General Tso’s Chicken Recipe (30 Minutes)

Name: My 30-Minute General Tso's Chicken Is Restaurant-Worthy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1/2 cup chicken stock; 3 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons unseasoned or seasoned rice vinegar; 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce; 2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce; 1 tablespoon light brown sugar; 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger; 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, divided; 2 large eggs, lightly beaten; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided; 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying; Thinly sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds, for serving, optional

At my house, the presentation of General Tso’s chicken at the dinner table is typically in a white paper takeout carton or Styrofoam clamshell. Those gooey little nuggets still manage to hit the spot even though I know they’ll be subpar: too soggy, too greasy, too sweet. The deep-fried nature of General Tso’s doesn’t hold up to travel well, even across town.

For a General Tso’s worth remembering, plan ahead and make it at home. It feels magical to conjure up a super-fresh upgrade of a Chinese takeout classic, and the results are transformative. The exterior is crispy and glistening with superbly balanced sauce. The chicken itself is juicy and piping hot. Pair it with steamed white rice to capture all that sauce and everyone will be spellbound.

Takeout will always be there on those “I can’t even” nights, but be warned: after making this superlative General Tso’s, you may have to pivot to another menu item when you order in.

A plate of General Tsos chicken served on a bed of rice sprinkled with scallions and sesame seeds — Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

What To Know About Making General Tso’s Chicken

Many recipes for General Tso’s chicken involve a marination step, but because the sauce here is so flavorful, we skip marination to streamline the recipe.

General Tso’s chicken involves deep-frying, but with a little prep and pluck it comes together without a hitch. Just take it step by step, set out all your ingredients before you start, and stick to your station once you get going. All told, the frying process only takes about 15 minutes.

You’ll often see cornstarch in frying recipes because cornstarch helps make fried foods crispy. Since cornstarch doesn’t brown well, in this recipe you’ll mix it with all-purpose flour to enable a golden-brown exterior. It’s a win-win combo.

Tips for Making General Tso’s Chicken

If you don’t have a thermometer, try this go-to trick for Chinese cooks. Stick a wooden chopstick in the hot oil. If you see a few bubbles that don’t move quickly, keep heating. Lots of bubbling around the chopstick means the oil is about 350°F, ready for you to start frying.
Frying the chicken in batches keeps the pan from getting too crowded. Too much chicken in the oil at once makes its temperature drop, resulting in pale, less crispy chicken.
You can use chicken breast here, but thighs hold up the frying better, delivering juicy and tender chicken in each bite.
My mom never drains fried food on paper towels. Instead, she uses newspaper, which works just as well.

A plate of General Tsos chicken served over white rice garnished with sesame seeds and green onions — Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle

Make-Ahead

This dish is best eaten right after it’s made, but you can whisk the sauce together up to three days in advance and refrigerate it in an airtight container. Wait until right before cooking to add the cornstarch so it doesn’t thicken on the bottom of the sauce. You can also cut the chicken pieces up to two days in advance and refrigerate them in an airtight container.

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General Tso’s Chicken

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Servings 4 servings

This recipe was developed by Marianne Williams.

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1/2 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons unseasoned or seasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons chili-garlic sauce
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, divided
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Thinly sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds, for serving, optional

Make the sauce:

In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin, chili-garlic sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch. Set aside.
Coat the chicken:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat. Set aside.
Prepare the dredge and heat the oil for deep frying:

Whisk together the flour, the remaining 1/2 cup cornstarch, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large, shallow dish.

Pour the oil to a depth of 1 1/2 inches in a large skillet with high sides (you may have some leftover oil if using a slightly smaller skillet). Heat over medium-high until a deep fry oil or instant-read thermometer registers 350°F, about 5 minutes.
Dredge and fry the chicken:

Once the oil has preheated, transfer the chicken pieces from the egg mixture to the flour mixture and toss to fully coat.

Working in 2 batches, remove the chicken from the flour mixture and carefully place in an even layer in the hot oil. Fry, turning occasionally, until lightly golden brown, crispy, and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the chicken with a spider or slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with the remaining chicken pieces, adjusting the heat of the oil as needed to maintain 350°F.
Toss the chicken with the sauce:

Once all the chicken has cooked, carefully pour the hot oil into a metal saucepan to cool. Reserve the used oil for another use. Do not wipe the skillet clean.

Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the soy mixture to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add the fried chicken pieces and toss to fully coat, about 1 minute. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and garnish with scallions and sesame seeds, if desired.

This is best served immediately. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 1 day. Reheat in a pan over medium heat with a splash of water, or reheat individual servings in the microwave in 30-second bursts until heated through.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
579	Calories
39g	Fat
22g	Carbs
36g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	579
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 39g	50%
Saturated Fat 8g	39%
Cholesterol 203mg	68%
Sodium 1608mg	70%
Total Carbohydrate 22g	8%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 36g
Vitamin C 5mg	26%
Calcium 37mg	3%
Iron 2mg	13%
Potassium 488mg	10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.