General Tso's Chicken in a serving bowl with white rice and green onions for garnish

General Tso’s Chicken

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This homemade General Tso’s Chicken is made with crispy pan fried chicken and coated in a sweet and slightly spicy sauce. A classic take-out dish that’s simple to make at home and tastes even better than your favorite Chinese restaurant.

General Tso's Chicken served over white rice and garnished with chopped green onions

My family loves Chinese food and I have set out to recreate all of our favorite dishes at home. General Tso’s Chicken is one of my favorite dishes to order at our local Chinese restaurant. I love the crispy chicken pieces coated in a sweet and slightly spicy sauce. This recipe is simple, tastes delicious, and was a huge hit with my husband and kids. If you love this Chinese chicken recipe, you are going to love our Homemade Orange Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl, and our Asian Glazed Meatballs

Ingredients for Generals chicken

  • CRISPY CHICKEN
  • Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: I like to use chicken breasts, but you can use chicken thighs if you prefer. Just make note that the cooking time will be longer.
  • All Purpose Flour: A light coating of flour will make the chicken crispy when fried.
  • Cornstarch: Pairing cornstarch with flour helps prevent gluten from developing which will make the flour coating crispier.
  • Salt: Add more or less to your taste.
  • Black Pepper: Add more or less to your taste.
  • Egg Whites: Coating chicken in egg whites will help the flour and cornstarch mixture to stick better and form a more stable crust.
  • Vegetable Oil: I prefer to use vegetable oil when frying.
  • GENERAL TSO’S SAUCE
  • Hoisin Sauce: Is a thick sauce commonly used in Asian dishes. It has a dark appearance and is sweet and salty in flavor.
  • Rice Vinegar: Is commonly used in Asian dishes.
  • Soy Sauce: I prefer to use low sodium soy sauce in my recipes to keep the salt content lower.
  • Brown Sugar: Mixed with soy sauce, vinegar, and garlic, brown sugar adds just enough sweetness to balance the salt.
  • Minced Garlic: I like to use the minced garlic in a jar. It’s easy to measure out and have on hand.
  • Ground Ginger: I like to use ground ginger, but you can also use fresh ginger.
  • Red Pepper Flakes: Red pepper flakes will add a little spice to your dish. Add more or less to taste.
  • Cornstarch: By adding cornstarch to your sauce before cooking, it will allow the sauce to thicken.

How to make General Tso’s Chicken

  • Prepare Sauce: In a medium size mixing bowl whisk together hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, ground ginger, red pepper flakes, and 2 tsp. cornstarch. Set aside.
  • Prepare Breading: In a large ziplock bag combine flour, 3/4 cup cornstarch, salt and pepper. Shake the bag to mix the ingredients well.
  • Coat Chicken In Egg Whites: In a medium size mixing bowl add cubed chicken and beaten egg whites. Give the chicken a good toss to coat it evenly.
Ingredients for General Tso's chicken
  • Prepare Skillet: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup of oil.
  • Bread Chicken: With a large slotted spoon scoop up chicken pieces and allow egg whites to drip off, then drop chicken into ziplock bag. Shake chicken until evenly coated.
  • Pan Fry Chicken: Once oil is hot fry the chicken in batches (don’t overly crowd) until golden brown and chicken is cooked through. Remove fried chicken and place on a sheet pan covered in paper towels.
  • Add Sauce: Once all the chicken has been fried, wipe skillet out with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Pour Sauce into skillet and simmer until it starts to thicken. Add Chicken to the skillet and toss to coat all the chicken evenly in the sauce.
General Tso's Chicken ready to serve in a skillet with white rice and chopped greens onions for garnish.
  • Serve: Serve immediately with white or brown rice and garnish with green onions.
General Tso's Chicken in a serving bowl with white rice and green onions for garnish

Do I have to bread and pan fry the chicken?

No, you do not have to prepare crispy chicken by pan frying it. If you prefer a healthier version of this recipe, simply add 2 Tbsp. oil to a hot skillet and add cubed chicken. Cook Chicken breasts until brown and cooked through. Add the sauce to the skillet with cooked chicken pieces and simmer until sauce has thickened. Serve immediately with white or brown rice.

Tips for making General Tso’s Chicken

  • Pan fry chicken in batches to prevent chicken from sticking or clumping together.
  • To increase the spiciness of the chicken feel free to add more red pepper flakes, or you can add whole dried red chili peppers to your skillet.
  • I would recommend serving this chicken immediately, as the coating will absorb the sauce and can become soft.
General Tso's Chicken in a serving bowl with white rice and green onions for garnish

General Tso’s Chicken

April King
This homemade General Tso’s Chicken is made with crispy pan fried chicken and coated in a sweet and slightly spicy sauce. A classic take-out dish that’s simple to make at home and tastes even better than your favorite Chinese restaurant.
4.92 from 23 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Chicken, Main Course
Cuisine Asian
Servings 4
Calories 581 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3-4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

General Tso's Sauce

  • 2/3 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1/3 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tsp. minced garlic
  • 1 tsp. ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch

Instructions
 

  • In a medium size mixing bowl whisk together hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, minced garlic, ground ginger, red pepper flakes, and 2 tsp. cornstarch. Set aside.
  •  In a large ziplock bag combine flour, 3/4 cup cornstarch, salt and pepper. Shake the bag to mix the ingredients well.
  • In a medium size mixing bowl add cubed chicken and beaten egg whites. Give the chicken a good toss to coat it evenly.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup of oil.
  • With a large slotted spoon scoop up chicken pieces and allow egg whites to drip off, then drop chicken into ziplock bag. Shake chicken until evenly coated.
  • Once oil is hot fry the chicken in batches (don’t overly crowd) until golden brown and chicken is cooked through. Remove fried chicken and place on a sheet pan covered in paper towels.
  • Once all the chicken has been fried, wipe skillet out with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Pour Sauce into skillet and simmer until it starts to thicken. Add Chicken to the skillet and toss to coat all the chicken evenly in the sauce.
  • Serve immediately with white or brown rice and garnish with green onions.

Notes

*Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on Modernmealmakeover.com should only be used as a general guideline

Nutrition

Calories: 581kcalCarbohydrates: 68.1gProtein: 11.4gFat: 29.4gSaturated Fat: 4.1gCholesterol: 16.3mgSodium: 794mgPotassium: 48mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27.6gVitamin A: 10.7IUVitamin C: 1.1mgCalcium: 9.7mgIron: 2.9mg
Keyword Crispy General Tso’s Chicken, General Tso’s Chicken
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18 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    We are always looking for new ways to use chicken and the flavours in this look amazing.

  2. 5 stars
    I had never made this at home before. The sauce was so easy and delicious!

  3. 5 stars
    Oh yum! Love all these flavors and that sauce looks absolutely amazing. What a delicious meal at home.

  4. 5 stars
    Absolutely loving how easy this recipe is. Always delicious too! Thanks for another winner 🙂

  5. 5 stars
    hi.. I’m interested in your recipe.. but I’m in Indonesia [country] in terms of chicken breast fillet, it’s difficult to get the standard scale, how many Ozs / pcs chicken breast fillet.
    Please explain in the recipe for 3-4 Pcs of chicken breast fillet, estimate how many Ozs or Grams.
    Thank you

  6. 5 stars
    hi.. I’m interested in your recipe.. but I’m in Indonesia [country] in terms of chicken breast fillet, it’s difficult to get the standard scale, how many Ozs / pcs chicken breast fillet.
    Please explain in the recipe for 3-4 Pcs of chicken breast fillet, estimate how many Ozs or Grams.
    And You use 1/4 Cup of brown sugar liquid or granules
    Thank you

    • April King

      You will need about 2 lbs. of chicken which is 3-4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breasts. The recipe also calls for 1/4 cup of brown sugar granules. I hope this helps.

  7. I tried the recipe but it turned out too sweet. What can i do to reduce the sweetness

  8. Hi. Sounds amazing but just wondering if you can pre prepare this and reheat it ?

    • You can prepare this ahead, but the chicken won’t be as crispy as it would be if it was served right after prepareing.

  9. 5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious. It was better than any general’s chicken we’ve had in a restaurant. The only change I made was sprinkling quite a few green onions on the top for color. Lovely

  10. 5 stars
    I’ve made this recipe so many times and it’s always a smash hit. I like to make a little extra sauce and add the veggies at the end with the finished chicken. Chef’s kiss and two thumbs up!

4.92 from 23 votes (14 ratings without comment)

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