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Home » Main Dish » Chicken » General Tso’s Chicken (slow cooker or stove top)

General Tso’s Chicken (slow cooker or stove top)

By Lauren Allen on February 15, 2016, Updated August 9, 2019

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Better than takeout General Tso’s Chicken  you can make in the slow cooker OR on the stove top. 

A white plate with white rice topped with General Tso's Chicken.Wow this week flew by. My identical twin sister and her baby boy are in town and we’ve been having a blast together.  It’s weird having people stare at us when we’re together (because of the twin thing)–it’s something I’m not used to anymore since we don’t live nearby anymore.

I do have to say that her little boy looks SO much like mine did at his age. I guess, genetically speaking, they are like half siblings since my sister and I have the same DNA. Crazy.

Last night we went to this fantastic Thai restaurant. I’m eager to share a homemade coconut soup recipes with you guys. Hopefully soon 🙂 If you have any other favorite ethnic food dishes I’d love to hear about them–comment below!

Chop sticks lifting a piece of General Tso's Chicken from a plate of the meal that is served over rice.

I really, REALLY love making “take-out” style recipes from home. This Kung Pao Chicken is one of my favorites, and so are these PF Chang’s lettuce wraps. I have lots of fun “copy cat” restaurant recipes you can view here.

A close up of a plate of chicken that has a general tso's sauce over it and is served over white rice.

This General Tso’s Chicken is fantastic–and I’ve left directions for you to make it on the stove or in the slow cooker. The sauce is spot on, and the chicken is pan fried with a delicious crispy coating. I always reserve adding crushed red pepper until the end, because I like to spoon out servings for my little kiddos to eat.

My kids LOVE this meal! Then I generously shake the crushed red pepper on top.

Serve with:

Fresh Steamed Broccoli

Hot cooked white, brown or fried rice

Consider trying these popular Asian inspired dishes:
  • Mongolian Beef
  • Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps
  • Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
  • Skinny Asian Chicken Stir-Fry with Honey Roasted Cashews
  • Kung Pao Chicken

You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes!

General Tso's Chicken (slow cooker or stove top) | Tastes Better From Scratch

Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken

Better than takeout General Tso's Chicken  you can make in the slow cooker OR on the stove top. 
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 556kcal
Author: Lauren Allen

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts diced into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 2 Tablespoons oil (vegetable or canola oil)

For the sauce:

  • 2/3 cup hoisin sauce
  • 6 Tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 6 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
  • 4 Tablespoons light brown sugar , packed
  • 4 teaspoons garlic , minced
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch (if making on the stove)

Instructions

For the STOVE TOP:

  • Add the sauce ingredients to a small saucepan and whisk well to combine. Set aside.
  • Add egg whites to a bowl and whisk well to combine. Add cornstarch, flour, and salt and pepper to a large ziplock bag and shake to combine. 
  • Add chicken pieces to the egg whites and stir to coat. Then add them to the ziplock bag and shake to coat them evenly in the cornstarch mixture. 
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 Tbsp of oil, and some of the chicken (it's best to cook the chicken in 2 or 3 batches, so it browns better). Cook the chicken 2-3 minutes on each side, until the coating is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Cook the next batch of chicken, (and more oil, if needed). 
  • Place the sauce over medium heat and allow it to simmer until slightly thickened and warmed through. 
  • Toss the chicken in the sauce just before serving. Serve over white or brown rice.
  • Garnish with chopped green onions.

For the SLOW COOKER:

  • Mix the sauce ingredients together and stir well. Set aside.
  • Add egg whites to a bowl and whisk well to combine. 
  • Add cornstarch, flour, and salt and pepper to a large ziplock bag and shake to combine. Add chicken pieces to the egg whites and stir to coat. 
  • Then Add them to the ziplock bag and shake to coat them evenly in the cornstarch mixture. 
  • Spray slow cooker with non stick cooking spray. Heat a large skillet over HIGH heat. Add 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and some of the chicken (it's best to cook the chicken in 2 or 3 batches, so it browns easily). 
  • Cook the chicken for only about 1 minute on each side, until the coating is golden brown. (You don't want to cook it all the way through! Transfer to slow cooker. Cook the next batch of chicken, (and more oil, if needed). 
  • Pour HALF of the sauce over the chicken in the crock pot and toss gently to coat. 
  • Cook on LOW for 3-4 hours. Stir in the remaining sauce.
  • Garnish with chopped green onions. Serve over warm white rice.

Notes

Sauce recipe adapted from Cooking Classy

Nutrition

Calories: 556kcal | Carbohydrates: 61g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 110mg | Sodium: 2480mg | Potassium: 809mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2.8mg
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RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

General Tso's Chicken recipe made using the slow cooker or on the stove top! Better than takeout!| Tastes Better From Scratch

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Chicken· Chinese· Copycat recipes· Kid-friendly· Main Dish
4 Comments

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Comments

  1. Lori Kepple says

    April 21, 2016 at 4:48 pm

    This looks so good and looks like plenty of sauce. I hate when you make a recipe like this and it’s got no sauce. I usually double the sauce because of it. I saw this recipe on FB but it looks very dry when done with no sauce for the rice. So I am not sure why it would look so much different. It is supposed to be the same recipe.
    Recipe adapted from Tastes Better From Scratch Get the written recipe here: http://po.st/8dht0T

    Reply
  2. Summer says

    April 30, 2016 at 1:52 pm

    This was delicious! Just like a restaurant.

    Reply
  3. Brittney Nielsen says

    March 5, 2018 at 10:30 am

    5 stars
    I made this recipe for my family and it was delicious but very time consuming! I chose to make the stovetop method and my chicken needed to cook way longer than 2-3 minutes per side. It was more like 10-15 minutes to get it to the nice golden brown I wanted. Was it worth the time it took to make it? I’d say it was but just be aware of what you’re getting yourself into.

    Reply
  4. Jacob Knudsen says

    January 16, 2019 at 6:02 pm

    5 stars
    I absolutely love this dish. My Mother never wanted to cook this because of the corn starch, but I went for it. It was delicious. I have this in my recipe book now, where it will stay.

    Reply

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Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos. Read More
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