General Tso’s Chicken
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Master a classic Chinese restaurant dish at home with this simple and delicious General Tso’s Chicken recipe.
General Tso’s chicken, that oh-so-delicious Chinese-American favorite, similar in preparation to orange chicken, features crispy chicken pieces smothered in a sweet, tangy, spicy sauce. While it’s a popular choice at Chinese restaurants, takeout or delivery never does it justice, as the chicken’s crispy texture is best enjoyed right after it’s cooked. The good news is that you can easily whip up authentic General Tso’s chicken right in your own kitchen. Not only will you enjoy a delicious meal, but you’ll also feel a sense of pride in mastering a classic restaurant dish.
To maximize your time in the kitchen, use the 30-minute marinating window to make the sauce and chop the garlic, scallions, and ginger. By the time you’re done prepping, the chicken will be ready for coating and shallow-frying. Don’t be daunted — with this simple recipe, you’ll be dishing out the most amazing General Tso’s chicken in under an hour!
Table of Contents
“W.O.W. Literally one of the best dinners ever made! A few more steps than I’d normally bother with on a weeknight, but sooooooo worth it!!”
What You’ll Need To Make General Tso’s Chicken
Although most restaurants opt for boneless chicken thighs for this dish, white meat, particularly chicken tenderloins, works well, too; I actually prefer it. A blend of flour, cornstarch, and baking soda ensures that the chicken browns evenly and retains its crispiness, even when drenched in that delightful sauce.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Marinate the Chicken
In a large bowl, beat the egg with the sugar and soy sauce.
Add the chicken to the bowl and toss until evenly coated. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Make the Sauce
In a small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, and water together. Set aside.
Step 3: Coat the Chicken
In a medium bowl, whisk the cornstarch, flour, and baking soda.
Sprinkle over the chicken/marinade mixture.
Toss until each piece of meat separates and has a dry, clumpy coating.
Step 4: Fry the Chicken
In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat about ¼ inch of oil to 350°F (180°C). You’ll know it’s ready when you drop a piece of chicken in and it sizzles vigorously.
Working in three batches so as not to crowd the pan, shallow-fry a third of the coated chicken until golden brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes, turning once midway through cooking and adjusting the heat as needed.
Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Step 5: Finish the Dish
Carefully drain the oil from the pan and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil. Over medium heat, add the ginger, whole dried chilies (if using) or red pepper flakes, garlic, and scallion whites.
Cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds until fragrant; do not brown. Add the sauce.
Bring the sauce to a boil, and let it cook until thickened and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the crispy chicken.
Toss until the sauce fully coats the chicken, 1 to 2 minutes.
Sprinkle with the dark green scallions and sesame seeds, if using.
Serve over rice.
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Video Tutorial
General Tso's Chicken
Master a classic Chinese restaurant dish at home with this simple and delicious General Tso’s Chicken recipe.
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1½ pounds chicken tenderloins or boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1¼ cups water
For Coating the Chicken
- 1 cup cornstarch
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon baking soda
For Cooking and Serving
- Vegetable oil
- 1½ tablespoons fresh minced ginger (see note)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- Sesame seeds (optional), for serving
- Rice, for serving
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl, beat the egg, soy sauce and sugar. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss until evenly coated. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- Coat the chicken: In a medium bowl, whisk the cornstarch, flour, and baking soda. Sprinkle over the chicken/marinade mixture and toss until each piece of meat separates and has a dry, clumpy coating.
- Fry the chicken: In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat about ¼ inch of oil to 350°F. You'll know it's ready when you drop a piece of chicken in and it sizzles vigorously. Working in three batches so as not to crowd the pan, shallow-fry a third of the coated chicken until golden brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes, turning once midway through cooking and adjusting the heat as needed. Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Finish the dish: Carefully drain the oil from the pan and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil. Over medium heat, add the ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic, and scallion whites. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds until fragrant; do not brown. Add the sauce, bring it to a boil, and let it cook until thickened and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the crispy chicken, tossing until the sauce fully coats it, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the dark green scallions and sesame seeds, if using, and serve over rice.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
- Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately 2 tablespoons of the oil is absorbed into the chicken when frying.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 801
- Fat: 37 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 85 g
- Sugar: 15 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Sodium: 2,020 mg
- Cholesterol: 117 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Comments
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Once again, Jenn, you hit the ball out of the park. This was absolutely delicious. The chicken was melt-in-your mouth and the flavors in the sauce were perfection. General Tso’s Chicken is my son’s favorite dish and he says this was the best he’s ever tasted. Your recipes never disappoint and are basically fool-proof! Hands down, you have the BEST food blog on the web.
❤️
Hey Jenn,
Do you think instead of chicken in the General’s recipe or orange chicken that I can substitute firm tofu… and if so any suggestions on how to do it?
I love your recipes and have recommended your recipes and website to several family and friends.
Thanks,
Gail
Hi Gail, thanks for your nice words about the recipes – so glad you like them! While I think you can substitute tofu in both recipes, I don’t know enough about cooking with tofu to give you any useful suggestions. Sorry I can’t be more helpful (but I’d love to hear how it comes out if you try it)!
I followed this recipe to a T and it was delicious. Thank you very much for sharing.
I’m going to make this tonight with the chicken tenderloins that you suggested. All your recipes have been 5-star so I’m sure this one will be as well. One quick question regarding chicken tenderloins: Do you remove the white membrane from the tenderloins? And if not, does it become tough if left in when cooked?
Hi Doreen, so glad you’re enjoying the recipes! I usually just remove the part of the tendon that sticks out since it’s the toughest. First, find the white tendon protruding from the tenderloin’s end. If it’s slippery, grab it with a paper towel for a firmer grip. Then, use kitchen shears to snip off the visible part of the tendon. Finally, discard the trimmed piece. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
Question for you. I only did a tablespoon of fresh grated ginger, but my dish was totally overpowered with ginger flavor! I looked at your instructions on grating ginger, but I’m wondering if I made a mistake. Is the ginger flavor supposed to be dominant? Or is it supposed to be pretty balanced with the other flavors? Should I just go with powered ginger next time? Any thoughts on where I made a misstep?
-Mary
Hi Mary, sorry you found the ginger overpowering! It is certainly supposed to be a flavor element in the dish, but shouldn’t dominate. It could be that you didn’t cook it quite long enough.
This was a hit in my house! My 17 year-old son orders this when we take out, so it was satisfying when he approved of the “mom-made” version. I added a side of steamed broccoli to get in a veggie and that’s a good and easy combination. I went a little easy on the chili since I am known to have a heavy hand, but I will up it next time for a slightly bigger kick. The directions were spot on … I don’t like frying very much, but this recipe, followed to the letter, allowed me to be successful!
Great recipe, thank you for sharing!
One question- can you offer a suggestion for how to prepare your own hoison sauce from soy sauce?
Hi Suzy, I’ve never made my own hoisin sauce, but this recipe gets good ratings if you want to take a peek.
Great recipe, followed exactly and it turned out better than a restaurant
This was SO. GOOD! I am on my 2nd recipe from you (1st was cashew chicken) and this is truly better than takeout! I have not a single complaint! Perfection. I can now have Chinese at home!
Jenn!! This was DELICIOUS and better than the best takeout! Chicken SO tender! My husband and I take turns making dinner and he wanted to make something Chinese. I asked him to make this. I cannot wait to make it for my kids and grandkids! Also will be making your other Chinese dishes soon. You NEVER fail me!
Noreen