This easy homemade General Tso’s Chicken is every bit as sweet, sticky, and irresistible as the one you get in the carton when you order Chinese takeout, with tender, juicy chicken, veggies, and just enough heat to make things interesting.
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General Tso’s chicken, lightened up and lightning fast!
This homemade General Tso’s chicken recipe is on the table in less than 30 minutes and it’s made with simple ingredients you likely already have on hand, especially if you regularly cook stir fry recipes. Can you say weeknight win?!
While it still strikes that perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spicy, the sauce in this recipe calls for a more reasonable amount of sugar and low-sodium soy sauce. (Like my Bourbon Chicken and Sesame Chicken recipes, the marinade here is sweetened with honey or maple syrup.) To create that quintessential breaded outside, I toss the chicken in corn starch and lightly pan fry it to create a “crust.” No deep fried chicken here!
What makes General Tso’s chicken (not to mention this Crockpot Orange Chicken) so irresistible is that sticky sauce that clings to each bite, coating it in flavor. This recipe will show you how to achieve that at home!
5 Star Review
“This recipe is delicious and will definitely be permanently on my weekend meal rotation!”
— Kelly —
It’s All About the Sauce
What sets General Tso’s chicken apart from other stir fry recipes (and Kung Pao Chicken, which it’s often confused for) is the sauce. It’s got a little more heat than your typical stir fry and that adds some extra dimension. The key ingredients here are:
- Soy Sauce. Bursting with umami goodness, soy sauce adds crucial flavor to the sauce. I used low-sodium soy sauce to keep the sauce from becoming too salty. You can swap in tamari to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Hoisin Sauce. Hoisin sauce is key to the General Tso’s sauce’s scrumptious, thick, and slightly sweet flavor. Think of it as Asian barbecue sauce.
- Ginger. With mild peppery and sweet notes, ginger adds zippy warmth. Do not substitute dried; it just doesn’t have the same flavor.
- Chili Garlic Sauce. For a spicier version of this recipe, up the amount of chili garlic sauce or add red pepper flakes. If you prefer a milder General Tso’s chicken recipe, you can use only 1 or 2 teaspoons.
- Rice Vinegar. A light, mild way to add critical acidity. Be sure to use unseasoned, which doesn’t have sugar added.
- Cornstarch. Helps make the sauce addictively luscious and thick and the outsides of the chicken crispy.
- Sesame Oil. Adds a touch of nuttiness to the sauce. This ingredient will make your cooking better!
Recipe Variations
- General Tso’s Chicken Thighs. While I prefer using chicken tenders or breast, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe if you prefer.
- General Tso’s Chickpeas. This vegetarian remake swaps the chicken with chickpeas!
- General Tso’s Tofu. Another meatless variation of General Tso’s chicken, this recipe uses chewy tofu instead.
What to Serve with General Tso’s Chicken
- Salad. Asian Cucumber Salad and Asian Cabbage Salad would both pair well with this dish.
- Other Takeout Faves. Make a family-style takeout fakeout dinner with Air Fryer Egg Rolls or Pork Dumplings.
- More Grains. White rice might be the classic choice, but you can also serve General Tso’s chicken with Instant Pot Brown Rice, quinoa, or Cauliflower Fried Rice.
- Lettuce. Scoop General Tso’s chicken into crisp lettuce leaves to make wraps.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Cut the Chicken into Even Pieces. This ensures that it’s all done cooking at the same time. You don’t want to end up over-cooking smaller pieces while you wait for bigger pieces to cook through.
- Get a Head Start. Up to 1 day in advance, you can cut the chicken and add it to a bowl with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to finish the recipe.
- Cook the Chicken in Batches, If Needed. If you crowd the pan, you won’t get that nice sear and crispy exterior. Instead, the chicken will steam, which is not nearly as delicious!
General Tso’s Chicken Video
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General Tso’s Chicken
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Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- 1 pound chicken tenders or chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili-garlic sauce Sambal Oelek
- 1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon honey or pure maple syrup
- ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 5 large green onions (scallions) or 7 small green onions white parts (bulbs) removed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 bunch)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
FOR THE SAUCE:
- ¼ cup water
- 2 ½ tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce plus additional to taste
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 to 2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce Sambal Oelek; the more you add, the spicier the chicken
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
FOR SERVING:
- Prepared brown rice
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds optional
FOR THE STIR FRY VEGGIES (OPTIONAL if you’d like to add a side serving):
- 1 tablespoon canola or grapeseed oil
- 12 ounces chopped vegetables I use a frozen stir fry medley
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a medium bowl. Top with the soy sauce, chili-garlic sauce, sesame oil, honey, and baking soda. Let sit 15 minutes or refrigerate for up to 1 day.
- While the chicken rests, whisk together the sauce ingredients until smoothly combined: water, soy sauce, hoisin, ginger, chili garlic sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, and sesame oil.
- Cook the chicken: Heat the canola in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the 3 tablespoons cornstarch over the chicken. Stir to evenly coat, using a spoon to separate the pieces and ensure each is nicely coated.
- Once the oil is hot, with a large spoon, add the chicken to the pan a few pieces at a time, distributing it in an even layer (discard any remaining marinade). Cook on the first side until golden, about 1 minute. With tongs, flip and cook on the remaining sides, stirring periodically, until the chicken is deeply golden brown on all sides and completely cooked through, about 3 minutes more.
- If you will be cooking the vegetables: Remove the chicken to a plate. With a paper towel, carefully wipe out the pan. Heat the canola oil and stir fry the veggies until crisp tender, about 4 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan.
- Add ¾ of the green onion to the pan and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour in the sauce, tossing to coat the chicken evenly. Let cook 1 to 2 minutes more, tossing constantly, until the sauce is thickened and deliciously sticky. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds. Sprinkle the remaining green onion and sesame seeds over the top. Serve hot with rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice, as desired.
Video
Notes
- TO STORE: Refrigerate chicken in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days. Store any rice separately from the chicken and vegetables.
- TO REHEAT: Rewarm leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze chicken and vegetables in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
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Can you include the sodium in the nutrition? Thanks
Hi Elaine! I stopped including sodium info because it can vary so much depending upon what products you used, and I found a lot of conflicting info online, so ultimately I didn’t feel comfortable publishing it because sometimes it wasn’t even in the ballpark. If you’d like to calculate it yourself, there are lots of free tools online (myfitnesspal.com is popular). I hope that helps!
I made this as lunch for my 3 kids and myself, and everyone loved it. My pickiest eater even went back for seconds! It is simple, quick, and has all of the amazing general tso flavors you love from take-out without all the added fats of deep-frying the chicken.
Hi Sheila! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Easy to follow recipe that leads to a beautiful and delicious dish!!
Hi Bethany! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This was absolutely amazing, my family devoured it! I had been making a different Gen Tso recipe but will never make that one again, this is my new favorite! Perfection!
Hi Marie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Have you made the chili garlic sauce? It’s not something I have purchased.
No I’m sorry I haven’t Kodye. It’s something I keep stocked in my pantry.
This recipe is delicious and will definitely be permanently on my weekend meal rotation!!
Hi Kelly! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
This was my first attempt at making General Tso’s chicken and I was very happy with the way this turned out. This recipe has all the basic ingredients that you need to make a delicious dinner. We like it spicier so I added red pepper flakes and increased the chili garlic sauce. Honestly, it turned out delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thanks so much Maxine!
Oh MY! My family couldn’t stop raving about this – the WHOLE time they were eating it… then argued about the leftovers! We served it along with a simple cucumber salad and rice.
Yay! Thank you, Jennifer!
Better than take-away. How do you keep knocking it out of the park? I love all your recipes. I used boneless chicken thighs for this and it was amazing – the flavors stay with you, can’t wait for leftovers – I always double the recipe.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Maggie!