General Tso’s Chicken

ByAlida Ryder Published Updated
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Crispy fried chicken tossed in a sweet, aromatic sauce makes this General Tso’s chicken recipe a showstopping dinner everyone will love.

General Tso's chicken with rice and broccoli

What is General Tso’s chicken?

If you don’t live in the USA, you (like me) might not know that General Tso’s chicken is an iconic Chinese takeout dish. Crispy fried chicken is tossed in a sweet, sticky sauce. According to Wikipedia: “The dish is named after Zuo Zongtang, a Qing dynasty statesman and military leader, although there is no recorded connection to him nor is the dish known in Hunan, Zuo’s home province.”

Ingredients needed

Full recipe with amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

  • Chicken. Boneless chicken breast or chicken thigh meat can be used.
  • Eggs.
  • Cornstarch (also called Cornflour).
  • Soy sauce.
  • Rice vinegar / Black vinegar.
  • Oyster sauce.
  • Hoisin sauce.
  • Whole dried chillies soaked in boiling water. (Optional, chilli flakes can also be used or omitted entirely.)
  • Garlic.
  • Ginger.
  • Sugar.
General Tso's chicken

How to make General Tso’s chicken

  1. Prepare the chicken: Cut the chicken into bite-sized cubes then place in a bowl. Add eggs and soy sauce to the chicken and massage into the chicken. Place cornstarch in a separate bowl and season with a pinch of salt. Coat the chicken, a few pieces at a time with the cornstarch, ensuring the chicken is well coated.
  2. Fry the chicken: Heat a few inches (approximately 5-10cm) oil in a deep skillet or pot. Fry the chicken in batches until golden brown and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on kitchen paper.
  3. Make the sauce: Combine soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, Oyster sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic, whole dried chillies (optional), sugar and water. Bring to a simmer in a large pan until reduced and stick then add the chicken and toss well. Serve with rice/noodles and vegetables of your choice.

Serving suggestions

  1. Steamed rice / Noodles.
  2. Easy spicy garlic roasted broccoli
  3. Sauteed greens like kale/bok choy/green beans.
Crispy fried chicken

Better than takeout recipes

  1. Sweet and sticky Orange chicken
  2. Easy Teriyaki chicken
  3. Crispy sesame chicken
  4. Chicken shawarma with easy flatbread
  5. Easy rotisserie chicken fried rice
  6. Easy sticky ginger chicken
General Tso's chicken

General Tso’s Chicken

Crispy fried chicken tossed in a sweet, aromatic sauce makes this General Tso's chicken recipe a showstopping dinner everyone will love.
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: General Tso chicken, General Tso’s Chicken, General Tso’s chicken recipe
Servings: 6
Calories: 322kcal
Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

  • 500 g chicken breast / Boneless chicken thighs cubed
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2` cups cornstarch
  • pinch of salt

For the sauce

  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp rice vinegar / black vinegar
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp garlic crushed
  • 1 tsp ginger crushed
  • 1 cup water
  • 3-4 dried chillies (optional: use 1tsp chilli flakes instead) soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes then drained

Instructions

  • Heat enough oil to fry the chicken in, in a deep skillet or pot.
  • Place the cubed chicken in a bowl and add the eggs and soy sauce. Massage together until the chicken is coated.
  • Place the cornstarch and pinch of salt in a bowl and mix. Coat the chicken, a few pieces at a time, pressing the cornstarch into the chicken, making sure every piece is well-covered.
  • Fry the chicken in batches until golden brown, crisp and cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on kitchen paper.
  • Combine all the sauce ingredients in a pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until reduced and sticky then add the chicken. Toss together then serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 322kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 1206mg | Potassium: 362mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 104IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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4.82 from 16 votes (13 ratings without comment)

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25 Comments

  5. Love the recipe. However, the picture shows dried red chili peppers and your recipe does not call for it.

    Reply

  6. I made this, and it is so close to the chinese buffet. I did add small amount of sesame seed oil, and used rice wine vinegar. Added brocolli and served it over jasmine rice. Thank you for dharing the recipe.

    Reply

  12. We order this dish EVERY time we go to our favourite taiwanese place. Next time you’re in CT and have an eve we’ll take you to Chuck’s

    Reply

  13. I’ve never actually made this dish, but I keep seeing it on food blogs and it always looks so good! I need to get around to it soon. I think I would use sugar snap peas too – good choice! Beautiful pics too. Came across your blog via TasteSpotting.

    Reply