General Tso’s Chicken

Name: General Tso's Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 13 min
Total time: 18 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast (cut into one-inch cubes); 2 large eggs; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon pepper; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup cornstarch; 2 tablespoons oil (to fry); 1/3 cup honey; 2 tablespoons brown sugar; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce; 2 tablespoons water (divided); 2 teaspoons chili sauce; 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar; 1 tablespoon cornstarch

by Arman Liew

published on Mar 06, 2025

4 comments

5 from 20 votes

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My better-than-takeout General Tso’s chicken features golden and crispy chicken bits drenched in a sweet, tangy, and spicy sauce. It’s easy to make for an easy weeknight dinner.

If you love takeout but want something homemade and cheaper, you need to give this General Tso’s chicken a try! If you aren’t familiar with this American-Chinese staple, it’s crispy battered and fried chicken tossed through a sweet and sticky sauce.

It tastes exactly like the Panda Express takeout favorite, minus all the additives and laundry list of ingredients.

Table of Contents

Why I love this recipe
Key Ingredients
How to make General Tso’s chicken
Arman’s recipe tips
Storage instructions
More Asian stir fry recipes to try
General Tso’s Chicken (Recipe Card)

Why I love this recipe

Traditional General Tso’s chicken is loaded with multiple sugars, additives, and flavors, which, while delicious, I like making for my family knowing EVERYTHING that goes into it.

Better than takeout. Like honey walnut shrimp, making this home dish is healthier, more budget-friendly, and more delicious than in Chinese restaurants.
Crispy chicken ALL THE TIME. The flour and cornstarch coating provides maximum crispiness, even when the chicken is drenched in the sweet-spicy sauce.
Quick and easy. If you think takeout is fast, my homemade version is even quicker!

If you like Asian takeout favorites, try my Szechuan chicken, sesame chicken, and Mongolian chicken next.

Key Ingredients

Chicken breast. Skinless and boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins, cut into 1-inch cubes. I tested this recipe with chicken thighs, and it also worked well.
All-purpose flour. To dredge the chicken before frying it.
Cornstarch. Through testing, I found that mixing cornstarch with flour yields a crispier and lighter coating for the chicken.
Eggs. Room-temperature beaten eggs to help the flour mixture stick to the chicken.
Salt and pepper. To taste.
Vegetable oil. Any cooking oil with a high smoking point will work, like peanut oil.

For the general Tso’s sauce:

Aromatics. Fresh ginger and garlic.
Honey. Give the sauce a sweet flavor and a sticky finish. You can also use agave nectar or maple syrup, but increase the cornstarch by a pinch to compensate.
Brown sugar. To deepen the sweet flavor of the sauce.
Soy sauce. To enrich the sauce with the umami flavor.
Hoisin sauce. It imparts a salty, tangy, and sweet flavor and further deepens the taste of the sauce.
Red wine vinegar. Rice vinegar will work, too.
Chili sauce. To add some heat. You can adjust the amount of chili sauce you use depending on how spicy you want the dish to be. Red pepper flakes also work.
Water. If you have chicken broth or vegetable broth, you can use that too.
Cornstarch. To thicken the sauce and give it a glossy sheen.

How to make General Tso’s chicken

This chicken recipe couldn’t be simpler! Scroll to the bottom for the printable instructions.

dredging chicken pieces in flour and cornstarch.

Step 1 – Prep. In one bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, and pepper. In another bowl, mix flour with cornstarch. Coat chicken pieces in the egg mixture first and then dredge them in the flour mixture.

deep frying battered chicken in hot oil.

Step 2- Fry the chicken. Heat oil in a wok or large skillet and place over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the chicken in batches and fry for around 5 minutes until golden brown.

Step 3 – Make the sauce. Add all ingredients except the cornstarch and a tablespoon of water to a saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Mix the cornstarch with the remaining water and add the slurry to the sauce.

coating chicken pieces in general tsos sauce.

Step 4 – Assemble. Pour the sauce over the fried chicken pieces. Garnish with chopped green onion and sesame seeds, and serve.

Arman’s recipe tips

Prep your workspace. This kind of easy dinner moves very quickly with lots of moving parts at once. I find prepping everything before I begin to be a savior.
Adjust the flavor of the sauce. I like to taste the sauce to ensure it is well-balanced. If you use low-sodium soy sauce, you may need to add some salt to the sauce too (we often do this when making our ground chicken lettuce wraps!).
Don’t overcrowd the pan. Opt for the largest pan or skillet possible to prevent the chicken pieces from sticking to one another.
Keep your frying oil at or above 325F! I strongly recommend using a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature. If it starts to drop below 325°F, fry the chicken in smaller batches. Cooking at too low a temperature will make the batter thick which results in less-than-crispy chicken.

Storage instructions

To store. Transfer leftover chicken into an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.

To freeze. Place the cooked and cooled leftovers in a shallow container and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Reheating. I find using a non-stick skillet or pan WITHOUT oil to be the best way to bring back the crispiness of the chicken.

More Asian stir fry recipes to try

Arman Liew

I’m a two time cookbook author, photographer, and writer, and passionate about creating easy and healthier recipes. I believe you don’t need to be experienced in the kitchen to make good food using simple ingredients that most importantly, taste delicious.