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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.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“I’ve tried many General Tso chicken recipes and this one is by far the best. You are right- the chicken does remain crispy the whole time and the sauce…oh my word the sauce.” – Elaine
Table of Contents
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 in a sweet and sticky sauce.
It’s healthier, more budget-friendly, and more delicious than in Chinese restaurants. The chicken remains crispy the entire time, and my family reckons it puts Panda Express to shame.
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. Ginger, garlic, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, red wine vinegar, and chili sauce. Yes it looks like a lot, but these are basic pantry staples and MUCH better than pre-made sauce.
How to make General Tso’s chicken
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1 – Prep. Whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in one bowl. In another, combine flour and cornstarch. Dip chicken in the egg mix, then coat with the flour mix.
Step 2- Fry the chicken. Heat oil in a wok over medium-high. Fry chicken in batches for about 5 minutes until golden.
Step 3 – Make the sauce. Add all ingredients except cornstarch and one tablespoon of water to a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat. Mix cornstarch with remaining water, then stir into the 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
- Black pepper Angus steak
- Hunan shrimp
- Empress chicken
- Peanut butter chicken
- Black pepper chicken
- Hunan beef
- Pad see ew
- Pineapple Chicken
If you tried this General Tso’s Chicken recipe or any other recipe on my website, please rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below. It really helps others thinking of making the recipe.
General Tso’s Chicken
Video
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
General Tso's sauce
- 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
Instructions
- In one bowl, mix together the eggs, salt, and pepper. In a shallow bowl, combine the cornstarch and flour and mix until combined.
- Dip the chicken in the egg mixture, followed by the flour mixture, until all the chicken is used up.
- Add 2-3 inches of oil to a large pot. Once it reaches 325F, add a single layer of chicken and fry for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat the process until all the chicken is fried up. Be sure to regularly check the temperature of the oil to ensure it doesn't drop below 325F.
- Make the sauce by adding the honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, Hoisin sauce, water, chili sauce, and rice wine vinegar to a small saucepan. Bring it to a simmer. Whisk the cornstarch with one tablespoon of water and mix until the sauce.
- Transfer the sauce over the crispy chicken pieces and mix until completely coated.
Notes
- For a gluten-free option, use gluten-free soy sauce and hoisin sauce.
- Bake the chicken If you want to reduce the added oil from frying. Simply bake them in the oven at 200C/400F for 20 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
Would you please convert your asian dishes to keto? I would greatly love to enjoy these dishes again.
I’m new at keto and this isn’t keto like a lot of your other recipes, can you tell us what to do to make this keto? I’d greatly appreciate it
can this be made low carb, Keto? If so what would be the substitues?
Not that I’ve tried but I’m sure you can experiment and see