Ditch the delivery and fire up the flames for a fast and fresh recipe for Easy General Tso’s Chicken.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then that above shot is my dissertation on the greatest homemade General Tso’s Chicken you will ever taste. A bold but oh-so-accurate claim!
Just look at that ratio of sweet and tangy sauce to crispy chicken pieces. There’s more than enough sauce to generously coat the chicken and spoon atop rice or noodles. Because isn’t that the whole point of takeout-fakeout favorites? I’ll take all the sticky-sweet, slightly sour, super umami sauce, please!
Making takeout favorites at home is nothing new around here. Easy Beef and Broccoli continues to be one of the most popular recipes of all time (more than a decade of deliciousness!) on Just a Taste, and the Thai Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango isn’t far behind.
This recipe for Easy General Tso’s Chicken will be on your dinner table in 30 minutes or less. It’s sweet, savory, sour and every bit as addictive as the restaurant version. The chicken is crispy without being overly breaded (my usual complaint when it comes to General Tso’s), while the sauce is thick and syrupy, just like it should be.
If you prefer a vegetarian version, I’ve got you covered! Check out my top-rated recipe for General Tso’s Cauliflower starring crispy cauliflower florets bathed in an equally-as-enticing sauce.
Mouth watering yet? Read on for the recipe and don’t forget the fried rice and homemade fortune cookies to complete your feast!
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Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1/3 cup cornstarch
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- Vegetable oil, for frying
For the sauce:
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup dried whole chilies
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
- 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- Sliced scallions, for garnishing
Instructions
Make the chicken:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and flour with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl, tossing to coat.
- Add 2 to 3 inches of vegetable oil to a large heavy-bottomed stockpot set over medium-high heat. Line a plate with paper towels.
- Once the oil is hot, shake off any excess flour mixture from the chicken pieces and add them to the oil in batches. (See Note.)
- Cook the chicken pieces in batches, turning as needed, until golden brown and cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked chicken to the paper towel-lined plate then make the sauce.
Make the sauce:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and soy sauce to make a slurry. Set the slurry aside.
- Add the vegetable oil to a large saucepan set over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chilies, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is golden brown, about 1 minute.
- Stir in the rice wine vinegar, hoisin, brown sugar, chicken stock and sesame oil.
- Stir in the slurry, bring the sauce to a simmer and cook it until it thickens to the consistency of syrup, about 1 minute.
- Return the chicken to the pan and toss to coat.
- Serve the chicken topped with scallions.
Note:
- You can test if the oil is hot enough by adding one piece of the chicken to the pan. If it bubbles and floats, the oil is the correct temperature.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!
Nutrition
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Recipe by Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
I would highly recommend shaking the seeds out of the dried chilies. I love spicy but this was crazy unenjoyably hot. The flavor was amazing until I couldn’t feel my tongue to taste it anymore . I will definitely be making it again just with less chilies and without their seeds. Other than that seriously amazing recipe
Thanks for your note, Danielle! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe (until it was too spicy ).
What chiles do you use? There is literally dozens of options at the market – I ended up with one I thought looked the closest, but there’s such a variety of spice that I have no idea which one to pick.
I use whole dried red chilies!
Would making it without the sesame oil be a very bad thing?
Hi Rex! It won’t drastically change the outcome, just the flavor a bit.
Very nice… authentic taste, quick, easy…no more take out for me…❤️
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Jeffrey!
Marvelous! I did it today and was easy but extremely delicious! Definitely, so far my favorite recipes for General Cho Chicken.
I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Lana!
Love it family wants me to make it again it was good
I’m so happy to read this, Juanita!
This recipe is AMAZING !!!! Thank you so much!! Now I don’t have to buy it I can make it!!!
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Angelica!
Delicious! I substituted ~1 tbsp of crushed red pepper for the 1/4 cup of chiles.
Could this sauce be stored (maybe frozen?) for future use? I’d love to have some handy.
I’m making the above recipe (for the 2nd time) tomorrow, and hope to double the sauce, and save half of it for wings later in the week.
So glad you enjoyed it, Jay! And yes, the sauce can be frozen and then thawed. Enjoy!
Very nice… authentic taste, quick, easy…no more take out for me…❤️
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Jeffrey!
THE BEST General Tso chicken even. It tastes just a great as the what I buy from a favorite restaurant. Now I make it myself. The brown sugar is the secret.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Oh my gosh. Soo good. I was so disappointed when I ordered Chinese food and such little sauce. Bummer!!!
I said to self “Well this can not happen again” Haha. FF: Got ingredients few days later…Just made the Tso’s and it’s delicious!!!! Thank uuuuu
You are so welcome, Elaine! I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Loved the recipe spices were amazing. Will make it again & again!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Pamela!
I love General Tso chicken, it’s my favorite meal at Chinese restaurants, but lately I have been disappointed with it, because every one uses breast meat chicken now, and I like the original version made with chicken thighs. And I like it extra spicy to. I added a few More chili’s. Thank you for this lovely recipe. No more ordering out for me.
Woohoo! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Shannon!
My family loves this recipe! It is moved into our weekly rotation (which is saying a lot because we don’t have any other recipes we make each week). We also added broccoli or a steamed Asian vegetable medley. Delicious!
Love reading this, Pamela! I’m so thrilled your family has been enjoying the recipe!
Great recipe! It’s very easy to make so I’ll be making this instead of eating out for Chinese! It’s hard to find a good general to’s sauce at restaurants. I do agree that 1/4 cup chilies is to much but that’s an easy fix. My husband loved the spiciness but it’s just to much for me but it’s an amazing recipe. I’ll just cut down on the chilies next time. Thank you for the great recipe!
You are so welcome, Gregory! I’m thrilled you and your husband enjoyed the recipe!
Wow.
Simple dish yet has amazing flavor. Used fresh chilies from the garden. I will be making this again (and again..).
Awesome! I’m so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, David!