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This homemade General Tso's Chicken recipe is better than takeout, with crispy pan-fried chicken tossed in a sweet, savory general tso's sauce made with simple ingredients you already have on hand.
Better-Than-Delivery General Tso’s Chicken (Yes, Really!)
General Tso's Chicken is hands down one of my family's most-requested dinners, and once you try making it at home, you'll never want to order takeout again. This recipe isn't authentic (here is a more authentic recipe) but I love that the ingredients are simple ones I always have on hand and give you the same amazing flavor.
Tip for an even faster dinner: Make the General Tso's sauce ahead of time. You can also coat the chicken in egg and cornstarch a few hours ahead (store in fridge) so everything is ready to cook.
Try more of my Chinese-inspired favorites, like Kung Pao Chicken, Lettuce Wraps, Black Pepper Chicken, Mongolian Beef, and Chow Mein!
How to make General Tso Chicken:
Make Sauce: In a small mixing bowl, whisk all the sauce ingredients then set aside. If you like a more mild flavor, reduce the amount of red pepper flakes or omit them.
Coat Chicken: Combine cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper in a large ziplock bag. Close it and shake to combine. In a large bowl, whisk egg whites. Dip chicken in the egg whites then let them drip off and drop it into the ziplock bag. Shake until all the chicken is coated.
Fry: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat then pour in half a cup of oil. Once the oil is hot, fry the chicken in batches (don't crowd it!). Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until it is golden brown and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
Combine: Pour sauce into the same pan and simmer until it's heated and thickened. Toss the chicken in the sauce just before serving. Serve with white or brown rice or Kimchi Fried Rice and garnish with green onions and/or sesame seeds. Enjoy immediately!
General Tso’s Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, , cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup oil, (vegetable or canola oil)
- hot cooked white rice, , for serving
General Tso's Sauce:
- 2/3 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/3 cup rice vinegar
- 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, , packed
- 3 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger, , or 1 Tablespoon fresh minced ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more, to taste
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Make General Tso's Sauce: Add the sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk well to combine. Set aside.2/3 cup hoisin sauce, ⅓ cup rice vinegar, ⅓ cup low-sodium soy sauce, ¼ cup light brown sugar, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- Make breading: Add cornstarch, flour, and salt and pepper to a large ziplock bag and shake to combine. Whisk egg whites in a separate bowl.½ cup cornstarch, ½ cup all-purpose flour, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 2 large egg whites
- Coat chicken: Add chicken pieces to the egg whites and toss to coat. Spoon coated chicken pieces into the ziplock bag, allowing excess egg to drip back into the bowl. Shake the bag to coat chicken evenly in the cornstarch mixture.1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Cook chicken: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. Once oil is hot, add 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. Remove to a plate. Repeat until all of the chicken has cooked, and set aside on a plate.½ cup oil
- Add sauce: Add the sauce to the pan and simmer until warm and thickened. Toss the chicken in the sauce just before serving.
- Serve with hot cooked white or brown rice. Garnish with chopped green onions.hot cooked white rice
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe February 2016. Updated August 2020, October 2023 and May 2026.
I’m allergic to soy. I can substitute Coconut Aminos for the soy sauce. What can I substitute for the Hoisin sauce?
If you need it soy-free, I’d use a soy-free hoisin if you can find one. Otherwise, a quick mix of coconut aminos + peanut butter or tahini + a little honey/brown sugar + rice vinegar works well in its place.
This recipe is delicious! There’s never any leftovers and I double this recipe. I do make a couple changes now to make it healthier. I use half white/half wheat flour, use coconut amino in place of soy, and cut the sugar back to a tbsp or two. Definitely in our rotation.
My girlfriend didn’t believe me that I made this and it did take like 2 hours for me to prep and cook it all. A shortcut honestly is used the minced garlic in a jar. Use instant rice instead of boiling it, buy the chicken already chopped at the store, and you can fill the pan up when frying the chicken instead of a few pieces at a time just have a few millimeters of space between each piece.
Came out amazing, the flavor is better than ANY restaurant I’ve tried in Colorado Springs
The chicken is a lot of work, but worth it. I added broccoli slaw because it needs to get used.
10 out of 10. Will make this again, it was so good. Chicken was tender (I used the slow cooker version).
This was just ok. The chicken itself turned out really good (I followed the air fryer steps), but the sauce just wasn’t it. It tasted kind of like General Tso’s, but there was definitely something off about it.
Super easy meal to prepare, but it was extremely salty. Next time, I will use half the hoisin sauce and add some brown sugar to cut the salty acidity.
5 Stars ***** This is really good and easy to make. My husband had 2nd helpings. Thank you for the shopping list. It really helps with saving money and time.
This was SO flavorful. All 3 of my kids ate it, which rarely ever happens. I will definitely be making this again.
I liked the flavor, but thought the sauce was too thick and the chicken had a strange texture….maybe it was the cornstarch? I used the recipe prior to the revamp in 2/2024, so I’m willing to try it again.