General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
General Tso’s Chicken is saucy, juicy and crispy. The signature sauce is thick and loaded with flavor. If you are a die-hard orange chicken fan, you must try this dish! Make it all in one dish in the comfort of your home for a sweet and spicy treat!
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Hi there! My name is Natalya and I run the blog Momsdish. If you already follow me, you know I can’t get enough of easy meals that require simple ingredients. My family loves ordering in Chinese takeout, but lately, I’ve been having a blast recreating my favorite dishes at home.
Not only is homemade “takeout” healthier, but you’ll save money. That’s a win-win in my book. Let’s get started!
General Tso’s Chicken
General Tso’s Chicken is a Chinese-American dish of fried chicken pieces that are breaded and tossed in a tangy sauce. This dish is very similar in style to sesame or orange chicken. But, like in much of Chinese food, it’s the sauce that makes each dish unique.
Typically, General Tso’s Chicken is served with a bed of steamed rice and a side of steamed broccoli. If you want to make a full spread of takeout favorites, try your hand at making some chow mein too. Don’t forget the chopsticks!
How to Make General Tso’s Sauce:
The sauce for General Tso’s chicken is so simple to make with pantry staple ingredients: rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, water, sugar, and some corn starch to thicken the sauce. Simply add the ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.
How to Prepare General Tso’s Chicken
Don’t be intimidated about making your own General Tso’s Chicken! It’s so easy, you’ll never call it in again. Follow these easy steps to nail it every time:
- Cut chicken into 1-inch size cubes. Toss the chicken with corn starch.
- Cook your chicken until all sides are golden brown.
- Remove the chicken from the pan.
- Saute garlic, ginger and pepper flakes in the pan.
- Add the sauce and bring to a simmer then add chicken.
- Toss the chicken, making sure to evenly coat each piece. Serve hot to hungry people!
Tips for the Best Tso’s Chicken
- Prepare ingredients ahead of time. This recipe will have you moving fast. Prep all your ingredients ahead of time so you can add them on the fly.
- Adjust the Spice. Add more or less red pepper flakes according to your spice preference.
- Use Fresh Ginger and Garlic. It might be tempting to use the powdered stuff, but great Chinese food is defined by the freshest ingredients.
- Opt for Low Sodium Soy Sauce. I always purchase low-sodium soy sauce just in case I want to tweak the salt levels before serving. It’s just perfect for this recipe, as it also calls for hoisin, a salty, and garlicky sauce used frequently in Chinese cooking.
- Chicken Thighs Bring the Most Flavor. Chicken thighs make for the juiciest pan-fried chicken. I find chicken breast tends to be too dry for this recipe.
- Don’t Overcrowd the Pan. Cook chicken in small amounts or use a very large pan. Be sure to give the chicken a good stir here and there to prevent it from sticking.
- Use a non-stick pan. The coating can be a bit delicate, so use a non-stick to ensure it stays intact.
- Hot Tip: Serve and enjoy General Tso’s Chicken immediately. The sauce tends to absorb into the crispy outer layer, leaving it a bit soggy if it sits around too long.
More Asian-Inspired Dishes:
- Beef Stir Fry: This simple stir fry is perfect for a hectic weeknight with a sneakily high serving of veggies.
- Chicken Stir Fry – easy, saucy and loaded with veggies and cashews
- Chicken Fried Rice – a genius way to use up leftover rice and frozen vegetables
- Yakisoba Noodles: This quick-and-easy noodle dish is always on my rotation.
- Lo Mein: Your vegetarian friends will love you. These noodles are great hot or cold.
General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
General Tso’s Chicken is a Chinese takeout go-to. Make it all in one dish in the comfort of your home for a sweet and spicy treat!
Ingredients
- 2 lb chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1/4 cup oil, for frying
- 2 tbsp minced ginger
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp sesame seeds, optional for garnish
Sauce
- 6 tbsp rice vinegar
- 6 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
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Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Toss each piece with cornstarch. Set aside.
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In a separate dish, combine all the ingredients for your sauce together.
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Preheat a non-stick skillet with oil. Cook each chicken piece until all the sides are golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan. Leave about 1 tbsp of oil in the pan for cooking.
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Add the garlic, ginger and pepper flakes. Sautee for about 30 seconds.
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Add the sauce to the skillet and bring it to a simmer then add the chicken and toss to coat. Serve right away!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Natalya Drozhzhin
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I love most of your recipes, but this does not hit home as far a General Tso chicken goes. It’s supposed to be a spicy dish and this way too sweet. Red pepper flakes do not belong on the chicken side of the recipe (or at all), dried chinese hot peppers belong in the sauce part to make the dish spicy. This recipe totally misses the mark as far as this dish goes. I judge all chinese restaurants on their General Tso. Haven’t found many that pleases me.
hank you for the feedback, Ray. I’m sorry you did not enjoy this recipe.
Too much rice vinegar it came out sour must be tsp not tbsp! It also needed more liquid, or just slightly less corn starch? Too brown not orangy and sweet. Would have liked maybe several tbsp chicken broth?
Hi Susan, make sure to bring the sauce to a simmer before taking it off the heat. Also with vinegar, the longer you simmer, the more it mellows out so you could simmer a little longer. Lastly, make sure not to substitute with other ingredients for the sauce – I’m not sure if it applies, but I always recommend making a recipe as written before altering.
I cooked a lot of Natasha’s recepies and never complained but this one I didn’t like. Followed step by step and it came out way too sauer. Had no General TSO’s flavor at all.
HI Natalia, did you change any of the ingredients and cook for the required amounts of time, particularly the sauce cook time? Also make sure to use rice vinegar and not a substitute which can be stronger and alter the flavor.
Great dish, but compared to your picture, my dish was much darker in color. What do you think made it so dark?
Did you use a different kind of soy sauce? Possibly a dark soy sauce?
Family dinner winner! Used slightly less sugar, I’ll cut sugar in half next time. And there will definitely be a next time! Sweet, tangy and sticky good sauce that’s restaurant comparable for sure.
Sounds good, feel free to make some minor changes with the sugar level. Thank you for the awesome feedback!
Thanks for cutting the sugar. I have to watch how much I take in and I am glad that it does turn out great with less.
I Love all yr cooking but this dish has way too much sugar 6 tablespoons I’ll make again with only 1 Its way too sweet
Not a beginner recipe, haven’t even eaten it yet and I know it’s not going to be right. coating is completely off the chicken as I obviously did not cook it right since there were no directions on how to prevent this 🙁
Hi Kari! I’m happy to help troubleshoot. You may try patting dry the chicken with a paper towel to remove excess moisture so that the cornstarch coating sticks well. Also, be sure to use a good quality non-stick skillet so it doesn’t stick, and allow your skillet with oil to fully preheat before placing the chicken. Allow the chicken to cook and get golden, only turn them as needed, if you handle them too much, the coating tends to fall off. I hope that helps.
Waaaay too much vinegar. It’s almost all I could taste. Used leg meat as indicated since it can’t overcook like breast. In my opinion cut the vinegar in half or even third and the rest is fine (it does make a lot of sauce). I used a wok to make it so I could use less oil to make the chicken.
Hi Jonathan. I’m sorry to hear that. Make sure it’s not wine vinegar, we used Rice vinegar. Also, it’s very important to let the sauce come to a simmer. You can even cook it slightly longer if you prefer a more toned-down vinegar flavor but using less vinegar should help as well.
I swear this recipe used to be different and better…anyway, the comment’s are right, it’s too much rice vinegar. Also, too much sauce in general.
It’s too much vinegar indeed but the extra sauce is good for leftover to put on rice or just with another batch of chicken ( you don’t need to make the sauce again so it saves time)
Family favorite! I do add a little more heat with some Sriracha sauce and top it with some sliced green onion. And of course, some egg fried rice to go.
Sounds great! Thanks for the comments and feedback, glad to know that this is one of your favorite recipes at home!
OMG so enjoyed this recipe!!! Actually had ordered Chinese food from our favourite restaurant. Had lots of rice and noodles left over so wanted to make a chicken dish to pair up. We order General Tso chicken from Mandarin, but to tell you the truth the taste is great but the quality of chicken meat is garbage. We prefer breast meat. I saw this recipe, used breast meat and prepared and was soooo good! Sauce was great and every bit as tasty as the Mandarin and just loved that the meat was all white breast meat. Will definitely prepare again and will make our own home Chinese food as done ordering expensive rice and noodles.
Hello Donna, thanks for sharing your experience making this recipe. So happy to hear that you enjoyed it!
Love all of your recipes! I’d like to try this but I can’t use store bought hoison sauce because my husband can’t have moden wheat. Any homemade hoision sauce recipe suggestions?
Hi Crystal! I do not have a recipe for homemade hoisin sauce! You may be able to find a gluten-free version of hoison sauce at the store. Most likely at a whole foods store if not your local grocery store. Another possible alternative could be Tamari sauce..
It’s was a bit heavy with vinegar flavor added some sweet Thai chili sauce to help balance it out. Next time we will use less vinegar and add big chunks of onion and green bell pepper
I use Mr Yoshida’s sweet teraki mainade & cooking sauce, simmer, then add mixed 1/4 cup water and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Add to simmering sauce and mix while boiling for 2 minutes.
Thanks for sharing, Lawrence! 🙂
Are there appropriate substitutions for the corn starch and soy sauce? Member of my household has extreme allergies to corn and soy.
Hi Joni! I think you could use flour instead of cornstarch and liquid or coconut aminos in place of soy.
Followed the recipe exactly, and it just wasn’t that good. I have used other General Tao recipes in the past that were more taste. It was overly thick with too much cornstarch and very strong.
This is my grandsons favorite dish. I made it today and we both loved it. We like spicy so I increased the amount of red pepper flakes. It was awesome. So quick and easy to make. We will probably have this again very soon.
That’s wonderful! Thank you for the review. I’m so glad it was enjoyed.
Awesome This was so easy to prepare and it taste much better than any carry out. This will be my go to recipe
I’m so glad you loved it! Thanks for the good feedback.
I made this dish today along with Lo mein, it was delicious. I only used two tables spoons of reg vinegar as it was all that I had in my pantry. i gave 4 stars because it was great!, I suggest tasting your sauce along the way and adjust the ingredients to taste. I mean we all know what it suppose to taste like. To see the pictures of my dish @monikastable on instagram
Why didn’t I read the comments before making this.? Way too sour and YES I used rice wine vinegar. Shame!
I don’t recall seeing anyone else say it was too sour – I wonder if maybe you used a different product? Here is the rice vinegar (affiliate link) that works well for this recipe. Make sure it’s not a wine vinegar and also it’s very important to make sure the sauce comes to a simmer. You can even cook it slightly longer if you prefer a more toned down vinegar flavor.
Followed the recipe exactly and if I could give zero stars I would. Six tablespoons of rice vinegar is TOO MUCH. All you can taste is an overpowering vinegar, sour taste. Two tablespoons would have been more than enough. I was trying to find a recipe like takeout and this one doesn’t come even close to that. I threw the leftovers out.
HI Sharon, I don’t recall seeing anyone else say it was too sour – I wonder if maybe you used a different product? Here is the rice vinegar (affiliate link) that works well for this recipe. Make sure it’s not a wine vinegar and also it’s very important to make sure the sauce comes to a simmer. You can even cook it slightly longer if you prefer a more toned down vinegar flavor.
Delicious! Added peanuts and cooked the white part of green onions with the ginger/garlic. Makes a lot of sauce but better too much than not enough!
Hi Jennifer! That’s great. So glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Too sweet. Had to counter with salt and hot sauce just to make it edible. Wasn’t bad after that, but wouldn’t make again personally.
Way to much vinegar im my opinion. Nobody ate it. Suggestion would be to add 1 tabs instead of 6.
Hi Chrissey! Yes, you can decrease the vinegar and that will help. Did you by chance use another type of vinegar and not rice vinegar? If so, this could have been the reason as well. One of my other readers used white vinegar but reduced it to 3tbsp and had good results.
It’s very good. I think it’s important to taste the sauce first just to make it fit your own preferences. Just because this recipe might not be perfect for everyone it’s meant to be played around with to make it suit everyone’s needs.
Thank you for the excellent feedback. I’m glad you enjoyed this recipe.
We have homemade General Tso quite often. This was my least favorite recipe we’ve had. Vinegar was the overpowering flavor.
I’m sorry, but I don’t recommend it
This is better than takeout and took only 30 minutes! This recipe is practically impossible to mess up. I used all the ingredients listed but eyeballed measurements and it turned out amazing. I took the chicken out after browning and sautéed red peppers before adding the aromatics & sauce and added the chicken at the end to thicken the sauce up. Thanks for sharing Natasha!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Maggie!
Sauce is overly sweet and thick, needs some vegetables, onions/peppers. I thinned the sauce with additional water.
Agree, the sauce tasted like sweet and sour, wasn’t expecting this. And I think it’s too much sauce for that chicken amount. I followed the recipe carefully, chicken by itself tasted okay, I even used the highest quality of chicken breast, but not the sauce. I wish I would taste the sauce before putting chicken into it.
Made this last night for my family of 4 in my new wok on the grill and it was gone in 10 minutes. They begged me to make a double batch next time! This is going into the rotation, for sure and can’t wait to try the Yakisoba recipe.
I can relate, no leftovers with this recipe. So glad your family enjoyed it! 🙂
if you add a tiny tiny of orange marmalade you will have orange chicken but only a little bit because the orange is sweet and will overpower the chicken love your recipes
trish
Thank you, Trish. 🙂
I made this today to try out my new Wok. Amazing! I couldn’t believe this came out of my kitchen! I think next time I will add Sriracha to the sauce to give it more heat!
That is great! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. So much better than take-out!
I made this last night and it was a huge hit!! There was nothing left! My 17 year old son devoured the majority of it!
That’s awesome! I’m so happy to hear that everyone loved this recipe.
My husband’s favorite Chinese meal when we order take out. I made it for him tonight and he loved it! He doesn’t like ginger, but he couldn’t tell it was in the dish!
It’s a “keeper” recipe!
Wonderful! I’m glad you found a keeper recipe. We love this one too.
Can you use the same recipe but use shrimp instead of chicken?
Hi Leslie, that sounds creative and delicious! I have not tried a shrimp substitute for this recipe, however. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Why so much sodium? a way to cut sodium? Sounds so easy though. Will cut receipe for 2 people Thank you
Hi Susie, you can substitute the soy sauce for low sodium soy sauce to help reduce some of the sodium in this recipe.
For us, the sauce was way too sweet. Was excited to try but disappointed.
Hello , my question is can I use chicken breast instead of thighs ? I really want to try your recipe , it looks so delicious . I am a fan of general tos ! Thank you !
Hi Donna, yes, this will work with chicken breast.
Wasn’t overly crazy about the sauce. Too much sodium and sugar.
I cheated and used frozen grocery store popcorn chicken that I baked and added to the sauce. This is an excellent quick dinner.
Hello Allison, that should be alright! Good to know that you loved it!
I’m a huge fan of General Tso’s Chicken. It used to be the number one dish I would order out. There was only one change I did to the recipe, and it was because I didn’t have the sugar, I used brown sugar instead. Tell you what, this was a super easy recipe and hands down the best tasting General Chicken I’ve had in my life! Bravo and thank you for posting this recipe!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Nick! It sounds like you found a favorite!
I loved this recipe – as I love all your recipes and you! My husband not so much as he said it was too gloopy…..not sure if that is a word lol. The sauce was too thick in his opinion. My pan was still pretty hot from frying the chicken and it boiled the sauce very quickly (pretty much instantly). I used a wok. Could that be the issue or should I possibly decrease the cornstarch by half to get a more brothy sauce to appease the spouse?
Hi Sabrina! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! It could be a mixture of the two. The cornstarch thickens the sauce but cooking it down will reduce it more. You can try less of one or the other to get your desired consistency.
Hi Sabrina, thanks for sharing and I’m glad you liked the recipe. I think you can try decreasing the cornstarch and see how it goes. Please share with us if you give that a try!
I made this for lunch and it was a hit. My mother thought it was a Chinese take-out food.
I don’t have rice vinegar in my pantry so I used a mix of Mirin + White Vinegar, the result is amaaaaazziiing!!! 🔥
Lovely to hear that, Deyb! Thanks so much for sharing that with us.
Outstanding dish, better than I’ve ever eaten in a restaurant! Will definitely make again. Thanks Natasha!
Thank you for your good comments and feedback, Barry!
Loved this recipe!! So good for a quick dinner. Just a beginner cook and love your page! Thank you Natasha
Great to hear that you’re enjoying my recipes, Lauren. Thank you for your good comments and feedback!
The recipe is great. One comment/question – What was the acidity of rice vinegar that you used in your dish? The one I have had at home 9%. Therefore, I got very sour/acid sauce. Please advise. Thanks.
Hi Zenovy, I linked to the one we used in the post. I hope that helps
Thank you for this recipe. Its been a number of years since I had General Tso chicken. I followed your recipe and your version is even better. Five stars 🙂
I’m so glad you discovered my recipe, Anthony! Thank you for sharing your excellent review with me!
Can you marinade in sauce before coating in corn starch? I want to make sure the chicken is tender as I am using chicken breast.
Hi Alan, I haven’t done that, and it turns out tender. If you are happy to try that out, I hope you love it!
Velveting chicken the before coating. Simple mix your chunks of breast meat in tbsp baking soda (bi-carb) til it is covered well. Let it rest for 20 minutes. Rinse in colander then continue with recipe. I usually pat dry before throwing into a wok dish yet slightly wet would be good for coating in cornstarch (which will tenderize it more). Natasha…thank you for this 5 star recipe!
I usually use sesame oil to put my chicken in as I cut it up. Let it soak in it for a while. I use the same oil to fry in. Sesame oil comes in heat also.
This looks delicious! What’s the serving size for this? Does the nutrition page include rice or just the chicken itself?
The serving size and nutritional info is always at the bottom of the recipe card. Enjoy!
Can you make this without deep frying the chicken? Thank you
That will work too but this is the process that we love.
I made this last night, with only one modification….1/2 tsp red pepper flakes instead of 1 full tsp. It was AMAZING!!! The flavor is just huge. It took me a bit longer to make because I took the time to cut off all the fat,etc from the boneless chicken thights, but well worth that extra time. Wow! Just a 10 star WOW recipe!!!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Linda! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
Why can’t I ever print your recipes. In the Ben’s toss chicken-are they boneless thigns??
Hi Ann, yes, we used boneless thighs. The print-friendly recipe is at the bottom of each post. Once you scroll there, click on the print icon in that recipe card, which will open a print screen, then you would need to click file —> print. I hope that helps! If not, please let me know exactly what steps you are taking and where you are navigating to print our recipes.
I only have the powder Ginger? Has anyone ever used it?
Hi Andi, I haven’t tested that yet. Fresh would be good but if you only have butter, I think that would work too. If you do an experiment, please share with u how it goes.
What can I use instead of hoisin sauce
Hi Abishag, I haven’t tried a substitution, but garlic teriyaki may work here per research online.
Can I use white vinegar
Hi Abishag, we prefer it with rice vinegar, but here is what one of our readers wrote: “I made this tonight, and it was fabulous. I didn’t have rice vinegar, so I used white vinegar and decreased it to 3 TB. Also didn’t have fresh ginger, so I used ground. This is a great recipe!” I hope that helps.
I really liked this recipe, except I dread making it because when frying the chicken, the oil starts to explode like geysers! Please help, I’ve tried several times and it just makes a huge mess of my kitchen!
Hi Elena, I highly recommend making sure your heat is not too high but also using a splatter guard has been my go-to for this. YOu can find my favorite one in our Amazon Affiliate Shop HERE.
Is this served over rice or just by its self?
Hi David, we enjoy it over rice but it can be enjoyed with other sides also.
could you please add a jump to recipe button to save us time? Thank you in advance! I love your recipes and if I want to save them I don’t want to have to wade through a bunch of stuff
Hi Lorie, we have it on each recipe link towards the top right. It’s a red button. I hope that’s helpful!
My husband liked the dish, only criticism was that it had too much ginger, so I will add only a 1 teaspoon next time and then it will be perfect for our taste.
Sounds like a good plan! Feel free to adjust it according to your personal preference. Thanks for your good review!
Hi there! Is there anything I can substitute for Hoisin sauce?
Hi Brooklyn, I haven’t tried a substitution but garlic teriyaki may work here per research online.
I love to cook and this is the best Asian chicken recipe I’ve ever made ! I followed the recipe exactly and wouldn’t change a thing. The chicken was crisp and juicy and the sauce is simply amazing. It even looked as pretty as your photos!!
Awesome! I’m so happy to know that you loved the recipe, thanks for giving it a try and for sharing your great feedback with us.
Hi Natasha!
I made this tonight and it was amazing. It even looked as pretty as your photo which recipes rarely do 😉 I love to cook so for me to think a recipe is perfect without any tweaking is a statement. Best Asian chicken recipe I’ve ever made. I will never order it in a restaurant again !!
Hi Laura, that sounds perfect! I’m happy to know that the results were great, thank you so much for sharing that with us!
This was the best Asian type chicken I’ve ever made! It actually even looked like the photos. The chicken was crisp and the sauce was amazing! I love to cook so for me to not want to change any part of a recipe is saying something 😉 follow this exactly and you will love it.
Love it! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us, we appreciate it.
Hi Natasha,
I made the General Tso’s Chicken Recipe tonight for the family who loved it. The star ratings I give is from the family.
Cheers.
Henry
I mad it with chicken tenders and was great.
Was curious how the chicken in the pictures turned out with such a red color? Mine was brown and didn’t think there was enough chili in the recipe to make it that red.
Hi Nate, the color is mostly form the hoisin sauce and it should be more brown than red.
Love it! Thanks to you and your family for the wonderful review!
Hello!
I was wondering if i could make this with chicken breasts instead of thighs? Thank you!
Hi Tiana, yes, this will work with chicken breast.
Thank you for posting this fine blueprint for General Tso’s. I was not aware how simple it is to prepare and assemble. Also, this can be done with tofu as a substitute for chicken if you omit the cornstarch. Just be sure your oil is hot before you fry the tofu.
Thanks for your comments and feedback, Joel. Tofu sounds like a good idea too, thank you for the tip!
I made this tonight and it was fabulous. I didn’t have rice vinegar so I used white vinegar and decreased it to 3 TB. Also didn’t have fresh ginger so used ground. This is a great recipe!
Hi Cecile, I’m glad that worked well! Thank you for your good feedback and for sharing that with us.
Do you use light or dark soy sauce.
Hi Troy, we used a dark soy sauce.
Wow, this is so good and so quick and easy to make! My husband prefers white meat so I used1 lb thighs and 1 lb breasts. He couldn’t stop saying how delicious it was! Love every recipe I have tried from you!
Thank you for your good comments and feedback, Michelle!
Wow, I just realized that I used Worcester sauce instead of the hoisin sauce. Makes sense why it was a bit sour. Still 6/10 with the wrong ingredient. Great recipe. Also would it hurt the recipe if I had to use more cornstarch then the 1/2 cup to coat the chicken?
I’m glad you still liked it! I haven’t tried that yet to advise but feel free to experiment and please share with us how it goes.
Natasha,
I just wanted to tell you that I love your wonderful corky personality. You make cooking easy and fun. I am not one to like cooking but with you I find myself wanting to try new recipes. Your recipes are user friendly and easy to follow. If someone ever feels overwhelmed then your easy to follow videos will bring anyone bake on track.
You’re a blast of fresh air. I am so happy I found your blog.
I’m so happy to hear you are enjoying my blog! Thank you for sharing that with us 🙂
can this be made in an air fryer?
Hi Kate, I haven’t tested this in an Air Fryer to advise. If you happen to experiment, I would love to know how you like it. `
OMG this recipe is amazing so yummy!!! Not to mention super easy and quick!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Made this twice already – thank you for this simple-to-follow and very tasty recipe. Enjoyed this so much with hubby! Leftover is packed for his lunch to work.
Hi Maria, I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Delicious and packed full of flavor and did I mention simple to make.
Thank you for your great comments, Janet!
Honestly, I’ve tried a lot of your recipes and each one I’ve tried comes out amazing ! thank you 🙂
Yay, awesome! I’m very happy to hear that, Nancy.
This recipe looks amazing and sounds so easy to make! Can I make half the recipe? Or does it freeze well? Just the two of us ! Thank you !
Hi Bonnie! Yes, you can halve this recipe! I haven’t tried freezing it – I worry it will get soggy. But if you happen to test that I would love to know how it goes!
I tried this recipe tonight, really good! Also, to the sauce mixture, I added a little honey.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
im obsessed with your page, I have made a few recipes and all turned out amazing except one which was my own fault LOL but I can’t wait to try this tonight!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying our blog, Loralee!
We had this tonight and everyone loved it. All your recipes are so good.
So great to hear that, Carol. Thank you for your wonderful feedback!
Made your orange ck and it was amazing, can’t wait to make the general tso ck. Tysvm for the recipes
You are very welcome, Rosey. I hope you will love all the recipes that you will try!
Better then take out!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I really enjoy your page and I am planning to try this recipe to. What I do not like in Asian recipes is a sugar. 6 tsp of sugar is not too much for this recipe?
Hi Eva, I haven’t tried a substitution but here is what one of my readers wrote: “”We made this last night and it was delicious. I did substitute the sugar for Monk Fruit to try to cut down on my sugar intake and it came out fine. My hubby made the sauce while I did the food prep. It was amazingly fast and true restaurant quality.””
First I will preface this with: I am not a cook! In fact, I don’t really enjoy cooking. But for a variety of reasons I’m trying to learn to enjoy it. Well, I made your General Tso’s Chicken tonight, with jasmine rice and a bit of chopped broccoli. It was just delicious! And everything was cooked perfectly! Thanks for making this so easy & fearless, Natasha!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review! I’m glad you gave this recipe a try! I hope you try more of our recipes!
Made this yesterday, kept half the cooked chicken on one side and half the sauce on one side, tasted really good. Tonight I reheated the chicken in the microwave and proved to ensure it was up to temperature, the I fried the chicken to crisp up in some sesame oil, let the remaining sauce down with a little water and reheated in a pan, combined both and it was amazing. Thank you x
You’re welcome, James. I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe.
Can you substitute apple cider vinegar for the rice vinegar?? Or will that ruin the flavor
Hi Gretchen, I haven’t tried it with that substitutions to advise. The rice vinegar helps with the more authentic flavor. If you happen to experiment, I would love to know how it goes.
6 tbsp of vinegar was overbearing using apple cider vinegar. Would recommend going less.
This as all your receipts I have tried is off the chart! The only complaint is that I tasted a lot of the cornstarch. I don’t know why. I followed to a tee. The only difference I did is I sautéed onions an mushrooms. I did the chicken, pulled that out, sautéed the mushrooms an onions, pulled that out, the sautéed the garlic an spices, added the sauce. Simmered and thickened, then added the onions an mushrooms and chicken. It was very flavor rich except the cornstarch taste.
Thank you for your comments and feedback, Cheryl. The cornstarch is the ingredient that thickens the sauce so be sure to use the amount directed. Also, let the sauce simmer then add the chicken. The heat is what causes the sauce to thicken up.
Hi Natasha
How do you make sure the chicken is crispy? Mine wasn’t that crispy but it tasted amazing!
Hi Amina, it may just have needed a little higher heat.
My hubby loves General Tso’s…when I made this, he couldn’t rave enough about it. Since the pandemic, we haven’t gone out to eat, so we both had a craving for Chinese. I’ve made other Chinese recipes, but not this one yet…ALL I CAN SAY IS IT’S EXCELLENT! Thanks for such a good recipe!
Awesome! Thank you so much for your great comments and feedback, Dar.
General Tso chicken was wonderful. It will be made frequently. Yummy!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sonya! Thank you for the wonderful review!
We made this last night and it was delicious. I did substitute the sugar for Monk Fruit to try to cut down on my sugar intake and it came out fine. My hubby made the sauce while I did the food prep. It was amazingly fast and true restaurant quality.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Cathy! Thank you for your wonderful review.
I made it twice & it’s definitely my son’s favorite.
Wonderful! Thank you for your perfect rating and review, Martha.
I absolutely loved this recipe! Delicious! I made a mistake by adding more corn starch to sauce because I thought it was too thin, but I just didn’t give it enough time to thicken. I will definitely make again and follow recipe to a T. I served it over steamed broccoli & rice. This is a keeper!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I made this for the first time tonight and was dismayed that my sauce was so runny. We followed the recipe completely, prepped everything ahead of time like always, and the sauce was too thin to coat properly. Not sure what happened, I measured everything per the recipe. It was tasty, but not a nice thick coating. How should I adjust in the future?
Hi Erika, the cornstarch is the ingredient that thickens the sauce so be sure to use the amount directed. Also, let the sauce simmer then add the chicken. The heat is what causes the sauce to thicken up.
Perhaps then the recipe should be adjusted to mention to simmer the sauce to get it to thicken, as it states that after sautéing the garlic, ginger and pepper flakes for 30 seconds, add the sauce and chicken and toss to coat, and then to serve right away. Had the recipe said to let it simmer I would have done so. Thanks for getting back to me though!
Big hit and my husband is picky very easy to make
I’m so glad he enjoyed it! That’s so great!
Sesame seeds?
Hi Lydia, I’m sorry we missed that. I added sesame seeds – they are optional and we use them as garnish.
Amazing! My husband all but licked his plate clean. He talked about how amazing and awesome it was all evening. It was fantastic and I served on basmati. Leftovers today were excellent.
Love it! Thanks to you both for trying out this recipe. I’m glad your husband really enjoyed it!
I did not like this recipe. The sauce was too thick and the dish was overall missing something, not sure what. A bit disappointed after all the work.
Hi Yuri, this has been a popular recipe on our site and I’m sorry to hear that. I would suggest reading through the recipe to see if any of the ingredients were substituted or quantities changed.
This was really yummy, and I loved that the chicken still had crispiness from being tossed in the corn starch, even after adding the sauce. (I tossed in some green beans at the end, the bright green was a beautiful contrast to the dark sauce and blanching them had them cooked but kept em crisp, and added freshness too. Hubby and kids loved it. And the flavor was spot on –no MSG needed! Another of your recipes added to my burgeoning ‘collection’! Thanks Natasha, keep em coming! 🙂
It sounds like you found a new favorite, Stephanie! Thank you so much for sharing this review with me!
Where is the orange in the recipe?.
Hi Christine, there’s no orange in this recipe, this is just similar to orange chicken but General Tso’s sauce recipe.
Overall the chicken was great. For some odd reason as soon as i added the sauce, it ruined the chicken for me! It smelled so weird and strange. Might have been the rice vinegar I’m not sure. Maybe I’m picky! Husband didn’t like the smell either. Overall the chicken was great. But the sauce was strange to me. I followed the recipe to the dot. I’m not sure what the smell was or what went wrong.
Oh no, sorry to hear that you didn’t like the sauce. I never had some problems with it and we’ve always loved the sauce. Did you change any of the ingredients by any chance?
Maybe you added too much Worcester sauce. I made that mistake the first time
General Tso’s Chicken recipe was delicious! We will definitely make this recipe again.
Hi Debbi, I am so glad you loved our General Tso’s chicken recipe. Thank you for the wonderful review.
We usually love your recipes. This one was ok but it took way longer than 30 min to put on the table. I think the times need revised.
I thought it was a bit too heavy on the vinegar. We still ate it but next time I may decrease the amount of vinegar.
Hi Lisa, did you possibly use a different type of vinegar (higher acidity)?
Hi~ I also thought it was a bit heavy in the vinegar. I did use the same rice vinegar and added 6 tablespoons. The vinegar smell and taste was a bit strong. Other than that, it was yummy~ I think I would decrease the amount of. I what next time.
Hey! This chicken is great. Loved it. Just a recommendation – the last step could be a little more clear for those who aren’t familiar with cooking. The sauce is thin and has cornstarch in it, so it needs to be simmered in the end to reduce and thicken the sauce. Simply pouring the sauce over the chicken isn’t really the last step. Hope that makes sense!
Thank you, Angelina.
Hi, I am making this tonight and was wondering how long I should cook chicken in the oil to ensure it is done? My wife is very paranoid about under cooked meat. Also how and when should I add brocolli?
Also is it ok to use olive oil to fry
We used this oil here.
Hi Tim, we use this recipe as listed and it is fully cooked. I do recommend using an instant-read thermometer!
That recipe was amazing!! My husband said that he is not going to order this anymore!!
We used chicken breasts & they were just fine. Again, thank you!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
This recipe was SO EASY to make! I used chicken tenders instead of thighs and added a teaspoon of sesame oil to the sauce, but this was seriously the BEST General Tso’s I’ve ever had! Definite repeat in our house! Thank you so much, Natasha!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it Kate!
Fantastic recipe!
Thank you!
Hi Natasha, thanks for the recipe. Made it last week and my brother LOVED it and asked for more
I want to ask for the next time cooking it, would it still be okay if I top the chicken with the sauce out of the pan instead of tossing all of chicken in the pan with the sauce? Just to make sure the chicken do not soak in the sauce for long if they are not eaten right away.
Hi Kris, It is typically tossed together. That should work, but you might need to re-warm the sauce and maybe add a little water if it gets too thick as it cools.
Love, love, love this recipe! It’s on my to make again list. Thank you. PS. Do you have a lo mein recipe?
Hi Elizabeth! I’m so happy you enjoyed our recipe!! We don’t have a Lo mein recipe at this time but we do have a Chow Mein recipe here.
I made this chicken for my family of four and it was a huge success!! It’s one of the best meals they have had. My oldest son said it was better than his favourite restaurant.
That is the best when kids love what we moms make. That’s so great!
Oh boy, this was a treat!
Who knew delicious food was so easy to make.
The only adjustment I made was with the pepper, because my wife does not like things too spicy. Instead I added a teaspoon of sambal badjak for a bit of spice and flavour.
I did mess up the crunchyness of the chicken, but I don’t mind having room for improvement. Another reason to make this dish again!
Thank you Natasha, every time I use one of these recipes it’s a guaranteed success.
That is awesome feedback, Job. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. We’re so happy to know that you and your wife enjoyed this!
Good, but too sweet! and i cut down on the sugar. plus not crunchy enough
Hi Laura, make sure if you’re making any adjustments in the recipe that you change things proportionally. Sometimes changing one ingredient can throw the balance off.
Natasha,
Just finished making this dish and it is a hit with my entire family.
Thanks for great recipes that has turned this outside eater into a “master chef”. I now enjoy cooking new tasty food everyday
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me! I’m all smiles
I have not made this recipe yet, but I find that a sauce made with cornstarch makes it difficult to reheat the food as the sauce remains a gelatinous glob. What can I do to make any leftovers more palatable?
Hi Diane, we definitely enjoy this when it’s fresh, I know exactly what you mean although, we haven’t had any issues with reheating this. Be sure to not overheat it, especially for an extended amount of time.
I reheat sauces with cornstarch frequently. I find if you add a tablespoon or two of water and reheat it in a saucepan on low and slow instead the microwave it will melt that gelatinous glob back into a smooth sauce. Hope it works for you as well.
Literally just made it! and I am a fan. will be making it again. Better than panda express for sure
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Hello Natasha (previt!)
Do you really want to make your TSO Chicken stay crunchy a bit longer? Use water chestnut starch. It adds an authentic Asian taste. I use it regularly.
I have been preparing Asian dishes for over 30 yrs. love the neatness of your text and photos.
Thank you so much for that wonderful tip, Steve!! I’ll have to give that a try! Thank you for that wonderful review!
I made this last night along with your recipe for Chicken Fried Rice. It was so good, I will definitely make this again.
So glad to hear that Maryann, thanks for sharing!
Natasha!
What is HOISIN SAUCE? Where can I get it? (I have never heard this name). Thank You! I love your recipes!
Hi Luba, Hoisin sauce is a sweet premade sauce and is usually sold in the Asian food section of the grocery store, next to the soy sauce.
Bought mine from amazon
Absolutely delicious! The next time I make it, I will add less vinegar and add more sugar (I used brown sugar).
Sounds good, thanks for sharing your feedback with us!
Great !! it easy to make and the taste is great !! Thanks for the recipe!
You’re so welcome. I’m so happy that you loved it!
I’m making this today for dinner! I’m so looking forward to it!! I will post review later!!
Great choice! I hope you liked it and yes please share with us how it goes.
Oh, Natasha… my husband loved it! I used breast meat cause I didn’t have thighs. I will definitely make this again! Thank you for all the recipes they are all amazing!
So wonderful to hear that!
Oh, Natasha… my husband loved it! I used breast meat cause I didn’t have thighs. I will definitely make this again! Thank you for all the recipes they are all amazing!
Yay that is so awesome! So great to hear that your husband enjoyed this and my other recipes.
Me again I think I had too much liquid as I only used 1 lb of chicken and half the other ingredients. But not complaining. Next time will use less of the water. just for your info.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi Natasha. Planning on making this recipe this week. Do you think that using Maizena for corn starch will work just as good?
Hi Marisa, without testing that I cannot say. If you experiment I would love to know how you like that.
Hi Natasha made the General Tso’s tonight it was so yum. better than in a restaurant.
The sauce sweet savory and sticky what can I say. delish.
Will make this again and again.
That’s just awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe Jessie!
I am going to try by pierogi and cabbage rolls. Am from European background and mum used to make will try yours, very similar to the polish version.
I hope you love this recipe, Jessie!
absolutely love your recipes. First place I go to for inspiration.
Thank you for your great feedback, we appreciate it!
Soooo good and sooooo easy to do! So much better than the restaurant one! Un vrai délice!
Merci Natasha
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Rita! Thank you for that wonderful review!
Made this last night (I’ve been making one of your recipes every night). As always, 10/10!
I’m so inspired to read this review, Adriana! Thank you for that wonderful review!
Do you have to use rice vinegar in this recipe or will white vinegar do?
Hello Jeanie, I highly recommend using rice vinegar as the flavors are very different
Hi Natasha my husband made this dish today and it was delicious! Will definitely make this more often (or rather ASK him to make this dish more often😜haha)
I am so glad that you both enjoyed this recipe. I hope you love every recipe that you will try!
Hi Natasha,
How can I substitute hoisin sauce in this recipe. My daughter is celiac.
Thanks for all your amazing recipes.
Hi Mary, I haven’t tried a substitution but garlic teriyaki may work here per research online.
That would have gluten too unless it is soy free. Mary, you may have to use a coconut amino acid teriyaki sauce.
there is gf hoisin . my son is also celiac. u can get it at many stores like walmart
too much advertisements from google
Hi Hugo, thanks for your feedback. The only way we can continue providing free recipes is by having ads on our site so we are not able to remove those at this time. We find that most people would rather see the ads than pay to see the recipes.
Natasha I so enjoy all your recipes and have given them to my son who belongs to a group of six who share a meal once a month. Your General Tso’s recipe went over with a bang, all enjoyed it so much. Thanks again and would love if you put out a cook book it would go over so well.
Hi Doris, I’m so glad you entire party loved the General Tso’s chicken. Thank you for the wonderful review!
Hi- I love this take out dish and want to try it at home now. What kind of oil do you use?
Thanks! (PS Love your videos!)
Thanks, Terry. I used this extra light olive oil.
All I have to say is WOW!! Better than takeout ! Thank you Natasha for sharing , I’m a huge fan of yours!!
You are so welcome! Thank you for your excellent review.
I can’t wait to try this. Since it is just me I am going to try to do a 2 serving recipe. Before I saw the size converter, I tried dividing by 4 to see if that worked on all the ingredients. A few of the ingredients when done with the converter came out slightly different. Is this an exacting recipe or should I be ok with my conversion that is easier to understand (fractions rather than decimals)?
Hello Judy, you can give that a try but you would have to experiment on your conversion to see if you would like it. Please let us know how it goes!
Hi Judy. I’m in the same fix … just me. Where did you find the size converter? I’ve never seen one. Thanks in advance fir your help. btw General Taos chicken is one of my very most favorites.
All of the food u cook look tasty and yummy. Thank you! I also love to cook.
You are welcome, Jen. Thank you too for giving this recipe a good review!
Hi Natasha
I just made this recipe yesterday and it was delicious and so flavorful. As always I love your recipes and videos. Can’t wait to try another. Thanks again!
Karen😊❤
Hi Karen, I am so happy to hear that you loved the General Tso’s Chicken. Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Natasha nailed the sauce! This turned out amazing. Thanks for sharing this recipe with us!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it Liz!
It was delicious! My kids loved it. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I am so glad you loved it.
This was a huge hit fir dinner at my house!
That’s so great Toni! Thank you for that wonderful review!
Dinner last night was AMAZING!!! this turned out so good.
I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Delicious recipe! It tastes just like my restaurant takeout. P.S. Commenting about another reviewer, I don’t mind the ads at all for a free recipe!
Thank you so much for your great comments and for understanding the ads, Trang. We really appreciate your support.
Hi! This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it! I’m the type who absolutely LOVES sauce. I ask for extra sauce in everything. My question is, what should I do to double the amount of sauce for this recipe? I wouldn’t want to change the taste in anyway, but I would like to have extra sauce to eat with the rice. Thank you kindly in advance.
Hi Taina, I haven’t tested this to advise but you can try doubling up on the sauce ingredients. If you experiment please let me know how you like that.
I made this and doubled the sauce- Iike you, I love extra sauce with my rice. It turned out perfectly delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Tolea!
Love to try this but i dont have hoisin sauce.. is there any substitute for that??
Hi Priya, I haven’t tried a substitution but garlic teriyaki may work here per research online.
Hey Natasha can you please stop posting ad vids of u cooking on ur blog please its just I can’t even exit those vids it becomes a distraction when Im cooking.
Thank you for sharing your concerns and feedback.
The only way we can continue providing free recipes is by having ads on our site so we are not able to remove those at this time. We find that most people would rather see the ads than pay to see the recipes.
I appreciate your feedback and I hope you love every recipe you try.
i love it
I’m so glad you enjoyed that!
Thank you natasha for listening to my suggestion . You will love this recipe tell me when you try it.
this look so yummy