General Tso Chicken

Sticky glazed chicken with dried chilies, green onions, and sesame seeds.

5 from 4 votes

Takeout-style crispy chicken makes General Tso Chicken a homemade favorite with a sticky, sweet, and tangy sauce for a weeknight dinner ready in about 30 minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: servings

Author: Mariam Ezzeddine

Ingredients

For the Chicken

2 pounds chicken tenderloins cubed
1 tablespoon corn flour
1 teaspoon paprika
¾ teaspoon black pepper freshly cracked
¼ cup all-purpose flour
⅔ teaspoon salt
oil for frying

General Tso Sauce

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 – 4 tablespoons gochujang chili sauce
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh ginger grated
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon Spanish paprika optional for color

For Sautéing

4 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon hot chili oil with chili crisp
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the Garnish

4 – 6 whole dried chili pepper pods seeds removed and cut into smaller pieces
4 stalks green onion cut into 1-inch pieces
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds for garnishing

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Prepare and Fry the Chicken

In a bowl, combine the corn flour, all-purpose flour, paprika, black pepper, and salt. Add the chicken cubes and toss until evenly coated with the flour mixture. Shake off any excess coating before frying.
Heat 3 inches of frying oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Fry the chicken for about 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cook in two batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the pot. Transfer the fried chicken to a paper towel-lined sheet pan to drain the excess oil.

Make the General Tso Sauce

While the chicken cooks, combine the chicken broth, gochujang, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, ginger, rice vinegar, cornstarch, and optional Spanish paprika in a measuring cup. Mix well.
Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and hot chili oil with chili crisp. Sauté for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Stir the prepared sauce mixture, then pour it into the skillet with the garlic and chili crisp. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens, stirring periodically to prevent sticking or clumping.
Add the fried chicken, dried chili peppers, and green onions to the thickened sauce. Toss until the chicken is coated, then cook for 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat and garnish with sesame seeds.
Serve the General Tso chicken warm.

Video

Notes

The small chicken pieces cook quickly. Avoid frying them for longer than 3 to 4 minutes because overcooking can make the chicken chewy.
Keep the frying oil around 380°F. Oil that gets too hot can brown or burn the outside before the chicken cooks through.
A Dutch oven works well for frying because it holds the oil temperature well.
Taste the sauce and adjust the salt before adding the fried chicken.

Nutrition