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General Tso's chicken in the skillet with toasted sesame seeds sprinkled on top.
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5 from 1 vote

General Tso's Chicken Recipe

Our easy to make General Tso's Chicken with its sweet and spicy sauce can be on your dinner table in about 30 minutes. The best part is you control the ingredients and amount of heat in the sauce!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Asian-American, Chinese
Servings: 4
Calories: 774kcal
Author: Chef Dennis Littley

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (or boneless skinless chicken breasts)
  • ½ cup corn starch
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil for frying, plus more as needed. For added flavor substitute one tablespoon of sesame oil for one tablespoon of vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoon fresh ginger - finely minced or grated
  • 1 tablespoon fresh garlic - finely minced or grated
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes more or less to taste
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds -optional for garnish

General Tso's Sauce

  • ½ cup cold water
  • 5 tablespoon soy sauce regular, low sodium, or dark soy sauce
  • 3 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 ½ tablespoon hoisin sauce
  • 4 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

  • OPTIONAL: Toast sesame seeds and set aside until finished with the dish.

Chicken

  • Cut the boneless chicken thighs into 1-inch cubes.
    *You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts instead of the thighs.
  • Toss chicken in batches with cornstarch, tapping off the excess.
  • Set dredged chicken on a platter and set aside.
  • Add the cold water and cornstarch to a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside until needed.
  • Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, cornstarch mixture, and sugar to a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside until needed.
    *You will need to re-whisk the sauce before adding it to the pan, as the cornstarch will settle as it sits.
  • Preheat a non-stick skillet with a little oil.
  • Add the chicken to the pan and cook on both sides for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Add more vegetable oil if needed. There should be about one tablespoon of oil in the pan for each batch.
    *Depending on the size of your skillet, cook the chicken in 2 to 3 batches., Place the cooked chicken on a wire rack or plate lined with paper towels, to drain while you prepare the sauce.

General Tso's Sauce

  • Add the fresh chopped garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes to the pan. Sautee for about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
  • Add the sauce to the skillet and bring it to a simmer. Continue to stir as it simmers for 1-2 minutes. Taste the sauce and add additional soy sauce or rice vinegar if needed.
  • Add the cooked chicken pieces to the pan and toss to coat them in the sauce. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve with Jasmine or white rice.

Notes

Some Chinese restaurants add broccoli to the dish.  If desired, par-cook the broccoli until cooked but firm.  For this recipe, use about 2 cups of cooked broccoli florets.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 774kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 222mg | Sodium: 1537mg | Potassium: 551mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 252IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg