Categories 30 Minutes or Less, Chicken Recipes, Dinner Recipes, Easy Recipes

Easy General Tso Chicken

by Annmarie

General Tso Chicken is a family-pleasing fried chicken dish that’s fun to make. It’s a Chinese takeout dish known for its crispy fried chicken with a sticky sweet and savory sauce. This general tso chicken from scratch is easy to make at home.

Crispy chicken smothered in a sweet, tangy, glossy sauce with a spicy kick! General Tso Chicken is ready in just 25 minutes, and serves deliciously for dinner, lunch or leftovers.

Easy General Tso Chicken

Easy General Tso Chicken

Easy General Tso Chicken

General Tso Chicken is a family-pleasing fried chicken dish that’s fun to make. It's a Chinese takeout dish known for its crispy fried chicken with a sticky sweet and savory sauce. This general tso chicken from scratch is easy to make at home.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs diced
  • ¼ cup cornstarch
  • 5 slices ginger peeled (each slice is about ¼ cm thick)
  • ½ stalk green onion finely chopped
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ teaspoon sesame seeds optional garnish

General Tso Sauce:

  • 4 tablespoon hoisin sauce (to make your own, please refer to above FAQ section)
  • 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce (not light or dark!)
  • 2 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoon garlic minced
  • 2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or red chili flakes)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ½ cup water

Instructions

Step-By-Step Instructions

Notes

How to Air Fry General Tso Chicken:

Follow steps 1-2 as above.

3. Instead of pouring the cornstarch right over the cubed chicken (as instructed above), place the cornstarch on a plate and dredge each piece of chicken into the starch. Feel free to add more starch if needed. This creates a more even coating.

4. Then transfer the coated chicken into your air fryer basket in a single layer, giving each piece enough space. You may need to air fry in two batches depending on the size of your air fryer.

5. Spray enough oil over chicken. Air fry at 400 degrees F for 12-14 minutes until crispy and brown, no flipping required.

6. Meanwhile, in a wok set over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon oil and your ginger slices.

7. Next pour in your pre-mixed sauce and let it come to a boil until it is thick and glossy.

8. Then add your air-fried chicken into the sauce to mix. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Let us know if you liked this recipe. Try the other recipe categories as well!

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