General Tso’s Chicken
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Master a classic Chinese restaurant dish at home with this simple and delicious General Tso’s Chicken recipe.
General Tso’s chicken, that oh-so-delicious Chinese-American favorite, similar in preparation to orange chicken, features crispy chicken pieces smothered in a sweet, tangy, spicy sauce. While it’s a popular choice at Chinese restaurants, takeout or delivery never does it justice, as the chicken’s crispy texture is best enjoyed right after it’s cooked. The good news is that you can easily whip up authentic General Tso’s chicken right in your own kitchen. Not only will you enjoy a delicious meal, but you’ll also feel a sense of pride in mastering a classic restaurant dish.
To maximize your time in the kitchen, use the 30-minute marinating window to make the sauce and chop the garlic, scallions, and ginger. By the time you’re done prepping, the chicken will be ready for coating and shallow-frying. Don’t be daunted — with this simple recipe, you’ll be dishing out the most amazing General Tso’s chicken in under an hour!
Table of Contents
“W.O.W. Literally one of the best dinners ever made! A few more steps than I’d normally bother with on a weeknight, but sooooooo worth it!!”
What You’ll Need To Make General Tso’s Chicken
Although most restaurants opt for boneless chicken thighs for this dish, white meat, particularly chicken tenderloins, works well, too; I actually prefer it. A blend of flour, cornstarch, and baking soda ensures that the chicken browns evenly and retains its crispiness, even when drenched in that delightful sauce.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Marinate the Chicken
In a large bowl, beat the egg with the sugar and soy sauce.
Add the chicken to the bowl and toss until evenly coated. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step 2: Make the Sauce
In a small bowl, mix the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, and water together. Set aside.
Step 3: Coat the Chicken
In a medium bowl, whisk the cornstarch, flour, and baking soda.
Sprinkle over the chicken/marinade mixture.
Toss until each piece of meat separates and has a dry, clumpy coating.
Step 4: Fry the Chicken
In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat about ¼ inch of oil to 350°F (180°C). You’ll know it’s ready when you drop a piece of chicken in and it sizzles vigorously.
Working in three batches so as not to crowd the pan, shallow-fry a third of the coated chicken until golden brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes, turning once midway through cooking and adjusting the heat as needed.
Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Step 5: Finish the Dish
Carefully drain the oil from the pan and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil. Over medium heat, add the ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic, and scallion whites.
Cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds until fragrant; do not brown. Add the sauce.
Bring the sauce to a boil, and let it cook until thickened and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the crispy chicken.
Toss until the sauce fully coats the chicken, 1 to 2 minutes.
Sprinkle with the dark green scallions and sesame seeds, if using.
Serve over rice.
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Video Tutorial
General Tso's Chicken
Master a classic Chinese restaurant dish at home with this simple and delicious General Tso’s Chicken recipe.
Ingredients
For the Marinade
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 1½ pounds chicken tenderloins or boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1¼ cups water
For Coating the Chicken
- 1 cup cornstarch
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon baking soda
For Cooking and Serving
- Vegetable oil
- 1½ tablespoons fresh minced ginger (see note)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
- Sesame seeds (optional), for serving
- Rice, for serving
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: In a large bowl, beat the egg, soy sauce and sugar. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss until evenly coated. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- Coat the chicken: In a medium bowl, whisk the cornstarch, flour, and baking soda. Sprinkle over the chicken/marinade mixture and toss until each piece of meat separates and has a dry, clumpy coating.
- Fry the chicken: In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat about ¼ inch of oil to 350°F. You'll know it's ready when you drop a piece of chicken in and it sizzles vigorously. Working in three batches so as not to crowd the pan, shallow-fry a third of the coated chicken until golden brown and crispy, 4 to 5 minutes, turning once midway through cooking and adjusting the heat as needed. Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
- Finish the dish: Carefully drain the oil from the pan and wipe the pan clean with a paper towel. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil. Over medium heat, add the ginger, red pepper flakes, garlic, and scallion whites. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds until fragrant; do not brown. Add the sauce, bring it to a boil, and let it cook until thickened and glossy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the crispy chicken, tossing until the sauce fully coats it, 1 to 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the dark green scallions and sesame seeds, if using, and serve over rice.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
- Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately 2 tablespoons of the oil is absorbed into the chicken when frying.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 801
- Fat: 37 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 85 g
- Sugar: 15 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Sodium: 2,020 mg
- Cholesterol: 117 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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My picky family loved this. Thank you
Awesome recipe. Simple to follow. Easy to prep in advance as well. Family loved it! Thank you!
Terrific recipe. My family enjoyed it a lot. I did add a little extra sugar for my taste-sensitive 11 year old, and served his chicken and rice with the sauce drizzled over it. Carrot slices and snap peas served on the side.
Thank you for posting this. Whenever your emails go out, that’s usually when I see recipes from your site and decide to try them. After several successful ones I’ve tried, I really should just dig through the files more. I cooked the General’s Chicken this week and used 1.5X chicken and ingredients. Took a little time as I figured out the best way to time mixing/cooking it all, but oh so worth it. Five people in the house devoured it all over rice. Delicious, and I opted not to add any red pepper due to a spice sensitive daughter. Will definitely be making this again in the future.
Absolutely fantastic recipe, and so much easier than I would have expected too. My extremely picky family declared it better than any takeout they’ve ever had and already want me to make it again.
Delicious! A hit with the whole family!
Hi Jen, I’d like to try this recipe but I really do not like to fry anything. Is it possible to spray this with avocado oil and bake it? If so how long and at what temp? Thank you
Hi Diana, Unfortunately, it won’t work to bake the chicken in this recipe — sorry!
My son in law made this chicken dish for me a few weeks ago. He said, he knew I’d like it and I loved it. I made it tonight for my husband to try. Overall, he dislikes chicken no matter how it’s cooked.
I thought it came out great and tasted delicious. I would definitely make it again; and, to my surprise, my husband loved it. Thank you for sharing this recipe. It’s a keeper.
Libby Levinson
Outstanding and fabulous recipe!!! No leftovers! Better than any restaurant! Super tasty and came together easily! Thank you Master Chef Jenn!
As always, this recipe did not disappoint. It was excellent. We live in a remote area for part of the year and to get to an average restaurant takes over an hour. When browsing Once Upon a Chef I came across my husbands favorite Chinese dish. The day before he mentioned that he was craving some Chinese food. I ordered all the necessary ingredients online and surprised him. I had a very, very happy husband tonight who mentioned it was crisp just like our restaurant at home and would I please make it again. THANK YOU ONCE UPON A CHEF!
Tried this tonight and got rave reviews! Easy to follow directions and super good!