Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
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.
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.
- 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.
- Serve: Serve immediately with white or brown rice and garnish with green onions.
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
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
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 35 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
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
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Have you tried this recipe?
RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience. Getting feedback from you helps me and other readers too!
Also, if you share onINSTAGRAM, use the hashtag #modernmealmakeover and tag me (@modernmealmakeover) so we can stop by and give your post some love. Thank you!
Other favorite recipes
- Best Teriyaki Chicken Casserole
- Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas
- Asian Glazed Meatballs
- Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
April King
Hi I'm April! I've been married to my husband, Brent for 17 years, and we have 3 kids who keeps us on our toes. I love to create easy, simple, yet delicious family friendly recipes. If I'm not in the kitchen you can find me in the carpool lane, dance recitals, sitting on the football field, or chasing our busy toddler.
18 Comments
-
Dannii
December 3, 2020 at 12:27 pm ·Reply
We are always looking for new ways to use chicken and the flavours in this look amazing.-
Shanna
December 3, 2020 at 12:34 pm ·Reply
It has such good flavor. I would love to know what you think after you try it.
-
-
Angela
December 3, 2020 at 12:59 pm ·Reply
I had never made this at home before. The sauce was so easy and delicious!-
Shanna
December 3, 2020 at 1:17 pm ·Reply
I am so glad that you liked it.
-
-
Tara
December 3, 2020 at 1:00 pm ·Reply
Oh yum! Love all these flavors and that sauce looks absolutely amazing. What a delicious meal at home.-
Shanna
December 3, 2020 at 1:18 pm ·Reply
It is definitely a family favorite.
-
-
Traci
December 3, 2020 at 1:18 pm ·Reply
Absolutely loving how easy this recipe is. Always delicious too! Thanks for another winner 🙂-
Shanna
December 4, 2020 at 11:54 am ·Reply
I am happy to share!
-
-
Virya
June 21, 2021 at 4:39 am ·Reply
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 -
Virya
June 21, 2021 at 5:30 am ·Reply
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
June 21, 2021 at 1:58 pm ·Reply
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.
-
-
Vijaya
August 7, 2021 at 10:22 am ·Reply
I tried the recipe but it turned out too sweet. What can i do to reduce the sweetness
-
April King
August 8, 2021 at 1:21 pm ·Reply
You can reduce the brown sugar to 1/8 of a cup or omit it all together.
-
-
Cathy neary
December 26, 2021 at 2:43 pm ·Reply
Hi. Sounds amazing but just wondering if you can pre prepare this and reheat it ?
-
April King
December 26, 2021 at 6:41 pm ·Reply
You can prepare this ahead, but the chicken won’t be as crispy as it would be if it was served right after prepareing.
-
-
Janice
December 22, 2022 at 8:09 pm ·Reply
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-
April King
December 27, 2022 at 6:08 pm ·Reply
Glad you love it.
-
-
Shannon
March 27, 2023 at 7:33 pm ·Reply
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!
Leave a Comment
Instant Pot Goulash
Tuscan Chicken Mac and Cheese
Popular Recipes (View Count)
- The Best Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowl
1172192 views - Best Southwest Chicken Wrap Recipe
543156 views - The Best Lasagna Roll Ups Recipe
312397 views - Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
254394 views - Bacon Spinach Quiche
241462 views