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Home ยป Recipes ยป Chicken Recipes ยป General Tso’s Chicken

General Tso’s Chicken

April 20, 2021 by Alida Ryder 25 Comments

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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:ย 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:ย 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:ย 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. Chicken shawarma with easy flatbread
  4. Easy rotisserie chicken fried rice
  5. 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.
4.7 from 13 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: General Tso chicken, General Tso's Chicken, General Tso's chicken recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
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

  • ยผ 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
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Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Dinner Recipes Tagged With: Better than takeout, Chicken, Chicken recipe, Chinese recipe, dinner recipe, fast food, fried chicken, General Tso's Chicken

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pam Porter

    June 22, 2020 at 12:54 PM

    Delicious!

    Reply
  2. Lisa Fullstone

    April 13, 2020 at 10:46 PM

    Really delicious especially the sauce.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      April 14, 2020 at 2:16 PM

      Yay!!

      Reply
  3. Alicia Smith

    April 12, 2020 at 8:16 AM

    what kind of whole dried chiles do you use ??

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      April 12, 2020 at 11:07 AM

      These are just bird eye chillies. You could use chilli flakes/red pepper flakes too.

      Reply
  4. Ghulam Mohyudin

    April 12, 2020 at 6:18 AM

    Good to know that works too! I learn so much from you as well! Keep it up great post.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      April 12, 2020 at 11:07 AM

      So happy to hear that. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  5. marvina Rose johnson

    April 11, 2020 at 8:32 PM

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

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      April 12, 2020 at 11:10 AM

      Sorry! I’ve just amended the recipe.

      Reply
  6. Mary

    September 10, 2016 at 1:23 PM

    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
    • Alida Ryder

      September 11, 2016 at 10:12 AM

      I’m so glad you liked it Mary! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  7. Gar

    March 14, 2013 at 11:37 PM

    What exactly is “corn flour” ?

    Reply
  8. Sur

    May 2, 2012 at 4:16 PM

    Love this but you don’t say HOW much onion to fry? or am I just being blonde … again?

    Reply
  9. Lindsay

    April 21, 2012 at 10:51 PM

    This is my favorite recipe for General Tso Chicken, I just love it!

    Reply
    • Ally_R

      April 23, 2012 at 11:25 AM

      I’m glad you like it Lindsay. One of my favs as well!

      Reply
  10. Dominique

    March 2, 2012 at 11:48 AM

    This is simply divine! Quick and easy to make and absolutely delicious!!!

    Reply
  11. Barefeet In The Kitchen

    September 1, 2011 at 5:12 PM

    This is one of the best food pics I have ever seen. I love it!

    Reply
    • Ally_R

      September 1, 2011 at 8:06 PM

      Wow! Thank you so much! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  12. Hila

    July 21, 2011 at 1:15 PM

    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. Brianna

    July 21, 2011 at 3:06 AM

    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
  14. Cookie

    July 20, 2011 at 10:45 PM

    Oh I just LOVE General Tso’s Chicken and can’t wait to try this!

    Reply
  15. Priyanka

    July 20, 2011 at 7:41 PM

    Wow…the pics are beautiful

    Reply
  16. PinkPOlkaDot

    July 20, 2011 at 10:58 AM

    I am drooling!!!

    Reply
  17. Sam

    July 20, 2011 at 9:34 AM

    Wow that pic is too stunning Ally, beautifully glazed chicken and beutifully shot ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
    • Ally_R

      July 20, 2011 at 10:25 AM

      Thanks Samlet! ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Alida, mom of twins and creator of Simply Delicious. I hope to encourage a love for cooking by creating fool-proof recipes that are easy and delicious. Read Moreโ€ฆ

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