Description
This Easy General Tso’s Chicken recipe delivers crispy, tender chicken pieces coated in a sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy sauce. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, it combines classic Chinese-American flavors with simple ingredients and straightforward cooking steps, culminating in a delicious meal served over steamed rice.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup water
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
For the Chicken
- 6 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup vegetable oil, for frying
For Flavoring
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
To Serve
- Sliced green onions, for garnish (optional)
- Cooked rice
Instructions
- Make Sauce: In a bowl, whisk together 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and hoisin sauce until smooth. Set this mixture aside to use later as the glaze for the chicken.
- Coat Chicken: Toss the chicken pieces in the remaining 4 ½ tablespoons cornstarch until they are evenly coated. This coating helps achieve a crispy texture once fried.
- Fry Chicken: Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully fry the coated chicken pieces in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, until they turn golden brown and crispy. Remove the fried chicken and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
- Make Sauce in Skillet: Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of oil from the skillet. Add the minced ginger, red pepper flakes, and garlic to the hot oil. Cook them until fragrant, which takes about 1-2 minutes, releasing the aromatics into the oil.
- Combine and Finish: Return the fried chicken pieces to the skillet with the aromatics. Pour in the previously prepared sauce, stirring constantly. Cook everything together until the sauce thickens and coats the chicken evenly, about 3-5 minutes.
- Serve: Garnish the General Tso’s chicken with sliced green onions if using. Serve immediately over a bed of warm cooked rice for a complete meal.
Notes
- Cut chicken into uniform small pieces for even cooking.
- Adjust red pepper flakes quantity according to your spice preference.
- Do not overcrowd the pan when frying to keep chicken crispy.
- Use neutral oil with a high smoke point like vegetable oil for frying.
- Leftover chicken reheats well in a skillet over medium heat.
- For gluten-free, substitute soy sauce with tamari.
