Now you can make your own General Tso's Chicken right at home with crispy, juicy fried chicken perfectly coated in a sticky, sweet, tangy, and spicy sauce. This chicken's got it all!
General Tso's Chicken
General Tso's Chicken is a favorite at Chinese restaurants and takeout. And now you can make it right in your home! Making your own version at home is healthier and much cheaper, not to mention equally, if not more, delicious.
General Tso's chicken features crispy breaded chicken thighs in a sticky sweet, tangy, spicy sauce.
And don't let that long ingredient list intimidate. Most of it is liquids for the sauce, so there's very minimal prep work.
Why Is It Called General Tso's Chicken?
General Tso's Chicken is said to have been created by a chef in the 1950's. The chef developed the recipe for a diplomatic dinner and named it after a Hunanese war hero, Tso Tsung-t'ang. While the general is well known in Hunan, the chicken is not, as it is actually a more Americanized dish.
What Cut of Chicken Is Best?
For this fried chicken, I like boneless, skinless chicken thighs. This is because they're easy to cook, and they stay super tender for the best, juiciest bite of chicken.
Why Double Fry the Chicken?
Double frying is a method that helps ensure the coating is ultra-crispy. It's a common technique used in many fried foods, including French fries.
Double frying your chicken will give you perfectly crisp bites that hold up well, even in the sticky sauce!
What to Serve with General Tso's Chicken
When making General Tso's chicken at home, I typically serve it with white or fried rice. I will also add a vegetable like steamed broccoli or edamame or do a quick vegetable stir fry with all of our favorites, or just whatever we need to use up.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes You'll Love
- Spicy Tuna Roll Bowl - everyone's favorite sushi roll in a bowl with rice, tuna, avocado, and spicy mayo sauce.
- Crockpot Bourbon Chicken - a simple copycat version of a restaurant favorite with chicken slow simmered in a sweet bourbon sauce.
- Easy Fried Rice - this simple fried rice recipe tastes just as amazing as your favorite local restaurant, and it's pretty easy to make right at home!
- Crab Rangoon Dip - creamy dip with sweet crab, just like the filling of your favorite crab rangoons.
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef - tender beef in a sweet, tangy, spicy sauce. It's ridiculously easy to make and a definite family favorite.
General Tso's Chicken Video
General Tso's Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- oil for deep frying (peanut, canola, or vegetable)
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 dried red chiles rinsed and seeded
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons water
Sauce
- ⅓ cup Chinese rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons Hoisin sauce
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
Instructions
- Add chicken to a medium mixing bowl. Add Shaoxing wine, water, sesame seeds, sesame oil, salt, and pepper. Stir to coat chicken.
- Add flour and cornstarch to chicken mixture. Stir again to coat. Set aside.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine all sauce ingredients. Stir to combine. Set aside.
- Heat fryer or frying oil up to 335°F.
- Fry battered chicken in small batches for about 4 minutes. Chicken should float to the top of the oil. Remove to paper towels to drain.
- Once all chicken has been fried once, fry all chicken again, in small batches, for about 2-3 minutes, being careful not to burn. Remove again to paper towels. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large wok.
- Add ginger, garlic, and chiles. Stir fry until fragrant.
- Pour sauce into wok. Bring to a simmer. Add cornstarch slurry. Simmer until sauce is thick and glossy.
- Stir in chicken. Stir immediately with steamed broccoli and rice.
Notes
- This recipe is dairy free.
- Most ingredients can be found in the ethnic section at your local grocer. If you can't find an ingredient at the store, I found everything I needed at Amazon, as well. (I'll leave product links in the ingredient list)
- Dark soy will make your chicken that gorgeous dark, rich color.
- Why fry it twice? The chicken will be soft after the first fry. The second fry makes sure it's super crispy.
- Like it spicy? Leave some seeds in the red chiles. The more seeds you leave, the spicier it will be.
- Don't have a wok? I really recommend one, as it works perfectly for this recipe and many other Asian and Asian-inspired recipes. However, in a pinch, a large skillet will do the trick.
- Recommended Equipment: deep fryer | wok
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
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