Everybody can make this Easy General Tso's Chicken Recipe at home with crispy pan-fried breaded chicken covered with a spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce—a healthy 30-minute recipe.
🐓Ingredients
- Chicken—usually skinless boneless chicken breasts, but thighs will work.
- Coating Ingredients—corn starch, egg, salt, pepper
- General Tso's Sauce Ingredients—corn starch, Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, ketchup, dry ginger, crushed red pepper
- Vegetable Oil—for pan frying
- Serving—toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onion, cooked rice.steamed vegetables
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐓Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Make General Tso's Chicken
- Options and variations
- How to adjust the spiciness
- To make Gluten-Free General Tso's Chicken
- ↕️How to make this a "for two" or "family size" recipe
- 🍽️Serving General Tso's
- Storage of leftovers
- ❓FAQs
- 🇨🇳What is General Tso's Chicken
- Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- 📖 Recipe
Featured Comment from Alby C.
"Wow! This recipe was so delicious and so easy to make. I can't believe a novice cook like me was able to make a dish that rivaled most restaurants I've been to! Signature dish! Thank you so much!"
Mainly using pantry ingredients and some Housin sauce, you can have the great taste of Chinese takeout at home in only 30 minutes.
This lighter, healthy recipe has all the same great taste as the full-fat takeout version. But it will fit both healthy and low-fat diets. Plus, it can be easily adapted to a gluten-free diet.
I have destroyed my kitchen in the past with General Tao recipes, but this recipe, adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe, is only one pot, plus much easier and faster to make at home.
For easy Chinese takeout at home, try these easy recipes: Chicken Stir Fry, Crock Pot Cashew Chicken, or Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli.
👨🍳How to Make General Tso's Chicken
- Trim and dry chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes.
- Make the batter coating of egg, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Coat the chicken and shake off the excess topping. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before cooking, if possible, to improve adhesion.
- Brown the chicken in a large skillet or wok in hot oil in one or two batches. Turn occasionally and cook to 165°.
- Mix the General Tso sauce with Hoisin sauce, ketchup, and other seasonings.
- When the chicken is brown and 165°, remove the chicken from the skillet.
- Add the sauce to the hot pan and cook until thickened while whisking continuously.
- Add the chicken to the sauce and serve.
This is a summary of the steps. See the recipe card or the step-by-step photo instructions below for complete instructions.
Options and variations
- If you use thighs, the cooking temperature should be 180°-185° for tenderness.
- You can use a whole egg instead of two whites. The whites are used to continue the "lighter" theme by decreasing the fat.
- The Hoisin sauce provides a vinegar flavor for this dish, but you may want to add some rice wine vinegar. Likewise, garlic is in the Hoisin, but add more if you wish.
- Dry ginger is used, but you may use 1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger for each ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger.
- Brown sugar adds sweetness to the sauce but can be cut in half without much effect.
How to adjust the spiciness
The red pepper flakes are "to taste." ¼ teaspoon has minimal heat (1/10) but some pleasant taste. ½ teaspoon is what you typically have in a restaurant (3/10), but 1 teaspoon is more for the heat lover (7/10).
Dried Chinese chilies like Tien Tsin peppers can be used, but be careful since they can be very hot.
To make Gluten-Free General Tso's Chicken
Most General Tso's is not naturally gluten-free, but with a few easy adaptions, it will be.
- Hoisin sauce is usually thickened with wheat, but gluten-free versions are available.
- Soy sauce is packed with gluten, but Tamari is a good substitute and is generally gluten-free, but read the label.
- Ketchup is usually gluten-free, but some have gluten, so read the labels.
↕️How to make this a "for two" or "family size" recipe
This is a very easy recipe to cut in half or double
The full recipe makes 4 large servings. Perfect for our "for two" household for two meals.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings to half or double.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- In a double recipe, you will need to cook the coated chicken in batches.
🍽️Serving General Tso's
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and slices of green onions. For rice, try Baked Rice or Plain Fried Rice in 10 Minutes. Serve with steamed vegetables to complete the meal.
If you want, make extra sauce and remove after thickening to later use on rice.
Storage of leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container refrigerated for 3 days. The longer you store coating made with cornstarch, the more it will break apart.
Also, the sauce is made with cornstarch and may become "jelly" like when refrigerated. It will still taste good and is safe, but the texture may be off.
❓FAQs
You can find a few suggestions, but there is no great substitute. Many components make this a unique sauce; you will not get the desired results with substitutes. Hoisin is commonly available in most markets and is worth buying for this recipe.
First, dry the chicken as much as possible with paper towels before coating.
Second, let the coating set on the chicken for 5-10 minutes before cooking.
Third, flip gently in the skillet with a fork.
Fourth, cook the chicken in several batches to not crowd the pan.
🇨🇳What is General Tso's Chicken
General Tso's chicken is a sweet, tangy, and somewhat spicy deep-fried chicken dish served in most North American Chinese restaurants.
Although it is probably some basis in standard Chinese fare, it is not a traditional Chinese dish. Most likely, what we now know as General Tso’s Chicken originated in New York City in the 1970s, but there are many conflicting claims about who and where.
Wherever it started, it is now standard fare in almost every North American Chinese restaurant—and has always been one of the most popular dishes.
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
Have you tried this recipe, or have a question? Join the community discussion in the comments.
Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Trim two skinless boneless chicken breasts, then cube them into about 1-inch pieces—pat dry with paper towels.
Whisk together 2 egg whites or one whole egg, cornstarch, salt, and pepper.
Add chicken to the egg mixture and stir to coat. Shake the excess coating and let set for 5 minutes if you have the time to help the coating adhere better. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet or a wok.
Add the chicken one piece at a time to the hot oil. You can be a perfectionist, half-turn them nicely for 8 to 10 minutes, and repeat. OR put them all in and occasionally stir like lazy me for about 12-14 minutes. Be sure the internal temp gets to 165° by checking multiple pieces. Use 185° as your endpoint if using thighs.
Start the sauce while the chicken is cooking—whisk cornstarch into ½ cup of water. Then add brown sugar, Hoisin sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, dry ginger, and crushed red pepper.
When the chicken is done, transfer it to a bowl and decrease the heat to medium-low. Add the sauce and whisk continuously while boiling until well thickened, 2-3 minutes.
Add the chicken back into the sauce and stir to coat.
Transfer to the serving dish. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and slices of green onion. Serve with sides of rice and steamed vegetables.
📖 Recipe
Easy General Tso's Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts - about 10-12 oz. each.
- 2 teaspoons oil
Coating
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 egg - or two egg whites
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoons pepper
Sauce
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar - or less
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- ¼ teaspoon dry ginger
- ¼ to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper - See recipe notes below
Serving options
- toasted sesame seeds
- sliced green onion
- cooked rice
- steamed vegetables
Instructions
- Trim two skinless boneless chicken breasts, then cube them into about 1-inch pieces—pat dry with paper towels.
- Whisk together 2 egg whites or one whole egg, cornstarch, salt, and pepper.
- Add chicken to the egg mixture and stir to coat. Shake the excess coating and let set for 5 minutes if you have the time to help the coating adhere better. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet or a wok.
- Add the chicken one piece at a time to the hot oil. You can be a perfectionist, half-turn them nicely for 8 to 10 minutes, and repeat. OR put them all in and occasionally stir like lazy me for about 12-14 minutes. Be sure the internal temp gets to 165° by checking multiple pieces. Use 185° as your endpoint if using thighs.
- Start the sauce while the chicken is cooking—whisk cornstarch into ½ cup of water. Then add brown sugar, Hoisin sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, dry ginger, and crushed red pepper.
- When the chicken is done, transfer it to a bowl and decrease the heat to medium-low. Add the sauce and whisk continuously while boiling until well thickened, 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chicken back into the sauce and stir to coat. Transfer to the serving dish. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and slices of green onion. Serve with sides of rice and steamed vegetables.
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Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- You can use chicken thighs but should cook to 180° to 185° for better texture. They are safe at 165°.
- The Hoisin sauce is needed, and do not skip it.
- The sweetness is on the high side. Decrease the brown sugar if you want.
- I used two egg whites to make this "lighter" but use one whole egg if you want.
- The red pepper is "to taste". ¼ teaspoon has minimal heat (1/10) but some nice taste. ½ teaspoon is about what you would normally have in a restaurant (3/10), but 1 teaspoon is more for the heat lover (7/10).
- To decrease the sodium, cut out the salt and use low sodium soy sauce.
- Good refrigerated for 3 to 4 days. I don't see this freezing well.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally Published October 17, 2012. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
David says
Tried the Gen. Tso recipe tonight. Being my first attempt, while handling a very cranky 1-yr old, it ended up being a very tasty Chinese dish, but did not remind me of Tso's I'm accustomed to in restaurants. I figure one of two things happened - I messed up a step or ingredient, or they make it differently in your area. I'll have to try another recipe to see if I can get closer to the true Tso's flavor. Worst case, I did enjoy your recipe, and will like it even more if I'm not expecting Tso's.
Alice says
Wow, the easy General Tso Chicken is so delicious. The chicken was very tender indeed. Will be making this delicious dish again. I don't like a lot of red peppers in my food so I only added about an 1/8 of a teaspoon of crush red peppers which is perfect for me. But, this dish absolutely need some crushed red pepper. And I did use more oil than what the recipe calls for.
Lori says
I just got done making and eating this. This is VERY good and easy, and I will definitely make it again! I love vinegar, so I think next time I will add a bit and also some pea pods. SO many possibilities! ;-) Thanks so much!
DrDan says
Hi Lori,
My Hoisin sauce had enough vinegar so maybe it is brand specific. I have done this with snow peas and sliced water chestnuts. Excellent.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
marms says
I'm thinking I'll get my sauce ingredients all mixed up, maybe double, and keep in a jar in fridge.
Now how about a recipe for Tom Yum Soup? You seem to have the right touch for 'fusion' foods.
DrDan says
I have never heard of Tom Yum soup. I will check it out.
Dan
Lisa says
I made this tonight for my family of 7 and everyone loved it. I didn't batter or fry the chicken, just cut up cooked chicken breast. I added a bag of steamed stir-fry vegetables. This is a new family favorite.
Lisa says
Made many copy cat recipes and I have say this one "rocked". Thank you for all your hard work!!! Chicken was perfect. Sauce was amazing.
A Cartwright says
Wow! This recipe was so delicious and so easy to make. I can't believe a novice cook like me was able to make a dish that rivaled most restaurants I've been to! Signature dish! Thank you so much!
Jennr says
I have been in search and testing so many sauce recipes. I just want to say thank you! I can tell you this will finally become the staple sauce that I've been looking for my Asian chicken dinners!
DrDan says
I really like the taste of this. Most use too much vinegar for me.
Thanks for the note.
DrDan
CassCass says
I really loved this recipe! It was the first one I tried when I typed in 'easy general chicken'. The only things I changed was I used 3-4 chicken breasts, doubled the sauce, and regularly breaded the chicken. I dipped them in corn starch, then egg/milk mixture, then patted flat in a flour mixture before frying. It tastes like authentic chinese general chicken, I feel like im cooking at the restaurant now~! My kids and family love it so much I make it a few times a month. I just now bought Hoisin sauce to see if it changes the flavor.
Paula says
What did you use in place of the hoisen sauce? I have everything except that ingredient.
DrDan says
Hi Paula,
Most American general grocery stores will have it next to the soy sauce. It is relatively complex to make with soy sauce, hot sauce, honey, white wine vinegar, garlic and sesame oil. Lots of complex taste there and no good substitute for it. So I have no substitutes and wouldn’t try. Sorry.
Dan
Amy says
Excellent! I served this with sushi rice and steamed veggies for a quick and delicious meal. The only "change" I made was to cook the chicken in two batches and keep it warm covered with foil in a 200 degree oven before making the sauce in the wok. Definitely a new family favorite!
anna says
I had to come back to comment. What is with all the General Tso’s recipes with all the vinegar? Yuck! THIS IS IT! Thank you!!!!!! A keeper going in the family file
DrDan says
Yep the vinegar was killing it for me too.
Thanks for the note and rating
DrDan
Lory says
This was so delicious! My fiancée loved this and so did i. Especially since its so quick and easy to make. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
DrDan says
Thanks for the note and rating
DrDan
Sharon says
I'm planning on making this tonight... sounds great, the reviews are great too. I'm planning on adding veggies and sesame oil with chili too... BUT I have a question for you... what dido u do with the Tien Tsin Peppers from Penzey's? I've searched your blog and found no further reference to them. Thanks!
DrDan says
The Tien Tsin disappeared into another dish somewhere along the line. I was at Penzey's yesterday for a stock-up run didn't think about it. IT will go on the next list... I would sub some in for the red pepper. Or at least that was my plan. But be careful they are perhaps about twice as hot as the crushed red pepper.
DrDan
Sue says
This was the first recipe of yours I made but it won't be the last! I tried this over the weekend and it was absolutely delicious. Silly me was thinking we'd have it for two meals but there were no leftovers and I think the dog only received one bite of chicken.
Kathleen says
This is a very good and easy recipe. I quadrupled the sauce and froze the extra. Served it tonight with shrimp and it was just as good. Also used a little strange oil with chili for some extra heat. Just a drizzle or two is more than enough. It's a keeper.
Kathleen says
I meant sesame oil!
Eric says
I've made this one twice now and it was great both times. I made some rice the second time which was especially good mixed with some of the leftover sauce.
If you're like me and not great at multitasking this recipe is easier if you mix up the sauce before starting the chicken. I pulled it off the first time but was running back and forth between the chicken and sauce. Experience cooks will probably have no issues though.
DrDan says
I multitask well... or at least think I do. But mixing the sauce ahead is a good suggestion for many.
Thanks for the note.
DrDan