General Tso’s Chicken is that perfect combination of sweet, savoury, spicy and tangy with crispy Chinese chicken bites. It’s a Chinese takeout favourite that just pushes all the right buttons!
General Tso’s Chicken
This is a popular Chinese-American dish that appears in suburban Chinese restaurants here in Australia under various other guises. Peking-Style Chicken or sometimes something mysteriously titled House Special Crispy Chicken. I can never resist a House Special!
It is said to originate from the Hunan province of China and is named after a well-respected Chinese military leader, General Tso.
While the accuracy of either of these statements is questionable – and in fact, rumour has it that it was brought into the US by Taiwanese Chefs (!) – what we do know is that this is one of the most popular Chinese dishes in America and it’s not hard to understand why.
Crispy chicken. Sticky, spicy, savoury sauce. All good stuff we like!
What goes in General Tso’s Chicken
There’s 3 parts to making General Tso’s Chicken:
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Sauce/Marinade – one mixture does double duty to marinate the chicken AND to make the sticky sauce that coats the chicken;
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Crispy Chicken – tossed in cornflour/cornstarch then fried in as little or as much oil as you want. No, you don’t need to deep fry for this dish; and
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Stir Fry – it’s not really a stir fry dish, but we do sauté garlic and ginger at the end before making the sticky sauce to toss the chicken in.
1. Sauce / Marinade
Here’s what you need for the Sauce / Marinade:
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Chilli – the spiciness in the sauce. I like using Sambal Oelak which is a type of chilli paste sold at everyday supermarkets in Australia but feel free to use your favourite brand (preferably Asian, if you can!);
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Soy sauce – light or all purpose, just not dark soy sauce (way too strong flavour and will make sauce too dark). More on different soy sauces and when to use which sauce, here;
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Rice vinegar – for the signature touch of tang in General Tso’s Chicken. It has a distinct flavour different to Western vinegars (it’s made from rice – did the name give it away? 😂) and it is less sour. Best sub: White wine vinegar;
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Brown Sugar – for the sweet in the sauce with a slight caramel note. Not loads – just 3 tablespoons. Many other recipes use way too much. This is not a dessert, it’s a meal!
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Hoisin sauce – the secret ingredient! Adds a hint of extra flavour that takes this recipe from ok to yummo!
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Sesame oil – for a wonderful hint of sesame flavour;
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Chicken stock – to give the sauce depth of flavour without using Chinese Cooking Wine (Shaoxing Wine) and to make enough sauce to coat all the chicken; and
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Cornflour / cornstarch – to thicken the sauce as well as make it nicely shiny and clear (whereas wheat flour makes sauces more opaque, like with Gravy).
2. The Chicken
For the chicken, you will need two tablespoons of the Sauce we made above for marinating, as well as ginger and garlic for flavour.
Unlike other crispy Chinese fried chicken dishes, such as Honey Chicken, the chicken is not coated with a batter but instead is tossed in cornflour/cornstarch to make it crispy. It’s quite similar to the way crispy Sweet and Sour Pork is made – but simpler because chicken pieces are tender and easier to cook than pork.
Best chicken – boneless skinless thighs, because they stay nice and juicy even if you overcook them a bit (which is easy to do if you’re not an experienced fryer). If you want to use chicken breast or tenderloins, see recipe notes for how to tenderise it before cooking using a touch of baking soda/bi-carb. This technique offers some insurance against dry, overcooked breast notorious in recipes like this.
3. Making the Sauce
And here’s what you need to cook the Sauce – ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes (chilli flakes). These are sautéed until golden before adding the Sauce.
How to make it
Here’s how to make it:
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Sauce/Marinade – first, mix the Sauce/Marinade. We do this in two parts. Firstly, mix all the ingredients except the sugar, chicken stock/broth and the cornflour/cornstarch, and use some of this initial mix to marinate the chicken (in Step 2 below). THEN mix in the sugar, stock and cornflour to the remainder to create the dish’s final Sauce – these are Sauce-specific ingredients we don’t want in the chicken marinade;
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Marinate Chicken – Use 2 tablespoons of the initial Sauce mix to marinate the chicken for 30 minutes along with fresh garlic and ginger. It’s really nice to add fresh ginger and garlic into the marinade to really get those flavours into the chicken;
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Coat chicken in cornflour – just add it into the bowl and mix, making sure the pieces are separate so they are fully coated;
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Shake off excess cornflour using whatever method works for you – I use a colander these days. Not all the cornflour falls through the colander holes and that’s ok. It still gives me a means to shake out most of the excess and some chunks settled at the base. We don’t want a thick layer of cornflour on the chicken because it can make it taste powdery and also you end up with loads of cornflour in the oil which burns unless you scoop it out;
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Cook chicken using preferred amount of oil – either shallow fry as I do (which is when the chicken is sitting on the base of the pan and the oil comes halfway up the chicken) or deep fry (which is when there is enough oil so the chicken floats around in the oil). You can even cook it with just a thin layer of oil in the pan but you’ll need to rotate each piece of chicken 4 to 6 times to get all sides crispy – which is a pain!
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Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
Time to sauce it!
Chicken done, so next up: time to make the sauce. This part literally takes 3 minutes:
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Sauté garlic, ginger and chilli flakes until garlic is golden and it smells amazing, then pour the sauce in;
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Simmer sauce for 2 minutes until it thickens enough so you can draw a path across the base;
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Add chicken;
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QUICKLY toss to coat then serve, stat! The faster you get it on the table, the crispier the chicken stays!
General Tso’s CRISPY FACTOR
Chicken cooked using this method (ie. coated in cornflour) will never be as crispy compared to a more involved batter method, such as with Honey Chicken which stays crispy for hours (and that is no exaggeration!).
But if you really want super-crispiness, just use the batter method in Honey Chicken and the sauce from General Tso’s Chicken!
What to serve with General Tso’s Chicken
Serve on you rice of choice with some greens on the side. For me, Ginger Smashed Cucumber Salad is just the sort of refreshing side I’d serve for a dish like this. Otherwise, any fresh salad, leafy greens or steamed greens with my reliable Asian Sesame Dressing.
For a larger banquet, try adding some extra dishes such as one of these:
Let me know when you’re planning that banquet and I’ll be there in a flash! 😂 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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General Tso's Chicken
Ingredients
Sauce/Chicken Marinade:
- 3 tbsp soy sauce - light or all-purpose (NOT dark soy, Note 1)
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (sub white wine vinegar)
- 2 tsp chilli paste , any (Sambal Oelak is great)
- 1 tsp sesame oil toasted preferably (Note 6)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch
- 3/4 cup chicken stock/broth , low sodium
Chicken:
- 600g/ 1.4 lb chicken thighs , boneless skinless, cut into 2.5cm / 1" pieces (breast / tenderloin - Note 2)
- 1 tsp ginger , finely grated
- 1 tsp garlic ,finely grated
- 1 cup cornflour/cornstarch (Note 5)
- 1 - 4 cups oil, for frying (peanut, vegetable or canola; Note 4)
Stir Fry Sauce:
- 2 tbsp oil (peanut, vegetable or canola)
- 2 tsp ginger , finely chopped (Note 3)
- 2 cloves garlic , finely chopped (Note 3)
- 1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
Garnishes (at least 1 recommended):
- Finely sliced green onion
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
- Sauce-Marinade: Mix the soy, hoisin, vinegar, chilli and sesame oil.
- Marinate Chicken: Take out 2 tablespoons of Sauce-Marinade and mix with chicken. Add ginger and garlic to chicken, mix, then marinate 30 minutes.
- Dust chicken: Add cornflour into chicken and toss to coat, ensuring pieces are separated so they get fully coated.
- Shake off excess: Tip into a colander and shake to remove excess cornflour (or grab handfuls, shake so cornflour falls through your fingers).
- Finish Sauce: To the remaining Sauce-Marinade (that you made in Step 1), add sugar and cornflour. Mix, then add chicken stock and mix.
- Heat oil: Heat 2 cm / 4/5" oil in a deep skillet (or large pot - whatever you’re comfortable with) to 200°C/390°F. To use less, see Note 4.
- Fry: Cook chicken 3 minutes, turning halfway, until golden and crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate.
- New / clean skillet: Discard oil, wipe skillet and return to heat. Or use another large skillet.
- Stir Fry Sauce: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, saute 30 seconds until garlic is light golden. Add Sauce, bring to simmer and stir occasionally until it thickens enough that you can draw a path across pan base.
- Toss! Add chicken, toss to coat quickly - the quicker you are, the crispier the chicken stays! Transfer to serving plate, garnish and serve immediately with your rice of choice.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
He couldn’t believe his eyes when he waddled into the kitchen to find a giant bag of dog food open on the floor…….!!
For those of you who know that I usually feed Dozer a raw food diet – these dog biscuits are special gastrointestinal friendly biscuits after this tummy problems a month or so ago. Just slowly transitioning him back to his normal diet!
This was magnificent! I made it exactly as written and it came out spot-on….. and so much better than the local takeout.
Thanks again, Nagi. This recipe is another keeper for me!
Just made this ( General Tso’s chicken … ) with your veggie stir fry … totally epic … you are officially my hero now … thanks so much for sharing.
Nagi you are amazing. Since discovering your page I’ve used it as my go to ‘what to have for dinner’ site. Every recipe has turned out perfectly and oh so yummy. PS Dozer is adorable
Substituted 4 thai chili peppers , entrails removed and finely chopped, instead of the chili paste. (and I like it spicy so I went ahead and put 2 Tsps) I can’t believe this is one and done. I have mastered General Tao (Tzo’s) chicken. Thank you so much for this beautiful recipe!
I like a chilli hit too, Marco!! Enjoy! N x
When my grown son cancels his dinner plans because what I made is so good… 🥰
😇🙌🙌🙌🙌!!! N x
One of my favorite appetizers at a restaurant in charlotte is General Tso’s cauliflower. Would this recipe work for cauliflower?
This is my husband’s favorite dish. Twice recently, he ordered it from a restaurant and was quite disappointing. I prepared this tonight, and the whole family loves it. I will teach my sons to make it.
Thank you for all the directions and suggestions you included!! Also, it was easy to add slightly more of the spicy ingredients which suites our taste. Just like you said, so many times this dish is prepared with too many sweeteners.
It’s always good when you can beat the taste of takeout at home!! N x
Just wow. One happy family tonight, So delicious
Woo hoo!! I love to hear that Liz! N x
Is there a difference between using cornflour opposed to using cornstarch? Thanks! I’m looking forward to trying this out.
Hi Tracey – in Australia cornflour and cornstarch are the same thing – the white finely powdered one that is used for thickening and coating things for frying is the correct one to use, not the yellow one. N x
Delicious!! This is exactly how I remember it from the US! This satisfied a craving big time! Family also loved it.
This was just fabulous,really crispy chicken,I used chicken breast but followed your instructions and it was crispy outside ,juicy inside and the sauce was delicious,will definitely make again
Made it about an hour ago, now sitting with a happy wife and my fat tummy:) I have never tried General tso chicken so I cant compare but I can say it was very nice and will be making again TY
LOL!! I am glad you both enjoyed it Paul! N x
This recipe is amazing!
Woo hoo!! I am happy you liked it Wanda!! N x
Like your recipes and website!
A question: You list chicken stock in the ingredients of the marinade but say to add it to the stir fry sauce in step 5 of the instructions. Stock makes the marinade pretty liquid; I think you mean for it to be added to the stir fry sauce, not the marinade.
love your recipes, could I cook the chicken in advance and reheat in air fryer before it goes into the sauce.
Made this dish as a freezer meal. I fried my chicken pieces let them cool and froze the pieces for later meals. Definitely not as crispy as fresh but it does the job for a busy weekday meal idea. I serve it with rice and sauteed broccoli or baby Bok Choy. I use Thai Bird Chillies instead of the chili paste as I prefer the fresh chillies. Use as many as you need to hit the spice level of the dish. I also premix the stifry ingredients with the marinade to make it so I can just heat and sauce the chicken mid week as a freezer meal. Only takes about 35-40 mins inside the aluminum container from frozen.
Thanks for those great tips Daniel! N x
LOVE this recipe! Could you please advise on if the air fryer can be used?
I don’t know yet but it’s on my list of potential testing!! N x
Hey Zara, it worked fine for me. Though it turned out less crispy then the above images, it might’ve turned out closer if I left it in longer. Just use less oil, preheat to 380-390, and cook for 15-25 minutes.
My husband absolutely loves this dish. We enjoy it very much. Tonight will be my 4th time making it. Thank you so much.
It’s been a bumpy ride with our son with autism becoming a teenager. I have never been a huge cook but am finding so much joy in exploring your detailed foolproof recipes 🙂
Thanks for the great distraction!
I am glad the recipes bring you joy Angie! N x
OMG – this is the best General Tso recipe. LOVE IT. I decided to prepare it in the batter recipe you suggested for the crispiness factor and it was a huge HIT. Thank you for this recipe.