General Tso’s Chicken

This homemade General Tso’s Chicken recipe combines crispy boneless skinless chicken thigh pieces and the most flavorful sticky sauce! It is easy to make and so much better than anything you’ll find in a restaurant. The sauce is packed full of flavor and only takes a few ingredients to come together. Serve over rice with your favorite vegetable for a fantastic simple stove top dinner your family will love!

And if you love quick and easy chicken stir fry recipes, be sure to try my Moo Goo Gai Pan, Cashew Chicken, Hunan Chicken, or Beef and Broccoli.

What is General Tso’s Chicken?

If you’ve ever ordered Orange Chicken at a Chinese restaurant, this is basically the Westernized version. And, like with all recipes, I put my own spin on it.

If the pictures lured you in, allow me to explain how it tastes. Each bite of chicken has a wonderful crispy texture. This is accomplished by coating bite sized pieces of boneless skinless chicken thighs in cornstarch and frying, so no random bites of chicken skin!

Then, a simple sweet and sticky sauce is added to the hot pan and instantly thickens. Each bite of chicken is then smothered in the sauce. Perfection! My other favorite recipe that uses chicken thighs and a sticky sauce is my Oven Baked Chicken with Apricot Sauce.

Why this recipe is so great:

• Better than a restaurant! It tastes just as good, if not better, than what you’d get in a restaurant, but since it’s homemade, you have complete control over the quality of the ingredients.
• Quick and easy – This Chinese inspired chicken dinner really only takes minutes to prepare and cook, so it makes a wonderful option for a buys weekday family dinner.
• It just tastes so good. This is honestly my family’s favorite dinner right now and there are never any leftovers!

Ingredients needed to make this recipe:

There are essentially two main components to this recipe: the chicken and the General Tso sauce.

To cook the chicken:

• Chicken thighs – I use boneless skinless thighs and remove any bit of fat (personal preference) as I cut them into bite sized pieces
• Cornstarch – you’ll need enough to fully coat each piece of chicken
• Oil – I use avocado oil but any oil that can tolerate high heat will work

For the General Tso Sauce:

• Rice vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Sugar – you can decrease or increase the amount listed in the recipe, but I found this added just the right amount of sweetness
• Hoisin sauce
• Cornstarch – a small amount is needed to thicken
• Garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes
• Water – this is needed to thin the sauce a bit prior to heating

How to make General Tso’s Chicken:

Full ingredient list and detailed step by step instructions are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.

1. Prepare the chicken: Remove any unwanted bits and slice into bite sized pieces
2. Coat in cornstarch: Use a bag or a large dish to fully coat each chicken piece
3. Cook chicken: Flip only once and your goal is to get each piece golden brown
4. Heat the sauce: Remove the chicken from the pan along with any excess oil and add the sauce ingredients
5. Coat the chicken: Put the cooked chicken pieces back in the pan with the sauce and stir to coat each piece
6. Garnish: I love serving General Tso’s Chicken with some sliced green onions and sesame seeds

Cooking tips for best results:

• Do not over crowd: The amount of chicken I made barely fit in the pan. You want to ensure that each piece of chicken is touching the bottom of the pan in order for it to brown properly.
• Double the recipe: This recipe is good for a hungry family of four, but can easily be doubled. Just double or triple the recipe, cook the chicken in batches, and once it’s all done you can toss it in the sauce.
• Leftovers and reheating: Doubtful you’ll have any leftovers, but if you do, store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave at 50% power in one minute increments, stirring after each minute, until heated through.