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Crispy, craggy chicken tossed in a sticky, sweet, tangy, and spicy sauce makes this homemade General Tso’s chicken recipe every bit as satisfying as the takeout favorite.
I love recreating Chinese takeout favorites at home—there’s something especially satisfying about pulling off a classic restaurant dish in your own kitchen. General Tso’s chicken is particularly worth making yourself because it’s best straight from the pan, when the coating is still crisp. At home, you can toss the chicken with the sweet, tangy, slightly spicy sauce just before serving, so you get all that flavor without sacrificing the crunch.
The recipe moves quickly once you start cooking, so a little organization makes all the difference. While the chicken marinates, you can make the sauce and chop the garlic, scallions, and ginger. That way, everything is ready to go when it’s time to coat and fry the chicken. The whole thing comes together in under an hour; serve it with white or fried rice and steamed broccoli to round out the meal.
“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
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless thighs stay especially juicy, but chicken breasts or tenderloins work well, too. Whichever you use, cut the chicken into evenly sized pieces so they cook at the same rate.
- Egg: Helps the marinade cling to the chicken and gives the coating something to grab onto so it stays put during frying.
- Cornstarch, Flour & Baking Soda: Work together to create a light, craggy coating that fries up crisp. Cornstarch does double duty here, also thickening the sauce so it clings to the chicken.
- Soy Sauce, Hoisin Sauce, Sugar & Rice Vinegar: These form the sweet-tangy backbone of the sauce. Be sure to use unseasoned rice vinegar, which doesn’t contain added sugar or salt.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: A little goes a long way, adding a deep, nutty note to the sauce. Look for toasted (Asian) sesame oil rather than the lighter variety.
- Fresh Ginger & Garlic: Give the sauce its fresh, aromatic punch.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Provide the heat that balances the sweetness; adjust the amount depending on how spicy you like your General Tso’s chicken.
- Scallions & Sesame Seeds: The white parts of the scallions cook with the sauce for a mild oniony bite, while the greens and optional sesame seeds finish the dish with freshness, color, and a little crunch.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make General Tso’s Chicken
Marinate the chicken and make the sauce: Beat the egg with the sugar and soy sauce, then add the chicken to the bowl and toss until evenly coated. Let it marinate at room temperature while you prep the rest of the recipe. Meanwhile, whisk the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, and water to make the sauce.
Coat the chicken: Whisk together the cornstarch, flour, and baking soda and sprinkle it over the chicken. Toss until all of the pieces are well coated and separate from one another. Take a moment to break apart any pieces that are stuck together so they’re ready to go individually into the hot oil.
Fry the chicken: Heat about ¼ inch of oil to 350°F, then fry the chicken in batches so the pieces have plenty of room around them. Crowding the pan lowers the oil temperature and can make the coating soggy rather than crisp. Fry until deeply golden and crisp, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain any excess oil.
Finish the dish: Pour off the frying oil and wipe out the skillet, then add a little fresh oil. Cook the ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic, and scallion whites just until fragrant, then pour in the sauce and let it boil until thick and glossy. Add the chicken and toss quickly until every piece is evenly coated, then sprinkle with the scallion greens and sesame seeds.
Serve: Serve right away over rice, while the chicken is still at its crispiest.
Video Tutorial
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 toasted 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
- 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
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.
See more recipes:
If you love making Chinese takeout favorites at home, try my orange chicken, bourbon chicken, or sweet and sour chicken next. They’re all saucy, sweet-savory chicken dishes with plenty of big flavor.
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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