General Tso’s Chicken

4 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

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 Chang’s Orange Peel Chicken, and the Spicy Tangerine Beef with Carrot Ribbons.

General Tso's Chicken is a favorite Chinese food takeout choice that is sweet and slightly spicy with a kick from garlic and ginger.

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 Tso’s 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! 

More Chinese Chicken Dinners

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was General Tso and why is this chicken named after him?

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.

What does General Tso’s Chicken taste like?

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! 

What is the difference between Orange Chicken and General Tso’s Chicken?

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. 

General Tso Chicken Recipe

Key Ingredients in General Tso’s 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 Tso’s 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 Tso’s 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 Tso’s 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. 
How to make General Tso's Chicken

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General Tso’s Chicken

General Tso’s Chicken is a favorite Chinese food takeout choice that is sweet and slightly spicy with a kick from garlic and ginger.
Yield 4 servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main
Cuisine Chinese
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

For the Chicken

  • 1 pound chicken thighs , cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • vegetable oil , for frying

For the Sauce

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.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 90kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 792mg | Potassium: 28mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 75IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.3mg
Keyword: Easy General Tso’s Chicken
bowl of General Tso’s Chicken Pin 1

Photos used in a previous version of this post:

General Gau's Chicken Recipe
General Tso's Chicken recipe is a favorite Chinese food takeout choice that is sweet and slightly spicy with a kick from garlic and ginger.
General Tso's Chicken is a favorite Chinese food takeout choice that is sweet and slightly spicy with a kick from garlic and ginger.
General Tso's Chicken is a favorite Chinese food takeout choice that is sweet and slightly spicy with a kick from garlic and ginger.

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. This recipe is absolute perfection! Our kids ask for it at least once a week! We like it spicy so I add a little more pepper flakes but it is certainly not necessary. Thank you for the recipe! You have taken away my fear of cooking Asian cuisine!

    1. Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know. I know a lot of cuisines at first seem intimidating but I’m happy that you decided to give it a try. Opens a whole new world!

  2. I’ve made this a few times and I have to say it is easy and so delicious! Better than take out for sure!!

  3. Made this with tofu didn’t have the hoisin. I thought such a small amount wouldn’t be missed but it’s needing an oomph so i guess that’s what it is. Still good but can’t wait to try again with the hoisin

  4. I made this last night and it was delicious! I experiment with a lot of similar recipes and my 3 co-eaters said this was one of, if not the best one. I don’t love the mess of frying the chicken (I only used 1/4 inch of oil in a deep pot and its still messy) but it is worth it. I didn’t change anything! Thanks!

  5. Hey sabrina,

    Never had general tso’s chicken before so thought i’d try it out as i had all the ingredients at home. My 9yo son LOVED it so much he licked the plate clean and wished for more (and of course his wish was granted, gave half my husband’s portions to him). Thanks for this great recipe, will be keeping it!

  6. I rarely comment on recipes but this one is PERFECT and we love it in my house! Perfect proportions of everything and great instructions. I add a lot more garlic and pepper flakes but that’s just our taste. Highly recommend!!

      1. Excellent recipe..you nailed it. My kids thoroughly enjoyed it. I added toasted sesame seeds and green onions. Thank you so much!

  7. Yum. Made it according to the recipe. Yummy. I think my frying oil temperature was too low, but the cornstarch breading still crisped up. Thank you for enabling me to enjoy one of my favorites.

  8. YES! This was fantastic. My fiance wanted to push for seasoning the cornstarch but we stuck to the recipe. EXCEPT we used El Gaucho Diablo Steak season instead of red pepper flakes. We cooked the one pound in 3 small batches.

  9. I rarely fry anything, but this recently looks wonderful. How much oil should I have in the pan? Enough to cover the chicken pieces? Is peanut oil what you would recommend?

    1. To get the crispy coating, you need to fry the chicken. You want to have the chicken floating in the oil, about 3 inches. Hope this helps!

  10. Best recipe ever. Made it exactly accept used ground Ginger and doubled the red pepper flakes. We like spicy definitely a 5 star rating.

  11. . Best recipe ever. Made exactly except used ground ginger and dbl the red pepper flakes. We like spicy.. so easy to make

    1. If you click on the green link that says ‘Metric’ under the ingredient list, it’ll adjust the measurements. Hope this helps!

  12. Hi! I don’t have hoisin sauce – if I make this will it still be good? If not, how can I replace it? Thanks!

  13. Omg, I LOVE this recipe!!! ? I used Peanut Oil to fry the chicken. I added white pepper to the cornstarch that the chicken was dredged. Also used Cane Sugar instead of regular white sugar.

  14. Tastes delicious however the nutrition information is WAY off. If you’re sticking to a certain calorie count or macros be sure to enter the recipe into whatever diary you use before eating.

      1. I’m going to try this later this week and I’m super excited!! Never tried anything like this (well making myself, it’s my favourite for Chinese though). If using ginger powder is that ok?

        1. If that’s all you have to use, that would work though you’ll only want to use 1/4 teaspoon of the powder since it’s more concentrated than fresh. Good luck!

  15. I followed the recipe faithfully…… and it was wonderful! I love Chinese food, but many of the recipes just don’t live up to what I can get from a restaurant. I think this recipe was even better than my favorite take out.

  16. Best fried chicken ever I thought I messed up when I took the chick out because it didn’t look like the picture yet but then you put the sauce on it and it looks perfect if u have never fired chicken you can’t go wrong with this meal with some white rice

  17. Wow, I haven’t had this good of a general tso’s chicken since I went to Washington D.C./Arlington v.a. years ago.

    This particular recipe reminded me of the fondness of trying that dish on a whim one day via food delivery to a hotel we were staying at the time, my family and I and I hadn’t been able to have that same taste /sense memory since, when I had this the aromas, the texture, the taste all of it came calling back, even if it was for a trip of sad things, having that dish made it bearable., and this recipe made me have happy mind memories.

    thank you so much for making this easy and simple yet fanatastic to be better than the one I now get in my hometown, just don’t tell them that.. 😉

    the only thing I tweaked was the ingredents of the ginger and the garlic for what i had on hand, i used one tsp of garlic powder not salt, and one tablespoon of powdered ginger in the 4 portions setting…

    I have subscribed as I hope to try more recipes,and have shared this with everyone I know .Thanks again !

    I love it and it’s become my go to, !

    another hint for first timers: The more this sits overnight chilling the hotter it becomes in a good way all the flavours just marry each other brilliantly.

  18. Made this tonight. Doubled the recipe. Sauce was way too sweet. And something was missing. Next time I’ll cut the rice vinegar a bit, use less sugar, and I’ll probably add a bit of sesame oil. Great recipe otherwise! Gonna try your spring roll recipe next!

  19. Simple, quick but great recipe! I added whole red chiles for more kick, and topped with toasted sesame seeds. You might want to revise the nutritional info though – 1g protein can’t be right, and what about fat content? Thanks for sharing!

  20. I just made this recipe tonight. I really enjoyed it. I didn’t have any chili flakes, but I had everything else on hand. Thank you.

  21. I made the sauce to put in the refrigerator for tomorrow’s dinner. It’s not heated yet but the soy sauce taste is a little strong. Is this normal? If not how can I fix this?

  22. OMG so good! Chinese restaurants don’t serve General Tso’s in the UK so it was so amazing to be able to recreate it at home. Thank you!

  23. I am not much of a Cook and I somehow pulled this off. Loved the recipe! My family seemed to really enjoy it too! Thanks!

  24. First time deep frying in oil. since I was 16 and burned down my best friends parent’s kitchen in the 1970’s! I just Googled how long to cook chicken pieces, and how much oil to use. I was nervous, but it came out perfectly! Very tasty sauce, and I toasted a bunch of sesame seeds for presentation. I made bacon fried rice to go with it- a combo I watched Michael Strahan make on Facebook! We were very happy at my house tonight!

    1. Oh my gosh!! I can see why you waited so long to try again, haha! Glad to hear it was a success this time!

  25. Best General Tso’s I’ve ever had! Sauce is on point. TIP: You can add corn starch to the chicken as it fries to improve coverage. More is better than less! Half inch thick strips of chicken were perfect. Cook until golden brown.

  26. This Dish tasted so delicious, I had so many people surprised and stating it was better than takeout. Definitely will be using this recipe in the future.

  27. Made this dish the other night, and it was so delicious! Thank you for your recipes. Trying more soon.

  28. Was great tasting. Took a little longer since we doubled the recipe. Chicken could be a little bigger chunks though as they got to be chewy.

  29. Awesome!
    All six members of my family loved this meal and left their plates empty after eating second helpings!!
    ( I doubled the recipe!)
    Thank you !

    1. I haven’t tested it using anything else. If you decide to try, I’d love to know what worked for you. Thanks!

  30. This recipe is absolutely amazing! 1st attempt was a success. Only thing I did different was that I didn’t have fresh ginger on hand so I used my ground ginger from the spice cabinet but cut it in half. My family fell in love with this dish and it is now printed and filed in my go to recipe book. I served it with garlic rice and steamed zucchini. Thank you for this recipe!

    1. I haven’t tested it that way. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!

      1. I just did it tonight! Just before the chicken was done in the air fryer I sautéed the garlic, ginger and red pepper in some oil and just continued with the recipe like normal. Was fantastic and just too easy! Everyone loved it. Thank you!

    1. I’ve not tested it that way but if you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!

  31. Best general tso chicken I ever had will definitely make again thank you so much for sharing recipe

  32. I made this exactly as the directions indicated, getting the exact ingredients. I added broccoli during the ginger/garlic addition. The family ABSOLUTELY loved it. Thank you for the recipe.

    1. No. It can’t be. The protein amount is also incorrect and there is no fat included in the nutritional info either. I wouldn’t rely on the nutrition facts on this one.

  33. This was good. thanks for sharing. I did make a few tweaks. I added more sugar and about a tbsp of brown sugar. I also added a bit of Thai chili oil. I added more sugar to cut the vinegar cuz it was a lot for me. I also tripled the recipe as I wanted more sauce to cover my veggies and rice.

  34. Made for dinner last night and will make again! Doubled the sauce and threw in some veggies. Might use a bit less sugar next time. Hubs loved it! Thanks!

  35. Hi there! If we want to make this following your “baked orange chicken” recipe, would we use breadcrumbs as that recipe calls for?

    Thanks,
    Aly

    1. It would have turned out good but mom sucks at reading directions so what we have is soggy chicken with sauce on it. It tasted like it kinda.