General Tso’s Chicken
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Learn to make General Tso’s chicken—that oh-so-delicious Chinese-American favorite with crispy chicken pieces smothered in a sweet, tangy, and spicy sauce. It’s completely doable and worth the effort!
While General Tso’s chicken is a popular choice at Chinese restaurants, takeout never does it justice because the chicken’s crispy texture is best enjoyed fresh from the pan. The good news is that you can easily whip up authentic General Tso’s chicken right in your own kitchen. Not only is it delicious, but there’s also something so satisfying about recreating a restaurant classic at home.
To make the most of your time, prep the sauce and chop the garlic, scallions, and ginger while the chicken marinates for 30 minutes. By the time you’re done, the chicken will be ready for coating and shallow-frying. This General Tso’s chicken recipe delivers delicious homemade results in under an hour—pair it with white or fried rice and steamed broccoli and dinner is done!
“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
- Egg, Soy Sauce, and Sugar: These ingredients serve a dual purpose by creating a savory marinade that clings to the chicken while also forming the base of the sauce; the soy sauce provides a salty depth, and the sugar brings just enough sweetness to balance the tang.
- Chicken: Most restaurants use boneless, skinless thighs for their juiciness, but chicken breast or tenderloin works just as well—you can go with whichever cut you like best.
- Cornstarch, flour & baking soda: These work together to give the chicken that light, crispy coating when fried. Cornstarch also helps thicken the sauce.
- Hoisin Sauce, Unseasoned Rice Vinegar, and Sesame Oil: These add the final layers of flavor to the sauce—the hoisin provides richness and a hint of spice, the rice vinegar keeps the sweetness in check, and sesame oil adds a nutty, toasty aroma. Look for dark, toasted sesame oil (not the light kind, which has little flavor).
- Fresh ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic & scallions: These build the flavor base—spicy, savory, and a little punchy. The white parts of the scallions go into the sauce, and the green parts, along with optional sesame seeds, are used for garnishing and a nice finishing touch.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Marinate the chicken. Begin by making the marinade. 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 it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Pro Tip: Cutting the chicken into uniform 1-in pieces ensures they all cook through at the same rate and stay juicy.
Step 2: Make the sauce. While the chicken marinates, prepare the sauce by mixing the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, and water in a small bowl.
Step 3: Coat the chicken. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, flour, and baking soda. Sprinkle the coating over the chicken/marinade mixture. Toss the chicken and cornstarch/flour mixture until each piece of meat separates and has a dry, clumpy coating.
Pro Tip: Don’t be concerned about the “clumpy” look. Those little crags and uneven bits of breading create crispy nooks and crannies that hold onto the sauce once the chicken is tossed.
Step 4: Cook the chicken. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat about ¼ in 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 batches, shallow-fry about a third of the coated chicken at a time, cooking for 4 to 5 minutes until it’s golden brown and crispy.
Pro Tip: Properly heated oil is key to achieving that crisp, golden coating — too cool, and the chicken will turn out greasy; too hot, and it may burn before fully cooking.
Step 5: Drain the oil and continue cooking. Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels to drain the oil, and repeat with the remaining chicken.
Step 6: Cook the sauce. Carefully drain the oil from the pan and wipe it clean with a paper towel. Add about 1 tablespoon of fresh oil, then set the pan over medium heat. Toss in the ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic, and scallion whites. Cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant—be careful not to let them brown—and then add the sauce.
Pro Tip: Give the sauce a quick whisk right before you pour it into the pan. The cornstarch can settle at the bottom of the bowl as it sits, and re-incorporating it ensures your glaze thickens evenly without any chalky clumps.
Step 7: Combine the chicken and sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil, and let it cook until thickened and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the crispy chicken to the sauce and toss until it is nicely coated, a few minutes.
Step 8: Garnish the chicken and serve. Sprinkle with the dark green scallions and sesame seeds and serve over rice. Enjoy!
Pro Tip: If you’d like, toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for a minute or two to release their natural oils and deepen the nutty flavor.
Video Tutorial
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General Tso's Chicken
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-in (2.5-cm) 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 in (6 mm) of oil to 350°F (175°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.
- 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.
Notes
- Check out some easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger.
- Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately 2 tablespoons of the oil is absorbed into the chicken when frying.
Nutrition Information
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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Incredible recipe. My family loved it.
This Generals Chicken is better than what we’ve had from the local Chinese restaurants. So tasty. We like the crunch the cornstarch provides and there is plenty of sauce. There is a lot of prep required though it comes together quickly once you’re ready to cook. The chicken was so very tender.
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!! Personally not a fan of takeout Chinese (family is), but couldn’t stop eating this. Thanks for another home-run recipe!
Wonderful recipe, I loved it and my wife and kids loved it as well.
However, I have a question:
Something makes me feel slightly uneasy to use store-bought hoisin sauce (which I assume you meant us to use instead of making from scratch). If we are doing everything else in this recipe from scratch, why shouldn’t we make hoisin sauce from scratch? Something doesn’t feel right about this, what do you think? Because if I am going to use store-bought hoisin sauce, then why not just use store-bought General Tso sauce and therefore skip making the sauce from scratch altogether?
Moshe
Hi Moshe, so glad you and your family enjoyed the chicken! I have the store-bought hoisin sauce as an ingredient to make the recipe quick and accessible for people, but you can certainly feel free to make your own. 😊
This turned out so good! Do you think it would be okay to double the sauce and keep everything else the same? My family is always asking for more sauce.
Sure, Sohnia, that should be fine. 😊
Made this tonight and it came out great! My daughter says this is her new favorite meal.
This dish is fantastic! I’ve tried so many times to make asian-inspired dishes using various recipes and they’ve never been quite right. I’ve always felt like something was off. This, however, is perfect! I understand now what I’ve been doing wrong all these years! Better than any take out I’ve had lately!
This is soooooo delicious! So much better than some of the NYC Chinese restaurants too. My family loved it. I never thought I could learn to make this. Thanks Jenn!!!
Absolutely delicious and on point!! By far much tastier than any take-out we’ve had. We paired the dish with steamed broccoli as a side. My family and I truly enjoyed it and wished we had doubled the recipe. As with every single recipe from you, it will be added to our dinner rotation. 💜
Good morning Jenn, can this be a freezer meal? If so, what would I need to do. Thank you
I don’t think this is the best option for freezing – sorry! I have a whole section of freezer-friendly recipes if you want to browse through them.
Jenn, this was phenomenal!! I have tried Asian recipes only to be disappointed because the taste and texture is just “off”. I prepped ahead of time and it was well worth the effort! The family raved over it. Another recipe to add to my regular rotation! You continue to be my all-time favorite chef!!
💗
This was *so* good. I never comment on recipes but really have to for this one. Absolutely delicious!