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. 
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.
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.
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?
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.
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