General Tso Chicken (Better than Takeout!)

My favorite Classic Chinese Takeout dish is for sure General Tso Chicken.

Super crispy chicken coated in a sweet and savory glaze, you need to give this General Tso Chicken recipe a try!

Get your chow mein or fried rice ready because this General Tso Chicken recipe is a banger! Easy to make at home, with simple to source ingredients.

If you are KETO, I also have a Keto-friendly General Tso Chicken recipe on my blog! 

General Tso Chicken is my all-time favorite thing to order at Chinese Takeout.

It is sweet, tangy, savory, and slightly spicy; every bite is a party in your mouth.

General Tso Chicken is easy to make at home, and you can also add in vegetables of your choice, such as red peppers, broccoli, and baby corn, for the perfect stir-fry. 

The key to restaurant-quality General Tso Chicken at home is the SAUCE.

Believe it or not, it is SUPER easy to make General Tso Sauce at home.

All you need is soy sauce, honey, minced garlic, freshly grated ginger, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, and a few red chili flakes if you like it spicy.

If you don’t have hoisin sauce at home, you can replace it with oyster sauce instead. 

Let’s talk about the CRISPY CHICKEN and my secret method to ensure it is crispy every single time.

My secret tip is SODA WATER and RICE FLOUR. This combination guarantees the chicken to be crisp and light at the same time and has been my secret tip for all fried batters.

A batter is also less messy compared to coating; therefore, the oil stays clean, making it easier to reuse in the future. 

Do you want more Chinese Takeout Recipes? Here are some of my go-to recipes that you will LOVE! 

• The BEST Chow Mein
• Classic Egg Fried Rice
• Better than takeout Mongolian Beef
• Orange Chicken (must try!)

Ingredients 

• 6 pieces of boneless chicken thigh (cut into bite-sized pieces) 
• ⅓ cup of Rice Flour 
• ¼ cup of Corn Starch 
• 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce 
• 1 tbsp of Minced Garlic 
• Salt and Pepper to season 
• ⅓ cup of Soda Water 
• 1 Egg

General Tso Sauce: 

• 2.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce 
• 1.5 tbsp of Hoisin Sauce 
• 3-4 tbsp of Honey 
• 1.5 tbsp of Minced Garlic 
• 1 tbsp of Freshly Grated Ginger 
• 1.5 tbsp of Rice Vinegar 
• 1 tsp of Crushed Red Pepper (more if you like it spicy) 
• 2 tbsp of Corn Starch 
• 3 tbsp of Cold Water 

1. Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, minced garlic, salt, pepper, corn starch, rice flour, soda water, and egg. 
2. Massage everything together; you want a thick but slightly runny consistency; add more rice flour or soda water if needed. Rest for 20 minutes.
3. Mix 2.5 tbsp of soy sauce, 1.5 tbsp of Hoisin Sauce, 3-4 tbsp of Honey, 1.5 tbsp of minced garlic, 1 tbsp of freshly grated ginger, 1.5 tbsp of rice vinegar, 1 tsp of crushed red pepper. 
4. Add in oil (enough to cover the chicken) in a pan, and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add in the chicken and deep fry for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown. 
5. Optional: remove the chicken, set aside. Turn the heat up to high, add back in the chicken, and deep fry for 1-2 minutes.
6. Add the sauce mixture to a separate pan, and let it simmer on medium heat for 2-3 minutes. 
7. Combine 2 tbsp of corn starch with 3 tbsp of cold water. Pour in the corn starch mixture into the pan, grate in fresh orange zest, and simmer for another 30 seconds. 
8. Add in the crispy chicken, sesame seeds, and toss on high heat for 1 minute.

Print

General Tso Chicken

My favorite Classic Chinese Takeout dish is for sure General Tso Chicken. Super crispy chicken coated in a sweet and savory glaze, you need to give this General Tso Chicken recipe a try! Get your chow mein or fried rice ready because this General Tso Chicken recipe is a banger! Easy to make at home, with simple to source ingredients. If you are KETO, I also have a Keto-friendly General Tso Chicken recipe on my blog!

Prep Time20 mins

Active Time20 mins

Total Time40 mins

Yield: 4 People

Materials

• 6 pieces of boneless chicken thigh cut into bite-sized pieces
• ⅓ cup of Rice Flour
• ¼ cup of Corn Starch
• 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp of Minced Garlic
• Salt and Pepper to season
• ⅓ cup of Soda Water
• 1 Egg

General Tso Sauce:

• 2.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
• 1.5 tbsp of Hoisin Sauce
• 3-4 tbsp of Honey
• 1.5 tbsp of Minced Garlic
• 1 tbsp of Freshly Grated Ginger
• 1.5 tbsp of Rice Vinegar
• 1 tsp of Crushed Red Pepper more if you like it spicy
• 2 tbsp of Corn Starch
• 3 tbsp of Cold Water

Instructions

• Marinate the chicken with soy sauce, minced garlic, salt, pepper, corn starch, rice flour, soda water, and egg.
• Massage everything together; you want a thick but slightly runny consistency; add more rice flour or soda water if needed. Rest for 20 minutes.
• Mix 2.5 tbsp of soy sauce, 1.5 tbsp of Hoisin Sauce, 3-4 tbsp of Honey, 1.5 tbsp of minced garlic, 1 tbsp of freshly grated ginger, 1.5 tbsp of rice vinegar, 1 tsp of crushed red pepper.
• Add in oil (enough to cover the chicken) in a pan, and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the oil is hot, add in the chicken and deep fry for 6-7 minutes or until golden brown.
• Optional: remove the chicken, set aside. Turn the heat up to high, add back in the chicken, and deep fry for 1-2 minutes.
• Add the sauce mixture to a separate pan, and let it simmer on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
• Combine 2 tbsp of corn starch with 3 tbsp of cold water. Pour in the corn starch mixture into the pan, grate in fresh orange zest, and simmer for another 30 seconds.
• Add in the crispy chicken, sesame seeds, and toss on high heat for 1 minute.