Make your own take out at home with this homemade General Tso Chicken recipe. Chicken is coated in a sweet and spicy sauce – this easy recipe is better than the Chinese take out!
Looking for more Chinese inspired recipes? Here are a few of my favorites: Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe, Kung Pao Chicken, Egg Rolls, and Pressure Cooker Cashew Chicken.
I am a sucker for a good take out Chinese recipe made at home. And I love this recipe for a couple of reasons. First, because it is a healthier version of General Tso Chicken. And second, because it is so easy that dinner can be ready in 30 minutes. In fact, it takes me longer to make the rice than it does to make this chicken!
What is General Tso Chicken?
I always find it interesting when a recipe’s origin is not known, or if there are multiple versions of the story out there. This seems to be one of those recipes.
Most sources say that the recipe is named after General Zuo Zongtang (also known as Tso Tsung-t’ang), who was a military leader in Hunan in the 1800s. But his descendants say that they don’t know what the dish is, and it is not something that is made where he was from.
It is also said that the dish was created by Peng Chang-kuei, a chef who eventually went on to open a restaurant in New York City where this dish was served as the house specialty.
Today it is one of the most popular Chinese dishes in America.
Ingredients
Here are a few notes about some of the ingredients in this recipe:
- Hoisin Sauce – Hoisin sauce is a sauce that I use quite often in recipes. It’s kind of like a Chinese bbq sauce. It is both sweet and salty, and really elevates a lot of recipes (like this Hoisin Glazed Chicken!) You should be able to find it at most grocery stores.
- Rice Wine Vinegar – I had some rice vinegar in my pantry, but come to find out, they are exactly the same thing, just different wording. So if you have Rice Vinegar instead of Rice Wine Vinegar, either will work! Don’t confuse them with Rice Wine, though, because that is different.
- Ginger – this recipes calls for a lot of ginger, 3 tablespoons. But I don’t feel like it adds an overpowering ginger taste, but just the perfect amount. So I would suggest that you don’t skip it!
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts – feel free to sub in chicken thighs for some added flavor!
How to Make General Tso Chicken
Make the Sauce: Making the sauce is as simple as mixing everything together – the brown sugar, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and water.
Cook the Chicken: Combine the chicken and the cornstarch in a ziplock bag and shake to coat the chicken. Heat oil in a skillet, (or a wok, if you have one!), and add the chicken. Cook until it is browned – don’t worry about it being cooked all the way through, as it will finish cooking at the end. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
Combine: Add the remaining oil to the skillet and add the green onions, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about a minute, then add in the sauce. Cook this until it thickens slightly. It should only take a minute or two. Add the chicken back into the skillet and stir to coat it in the sauce. Let it cook until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve: We like to serve this over rice, sprinkled with green onions and sesame seeds. For even more flavor, toast you sesame seeds first!
More Chinese Take Out Recipes You Can Make at Home
Mongolian Beef
Orange Chicken
Orange Teriyaki Beef with Noodles
Chinese Chicken
Easy Lo Mein Recipe
Chicken Oriental
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General Tso Chicken
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 6 green onions sliced, plus more for topping
- 3 tablespoons fresh minced ginger
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Sesame seeds for topping
- Prepared rice for serving
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and water. Set aside.
- Place the cornstarch in a large ziplock bag. Add the chicken and seal the bag, then shake until the chicken is coated with the cornstarch.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken just until browned. Remove from the skillet to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the skillet, then add the green onions, the ginger and the red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes, or until the sauce thickens a bit. Add the chicken back into the skillet, toss to coat with the sauce, and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through. Stir in the sesame oil.
- Serve over rice, garnished with additional green onions and sesame seeds.
Katrina says
Neat! I’ve always wanted to know how to make this!
Alli says
I love these pictures. If the pictures are telling the truth then you found a way to make very good Chinese food at home. What a fun tradition.
Kim says
I think the tradition of having a family dinner is so important and love that you all choose themes. Saying that, your General Tso’s chicken is gorgeous! I would be very proud to serve that to my family.
vanillasugarblog says
yes i love making this at home. you know why? because you actually know whats in it! you never know what parts of the chicken or what chemicals they use. ok sorry to gross you out! LOL
Christy says
Chinese food is always a good option for meals, with the many varieties in cooking and also the healthy choices available. It is a good thing that it is easily found all over the world too 😀
Nina T. says
Looks yummy!!!I have everything at home to make this! Thanks for the recipe!
Charissa says
Healthier Chinese?! Nice. This is one thing that seems so hard to make healthier! Good on you!
I haven’t been to your site before and it’s lovely. Found it via Foodgawker!
Simply Life says
oh my! this looks SO good!
briarrose says
This look delicious! General Tso’s is my favorite Chinese dish. I must make this.
Wonderful family tradition…I so wish my family lived closer together so we could do this.
MegSmith @ Cooking.In.College says
That is some gorgeous chinese food!
peggy says
This is a keeper! Mmm… and doesn’t look hard to make. Thanks!
Jennifurla says
It looks lovely, great color! Pass the plate
Joanne says
Haha I think the problem is that we probably COULD make authentic Chinese food at home…but what we usually eat isn’t really authentic to begin with!
I do love general tso’s though and this looks perfectly delicious!
Asiya says
This looks awesome. I’ve been looking for a good General Tso’s recipe for a long time. Looking forward to trying this. But I think I will make a spicy version of this. Thx for sharing!
Rhondi says
I recently added a wok to our kitchen tools and have been looking for some easy, healthy chinese dishes to make. This is perfect! I can’t wait to make it.
Rachel says
Mmm that looks so good! I’ve been trying to find a good General Tso’s recipe, but most of them just don’t taste good or the breading falls off. I like the fact that this one only uses cornstarch. I’m definitely going to try this one!