General Tso’s Chicken is a favorite Chinese food takeout choice that is sweet and slightly spicy with a kick from garlic and ginger.
If you love the sweet and tangy flavors of General Tso’s Chicken, you’re going to relish the flavors of Garlic Hunan Beef, the tanginess of PF Changâs Orange Peel Chicken, and the Spicy Tangerine Beef with Carrot Ribbons.
General Tso’s Chicken that can be found at Chinese restaurants and is a favorite late night Chinese takeout. The spicier, zestier, less popular cousin to the ever popular Orange Chicken, General Tso’s Chicken is a fantastic option when you’re looking to change up your Chinese food routine.
Other General Tso’s Chicken recipes can sometimes have cooking directions that are really complicated and with many different breading steps. These are all eliminated by going to a simple cornstarch coating. You can definitely do a thicker typical breading if you would like, like what is done in our Orange Chicken recipe. Also, the addition of the hoisin sauce may seem small and you may want to skip it because it isn’t a normal pantry item unless you are used to doing Asian cooking, but the flavor is that specific General Tso’s Chicken flavor that you’ll miss without it.
When you’re ready to serve your chicken, you’ll want to make sure you have plenty of white rice, brown rice, or a noodle dish, like Chow Mein.
How to Make General Tsoâs Chicken
This is such an easy dish to make, and is so flavorful, your family will want you to make it time and time again! Check it out!
- Step One: Coat chicken in the cornstarch mixture. Let each piece of chicken sit while you make the sauce.
- Step Two: Mix the sauce together and set to the side to thicken while you cook the chicken and get a crispy coating.
- Step Three: Fry the chicken in batches in a deep skillet on medium-high heat until they are golden brown on all sides. Set to the side in a colander or other strainer and place that on paper towel to collect the dripping oil. Don’t put the crispy chicken directly on paper towel or it will get too soggy.
- Step Four: With most of the oil drained from the pan, put in the fresh ginger and garlic and pepper flakes and cook on medium heat until fragrant.
- Step Five: Finally, add in the chicken pieces and then the sauce mixture. Mix together until it’s steaming hot. Then serve hot with steamed broccoli. Enjoy!
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Frequently Asked Questions
The legend says that there was an actual General from Hunan Province in China who was well known as a general and military leader. An immigrant from China created the dish in New York in the 1950’s where it was popularized and spread across Chinese restaurants around the USA. He named the dish in honor of that famous general.
As a Chinese-American dish, General Tso’s Chicken is prepared by frying chicken and coating it with a sweet and salty glaze made from brown sugar, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper flakes. The tang of ginger and Hoisin sauce in our recipe is irresistible and delicious!Â
General Tso’s Chicken and Orange Chicken are both distinct Chinese stir fries that offer unique flavors. General Tso’s Chicken is made with golden fried chicken pieces in a sweet, salty, and sticky sauce, which has added savory flavors from soy sauce, chili flakes, and Hoisin sauce. Orange chicken is characterized by its sweet flavor and orange zest.Â
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Key Ingredients in General Tsoâs Chicken
Everything can easily be found at your local grocery store or Asian market.
- Chicken: We’re using boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the recipe. But you can use skinless chicken breasts, or even chicken tenders.
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is a pretty inexpensive vinegar in the grocery store and an amazing flavor boost for salads as well as many Asian recipes. You won’t regret the purchase. Rice wine vinegar works too.
- Hoisin Sauce: This is a staple Asian pantry item. It has an awesome depth of flavor and is sometimes referred to as Asian BBQ sauce. This fermented soybean-based sauce is traditionally made with Chinese five spice blend for a distinctive flavor beloved by many. You’ll immediately recognize the flavor when you try it and the one bottle will make many delicious dishes. Don’t skip it.
- Sesame Seeds: Presentation counts. A little sprinkling of sesame seeds, chopped chives or even red chili pepper will instantly add flair to your meal.
- Sugar: You can use any kind of sugar. We are using brown sugar in our recipe.
- Oil: You can use vegetable oil, peanut oil, or canola oil for deep frying your chicken. You can also add a tablespoon of sesame oil while frying for extra flavor.
Substitutions for General Tsoâs Chicken
- Rice Vinegar: It can be tempting to swap out items, like white vinegar or white wine vinegar for rice vinegar. Every time you make a substitution it is going to taste less like what you remember ordering out.
- Hoisin Sauce: This distinctive semi-sweet sauce shouldn’t be substituted, for best taste. However, if it simply cannot be found, you can get a similar flavor with plum sauce, tamari sauce, or garlic teriyaki.
- Cornstarch: This thickener can be substituted with arrowroot powder, tapioca starch, or wheat flour.
- Pepper Flakes: If the chili is too spicy, you can easily keep it out without compromising flavor. If you would like more spice, just add double the chili flakes, or substitute with Sriracha which is a spicy sauce.
Air Fryer General Tsoâs Chicken
- Step One: You can easily cook the chicken in the air fryer. This is actually a great way to cook the chicken to a perfect crisp while working on another dish for the meal. Using this method, prepare the chicken by coating in the cornstarch. In a single layer in the air fryer, spray the top with a light coat of cooking oil and cook on 400ºF for 8 minutes. Set a time and flip the chicken over at the 4 minute mark to cook both sides. Cook in batches to ensure a crispy chicken.
- Step Two: While the chicken cooks, modify the recipe only in frying the garlic and ginger and pepper flakes and then adding in the already made sauce. Stir it up and let it thicken and get nice and hot.
- Step Three: Once the chicken is done cooking, you can add it directly to the sauce and serve hot!
More Yummy Chicken Recipes
How to Store General Tsoâs Chicken
- Serve: Serve hot and don’t keep the chicken out for more than two hours.
- Store: Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove.
- Freeze: This is a great meal to freeze. Store extras in the freezer for up to 6 months in an airtight container. Thaw overnight when ready and reheat until completely hot.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 pound chicken thighs , cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- vegetable oil , for frying
For the Sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
To Finish
- 1 tablespoon ginger , minced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
Instructions
- Toss the chicken thighs with the quarter cup of cornstarch and let sit while you mix the sauce ingredients.
- Add the rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, water, sugar and tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk together.
- Add the chicken to a pan with the oil and fry until crispy.
- Remove chicken from the pan and drain all but a tablespoon of the oil. Next, add in the chili flakes, ginger and garlic.
- Cook the aromatics until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Add in the chicken and toss, then add in the sauce.
- Stir for about 30 seconds, or until thickened.
- Serve immediately over rice or noodles.
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Nutrition
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Didn’t have cornstarch so used flour.
This was absolutely delicious! !!
Thanks for the 5 stars, Carolyn! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this for dinner last night and it is FREAKIN’ good!
In fact, it is better than a lot of restaurants!
I will definitely make this again and again!
Wow, thank you so much! I’m so glad you loved it!!
Was a bit leery, but this is awesome. Followed recipe as posted, and I think it’s anew favorite.
Thanks Anne! Glad you decided to give it a try!
Made last night for dinner for me and the boyfriend. I swear he swallowed it and didn’t chew at all lol . But we both loved it and thought was delicious . I love cooking and trying new things and this dish is one of my faves to order when we order out. The chicken was crispy , crunchy and cut into small pieces just like I like it 🙂 thanks for the recipe , I will be making again. I also added in some broccoli . Sadly no 2nds so he was disappointed lol
Love it!! So glad you both enjoyed it (though suggest he chew next time, lol)! It’s fun to get out of our comfort zone for meals at times and try something new.
I made this last night for dinner and it was delicious. I prefer chicken breasts over thighs and used them instead. Not breading the chicken, I am sure reduced the calorie count but did nothing to reduce the flavor. I will cut back a little on the rice vinegar as it was a little too prominent, but overall this was easy and quick to make. It is definitely on my list of go to dinner ideas!! I am glad I found it.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the suggestions for cutting the calories too!
Every year we get Chinese take-out in honor of my Dad’s birthday. He passed away in 2009. This year we’re making your General Tso’s Chicken and couldn’t be happier!
What a great way to honor and celebrate him.
I don’t understand this:
Add the chicken to a pan with the oil and fry until crispy.
Drain all but a tablespoon of the oil and add the chili flakes, ginger and garlic.
Add in the chicken* and toss, then add in the sauce.
*But isn’t the chicken already in the pan? Are we supposed to drain the oil and take the chicken out and then put it back in?
So sorry for the confusion. I updated the recipe to show that before draining the oil, you’ll want to remove the chicken from the pan as well. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Made this and it was gobbled up by my family. Need to figure out how to make it sweeter and the sauce thinner. But overall…. excellent and super easy to make!
That dish goes very quickly in my house too 🙂 To make the sauce thinner you could use less cornstarch or add water to make it the consistency you’re looking for. As far as the sweetness, I would suggest adding sugar to taste. You can also try my Orange Peel Chicken. It has a much sweeter taste. //dinnerthendessert.com/orange-peel-chicken/
Ive literally been obsessing over making chinese take out at home. Your recipes are amazing!! Thanks!! ?
You’ve definitely come to the right place then! Enjoy!!
I don’t usually comment on recipes, but this turned out perfectly! It has the perfect consistency of take-out Chinese, and great flavor. A good recipe that doesn’t require a ton of unusual ingredients or much time.
Yay! Glad it inspired you to come back and let me know how much you enjoyed it.
How much oil is needed to fry?
I usually use about 2 tablespoons.
Made this recipe tonight and received nothing but compliments, can’t wait to try another, Asian foods are my families favorite. I plan on cooking my way thru your blog.
How exciting! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out!
I loved this recipe, I will definitely make it again! So yummy. Do you have any nutrition facts for it?
So glad you loved it! Sorry I don’t have the nutritional facts for recipes on the site but I know there are a lot of free resources on the internet from when I’ve cooked for clients with low calorie diets.
Here’s my attempt at this recipe. Pretty good. The family liked it. The only concern I had was getty the chicken done. Wasnt sure how long to fry it?
So happy to hear your family liked it! For frying, you’re just looking for the chicken to get crispy. Depending on your heat, it would need to fry around 3-4 minutes. Hope this helps!
This was delicious. However, I had a lot of chicken so I tripled the sauce recipe. I think next time I will hold back on the pepper flakes. I put in a little less than a tsp. A little too spicy for my liking. Otherwise, the sauce was incredible. I had it over rice and broccoli.
Yay! You can definitely adjust for your taste next time. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know how much you loved it!
Hi, what am I doing wrong? The first time I made this it was amazing. But since then I’ve been having problems with the sauce becoming too gelatinous. Am I keeping the pan too hot? Or maybe letting the sauce thicken too long? Thanks!
Yes, my guess is letting it thicken too long. Try either cutting back on time or cutting back on cornstarch. The only time I have sauce do that is when too much cornstarch is added. Are you changing out any of the ingredients?
We didn’t find red chili flakes, is there anything else we can use?
Of course, you can substitute cayenne and reduce the amount by 1/3 teaspoon.
Made this, as well as Crab Rangoon, and Pork egg Rolls. The nearest restaurant is over 35 minutes away. This is just like delivery, we loved it!
Wow! You had a full spread! Thank you for coming back to let me know how much you loved it!
We used chicken breasts instead of thighs and didn’t have ginger. We also used 1/4th tsp of crushed red pepper flakes instead of chilli flakes. OMG SOOOOO GOOD! Hubby and I are huge Chinese food fans and avoid buffets (though love them) for financial and health reasons (I’m trying to lose weight).
This recipe is seriously so good!!! Only thing I would recommend for people like me who follow directions to a ‘T’ is more clarification. Our observations were: how much oil for frying (we don’t pan fry often), and didn’t know we had to take the chicken out of the pan to cook the garlic adding the chicken later until reading the directions again.
Awesome recipe though!!!!!!
Totally agree! I adjusted the recipe for clarity. 🙂
I made this generals chicken for dinner, my family just loved it. It was an amazing recipe. Thank you
Fantastic! Thank you for coming back to let me know how much your family loved it!
My son and I made this tonight and loved it! He’s a college student who gets the take out version almost all the time, and he said this was perfect!
Wow! That’s a huge compliment!! Thanks for coming back and letting me know!
Wow this was AMAZING! I ended up tripling the batch because I had 3lbs of chicken, but because I wasn’t prepared for that, I did run out of rice vinegar and used a little white wine vinegar and I did have to use a little ground ginger but it was still awesome!! The sauce was so thick and sticky it absolutely tasted just like our local Chinese place. Thank you so much for this. Will be making again!!
Awesome! Sounds like you adjusted on the fly pretty well 😉 Thank you so much for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it!
Spot on recipe. Thanks so much…we love it!
Wonderful! Thank you so much for coming back and letting me know how much you loved it!
So I have ground ginger that I was considering subbing for the minced ginger. What do you think? I’m also not sure on the amount of ground ginger. Any info? If not I totally understand. I just have ground ginger already on hand so I’m trying to use it. Thanks!
I prefer using minced but if you’re going to substitute, use 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger in place of 1 tablespoon of minced that the recipe calls for.
Thanks so much for the information. I ended up buying a piece of ginger to mince for this recipe. Not entirely sure what I’m doing but I’m hoping I can just use a peeler to get off the outside “skin” of the ginger and chop the rest into very small pieces. ?
You’re welcome! Yes, you can peel it with a vegetable peeler and then I use a microplane to mince it.
A metal spoon works great to take off the “bark” of the ginger, the shape helps get in between the nooks. And if you have a cheese grater on hand, use the fine side to grate the ginger. If you have leftover ginger, cut it into chunks and throw them in the freezer. They freeze great, and that way you’ll always have fresh ginger on hand!
I’ve made this several with the last batch I used wings (like buffalo wings) it turned out amazing. Definately better than most restaurants.
Thank you Jeff!
Sabrina,
Thank you so much for this truly amazing recipe for General Tso Chicken. It’s so incredibly delicious and pretty easy to make. Waaayyy better than what you’ll get with takeout.
I just always hate cleaning chicken thighs, what a pain, but definitely worth it as much more moist and better flavor than chicken breast.
I just backed off the added sugar and was still delicious.
Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it! I look forward to seeing you around the site!
Absolutely delicious! Perfect recipe!
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
This recipe will be regularly used in my household!! Everyone loved it!! Already asked when will I make it again. Delicious! Made exact to recipe, all ingredients as suggested….even the sesame seeds! ? Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.
You’re so welcome! I know how hard it is to please everyone in the house so I take that as a huge compliment! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
I’m always looking for Chinese takeout recipes because I live in a small town with no good takeout. Most of the time I have really unimpressive results.
I made this one, and it was delicious!!
I had read the comments to see what others who made it said, and I have to say I didn’t have any problems with the vinegar flavor – but I like vinegary foods. I accidentally added too much ginger (I have the squeeze-tube kind because we don’t use ginger quickly) but it didn’t ruin the flavor, it was just a bit too much ginger for my liking. My husband was absolutely delighted with the mistake, but next time I’ll just add a little less.
As I was cooking the chicken I wasn’t pleased with how it didn’t turn golden, like when you use flour. But once the sauce was added, I had forgotten about it because it tasted so good.
Awesome recipe! We’ll definitely make this again.
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
I LOVE this recipe! This is my second time making this and we absolutely love it. Great recipe, so easy and so similar to take out!! thank you!!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed it!
I make this recipe and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you so much!
Awesome! thank you so much for coming back and letting me know how it turned out!
This General Tsos Chicken recipe sounds and looks so delicious. I am glad that you told us about why substitutions do not work because we like to substitute when we are missing an ingredient. Thank you for this and your other recipes.
Glad to help! I always love to hear from a fan!
I made this tonight for dinner. It was the first time that I have attempted to make General Tso’s chicken and without question, this was the right one to try. My husband and I both thought it was delicious. For some crunch, I did add some sliced water chestnuts in with the ginger, garlic and chili flakes. The next time I make this, (and there will be a next time,) I will double the sauce… might even add some pineapple chunks for fun. Thank you for posting this easy and tasty recipe…so yummy.
There are 2 different measurements for corn starch, is the second measurement listed the one you use when mixing with the sauces?
Sorry for the confusion – the quarter cup is the one you toss with the chicken and the tablespoon goes in the sauce.
I have made this twice using your recipe and it is amazing! Thanks do posting!
Fantastic! Thank you for coming back to let me know how it worked out for you!
I made this on Monday night for dinner, and my husband asked if we could make it again. Kids loved it, ticks from all around. Thanks for such and easy recipe to follow. Makes use of those ingredients sitting in my cupboard.
Awesome! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how it turned out! So glad you all enjoyed it. 🙂
This is mine and my husbands absolute favorite new meal!! It tastes exactly like a meal from PF Changs or Pei Wei. The only adjustments I made were I used a small mount of flour instead of cornstarch when cooking the chicken. Also, I added a dash of sesame oil when cooking the chicken just to add a little more Asian flavor. Making it again tonight!
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed it!
This seems like a really good recipe to try. I love Chinese food and I get it delivered to my house all the time. However, I am not the best cook in the world and this might be a good a little difficult for me.
The only way to get better is to practice! You’ve got to start somewhere!
Made this weekend and I did not find it to taste very good. I think the vinegar took over. We are used to a much more sweeter version. I will try again maybe just trying to tweak it to our liking. Thank you though. Always willing to try something new.
So sorry, this comment got snared in the spam filter somehow! Did you use rice vinegar? It has a much more muted flavor than most vinegars? If it was still overpowering I would say cut it in half. Hope the second try is more in line with the version you all love 🙂
Hi Sabrina. I had the same issue as Danielle above, as I thought the rice vinegar was a little overpowering (I’m not sure if it was the brand I used?), but I cut the vinegar in half as you suggested the second time and it was spot on! Thanks a bunch! Loved it! 🙂
Thanks for trying it again! I’m glad it worked out the second time!
Yea I just got making this and I’m eating it right now and yea the next time I’m gonna have to cut back on the rice vinegar. Still really good though
This looks so good! I’ve been looking for a good recipe for this …thanks!!
Come back and let me know how it turns out – or even better, leave a pic of your creation on my facebook page!
This has my mouth watering! One of favorite dishes of all time.
Thank you!
Oh yum! Your version of General Tso’s Chicken looks absolutely perfect! In fact, it looks better than take-out to me. 😉
Thanks, Carrie!
I like the idea of a lighter coating on the chicken, and yours looks better than restaurant-worthy!
Thanks, Dorothy!
General Tso’s Chicken is one of those dishes that I love, but I always feel guilty about! The restaurant versions are so over the top with the breading (as you mention) that the guilt follows me for hours. LOL But your version looks like I can leave my guilt at the door. :o)
That’s the idea! There’s no need to go over the top with the fattening ingredients!
I cannot believe how perfect you made this – it looks exactly like restaurant versions, but with better homemade ingredients!
Thanks, Alisa! I’m flattered!
No substitutions needed! All these things make up my favorite dish from the chinese restaurant and now I can make it at home!!
I hope you enjoy it!
No more need to order out Chinese! This looks great!
Thanks!
This is such a delicious homemade take on a take out classic – I’ve got to try this! It looks incredibly delicious.
Thanks, Rachel!
General Tso’s is the favorite of 4 out of 5 people in my house when we order takeout. I make it sometimes, so I’ll definitely give yours a go next time I do, it sounds delicious!
Thanks, Heather! I hope your family enjoys it!
This looks so tempting! Thanks for explaining the reasons for the ingredients – I know for some recipes I tend to substitute, but if I know why sesame seeds are in there, I’m much more likely to use them!
Thanks, Liz! One of my goals here is to pass on my knowledge to my readers!