Skip the takeout and make this General Tso Chicken recipe at home! It’s easy to make and full of flavor. Serve over rice or noodles for a family dinner.
This General Tso chicken recipe includes tender chicken coated in a sweet and spicy sauce. Serve it over rice or noodles with cream cheese wontons on the side.
Tonia’s Notes
We live in what is considered the ex-burbs or the area right outside the suburbs. Although we do our shopping in the suburbs, when it comes to things like getting take-out on a weeknight, the options are very limited in our small town.
It’s much faster to make dinner at home than it is to get take-out. This General Tso Chicken recipe is the perfect example of how easy it is to make a delicious meal at home in less time than it would take to drive to an Asian restaurant, wait for your order, and then drive back home again!
How To Make
Marinade
Start by making a marinade for the chicken. The soy sauce and sesame oil in the marinade help flavor the chicken while the egg white and cornstarch provide the coating for the fried chicken.
Chicken
Next, cut up the chicken and add it to the marinade. I used one pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe but one pound of chicken thighs would work too.
Try to cut the chicken into even-sized pieces so that it will finish cooking around the same time as the rest of the pieces.
Sauce
While the chicken is marinating, make the sauce. Start by whisking together the chicken broth, dark brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin sauce, and sriracha sauce in a small bowl. Slowly add the cornstarch while whisking. Set it aside for a few minutes.
Heat a little oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and then add minced ginger and minced garlic. Cook for about one minute and then add the sauce you just mixed up. Cook and stir until thickened. Keep the sauce warm over low heat.
Frying
Now it’s time to fry the chicken! Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a slotted spoon to carefully add the coated chicken to the hot oil in the pan.
Allow the chicken to cook for a couple of minutes before turning it. Cook the chicken, turning occasionally, until all sides are golden and the chicken is fully cooked, about 5-7 minutes.
Veggies
I like to make our General Tso Chicken with a few veggies like one of our favorite take-out places does. Stir fry sliced carrots and red bell peppers for a couple of minutes before adding a few dried chili peppers.
Finally, add the general tso sauce and the cooked chicken to the veggies in the pan and stir to coat everything with the sauce. Top with sliced green onions and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
General Tso Chicken Recipe FAQs
1) Should I use chicken thighs or chicken breasts to make General Tso Chicken? You can use either one. I prefer using chicken breasts when cooking chicken. Others prefer chicken thighs. Chicken thighs have more fat in them and could therefore help the chicken stay more moist if that is a concern of yours.
2) How spicy is General Tso Chicken? The great thing about making it yourself is that you can make it as spicy or as mild as you want!
3) Do I have to add the chili peppers and where can I buy them? No, you do not have to add them. I found them at a small local grocery store but they are also available online.
4) Can I make this without the veggies? Yes, you can skip that step. Once the chicken has finished cooking, add it to the sauce, and stir to coat.
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General Tso Chicken
Video
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
- 1/4 cup olive oil for frying
Marinade
- 1 large egg white
- 2 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
General Tso Sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoon dark brown sugar (or substitute brown sugar)
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (use 1-3 teaspoon depending on how spicy you want it to be)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Veggies
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 cup sliced carrots
- 1/4 cup sliced red bell peppers
- 5 dried chili peppers
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Whisk together the egg white, water, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cornstarch. Add the cubed chicken and stir to coat. Marinate for 15-20 minutes.
- While the chicken is marinating, make the sauce. whisk together the chicken broth, dark brown sugar, soy sauce, white vinegar, hoisin sauce, and sriracha sauce. Slowly add the cornstarch while whisking.
- Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high. Add the minced ginger and minced garlic. Cook for about one minute. Whisk in the chicken broth mixture. Cook until thickened, stirring often. Keep the sauce warm over low heat while cooking the chicken.
- Heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large skillet. Carefully add the chicken with a slotted spoon. Allow the chicken to fry for several minutes before turning. Fry the chicken for 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally, until fully cooked. Remove from pan.
- Heat one tablespoon of olive in the same skillet. Add the sliced carrots and red bell peppers. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the chili peppers. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce and then the chicken. Stir to coat. Garnish with green onions and serve immediately.
Khadija says
Turned out amazing !!!