General Tso’s Chicken

This General Tso’s Chicken recipe has the sweet and slightly spicy sauce that you love. Serve it over rice for a dish that is better than takeout!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Chinese

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 30

Servings Servings

Calories 791kcal

Author Beth, The Butcher’s Wife

Equipment

large skillet or saucepan
zip top bag or bowl *for velveting the chicken
small/medium sized bowl or glass measuring cup
measuring cups and spoons
whisks and large spoons

Ingredients

The Chicken

1.5 lbs chicken, cut into small pieces or strips
3/4 cup cornstarch
2/3 cup vegetable oil *or other type of oil for cooking the chicken-see notes below

The Sauce

2/3 cup hoisin sauce *you can use my recipe for Homemade Hoisin Sauce. (Note: you will have hoisin sauce leftover- you will only use what this recipe calls for)
1/3 cup rice vinegar *cider vinegar or white vinegar will work
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce *regular soy sauce will make it a bit more salty
1/4 cup light brown sugar
5 tsp cornstarch *for thickening
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic, jarred/bottled * or 3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes *add more for more heat
1/2 tsp white pepper *black pepper will work

For Serving

Cooked rice of your choice *not included in nutritional calculations
chopped green onions

Instructions

In a small/medium bowl or glass measuring cup add all of the sauce ingredients (yes, add the cornstarch too). Mix it all together. Set aside.
*Cook your rice
In a zip top bag or bowl, add your cut up chicken pieces and 3/4 cup cornstarch. Toss the chicken in the cornstarch making sure all of the chicken is covered.
Over medium heat, add the oil to a large skillet or saucepan.
*You may need to add more or less oil depending on the size of your pan. See the blog post above to see how much oil is needed. You need just enough for the chicken to cook on one side at a time, then you will flip it. The chicken should not be submerged in oil.
Working in batches, cook/ fry the chicken peices until they are a bit golden brown on the outside and the internal temperature reaches 165℉. Do not overcrowd the pan while cooking.
After cooking the chicken, remove it from the pan and let it rest on some paper towels to soak up any excess oil. Cook all of the chicken and set it aside.
Wipe out and dispose of any excess oil in the skillet or pan you are using. (You can use a different one too). Set the heat to medium and add the sauce to the pan.
Whisk/stir the sauce until it is simmering and thickens. It should thicken pretty fast. Turn the heat to low once it has thickened.
*see below if the sauce doesn’t thicken.
**if you want the sauce thinner add a bit of warm water until it thins to your liking.
Add the cooked chicken pieces into the warm sauce. Gently stir the chicken into the sauce. Make sure all chicken is fully covered.
Serve over rice and top with sliced green onions (or whatever else you would like).

Notes

The amount of oil you need for cooking the chicken will vary depending on the size of the pan or skillet you are using to cook/fry the chicken. A small pan will use less oil and a larger pan will need a bit more since the oil is spread out on a larger surface.

Any type of oil that is good for frying will work.

I have a delicious Homemade Hoisin Sauce recipe. My recipe makes more sauce than is needed for this recipe, so you will have extra sauce.

Adjust the seasonings to your liking.

***If your sauce doesn’t thicken once the sauce starts to simmer, make a cornstarch slurry. Use equal parts COLD water and cornstarch. Slowly add this (a little at a time-whisking it in as you add it) into the warm, simmering sauce. Add more cornstarch slurry until it gets as thick as you would like it! See blog post above for more details.

Any type of cooked rice pairs perfectly with this dish.

You can also top this dish with sesame seeds, extra dried red pepper flakes or a little extra soy sauce.

Nutrition