Crispy coated chicken is tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce that’s loaded with explosive flavor elements in this takeout-inspired General Tso chicken. 

Why this recipe works

General Tso chicken is a Chinese takeout dish known for its crispy fried chicken with a sticky sweet and savory sauce. Soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, hoisin, garlic, Asian chili sauce, ginger, and sugar combine to create the glossy sauce. There’s a hint of spice to this dish, but it balances out well with the sugar and ginger. 

This isn’t our first take at this sweet and spicy chicken. We’ve also tried our hand at a vegetarian-friendly version, General Tso’s cauliflower. Meat or no meat, there’s something special about this sauce that keeps people coming back for more and more!

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

SAUCE – The sauce is made with soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, hoisin, garlic, Asian chili sauce, ginger, and sugar. To add a little extra spice you can throw in a pinch or two of red pepper flakes or Szechuan chili flakes. Towards the end of the recipe you’ll use a cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce.

CHICKEN – Making the chicken is really easy. Start with 2 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts. Cube and season the chicken then dredge in flour. You can replace the flour with cornstarch if desired. Feel free to substitute the chicken breasts with chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat.

How to Make General Tso Chicken

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Cut chicken into cubes and season with garlic salt and black pepper.
2. Dredge chicken cubes in flour and place on a wire rack.
3. In a medium saucepan combine soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, hoisin, garlic, Asian chili sauce, ginger, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken cubes in hot oil a few minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove chicken from skillet and drain any excess oil. Add chicken back to skillet with the sauce from the saucepan.
5. Make a slurry from the cornstarch and water and add to the skillet. Cook over low heat for 5-6 minutes to allow sauce to thicken.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Serving Suggestions

Serve General Tso chicken over a bed of rice with an optional garnish of sesame seeds and sliced green onions. 

More Stir Fry Recipes

• Beef Lo Mein
• Sesame Chicken
• Bourbon Chicken
• Mongolian Beef
• Kung Pao Chicken

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General Tso Chicken

General Tso chicken is a Chinese takeout dish known for its crispy fried chicken with a sticky sweet and savory sauce. Soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, hoisin, garlic, Asian chili sauce, ginger, and sugar combine to create the flavorful glossy sauce.

5 from 38 votes

IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

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Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American, Chinese

Servings: 8 servings

35 minutes mins

Calories: 540

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon garlic salt
• ▢ ½ Tablespoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ cup soy sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• ▢ ¼ cup sesame oil
• ▢ ¼ cup hoisin sauce
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon garlic minced
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon Asian chili sauce
• ▢ ½ Tablespoon ginger chopped
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 1 cup olive oil
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon water
• ▢ sesame seeds optional as garnish
• ▢ green onion sliced, optional as garnish

Things You’ll Need

• ▢
  Large skillet
• ▢
  Saucepan
• ▢
  Wire cooling rack

Before You Begin

• If you would like to add stir-fry veggies such as broccoli florets, bell peppers, mushrooms, snap peas, or carrots, add them to the skillet after you’ve sauteed the chicken and cook until tender.
• To add a little extra spice you can throw in a pinch or two of red pepper flakes or Szechuan chili flakes.
• Serve General Tso chicken over a bed of rice with an optional garnish of sesame seeds and sliced green onions. 

Instructions

• Cut chicken into cubes and season with garlic salt and black pepper.
• Dredge chicken cubes in flour and place on wire rack.
• In a medium saucepan combine soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, hoisin, garlic, Asian chili sauce, ginger, and sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken cubes in hot oil for a few minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove chicken from skillet and drain any excess oil. Add chicken back to skillet with the sauce from the saucepan.
• Make a slurry from the cornstarch and water and add to the skillet. Cook over low heat for 5-6 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.

  Stir sauce to ensure that it doesn’t stick. Using a rubber spatula is good for this task.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 540cal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 19g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 1979mg | Potassium: 498mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 49IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 2mg

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