Quick & Easy General Tso Chicken
Crispy juicy chicken coated in a sweet and savory sauce with a spicy kick! This quick and easy General Tso Chicken recipe is ready in 25 minutes saving you money on Chinese takeout! I also share how to air fry the chicken in the below Notes section. Note: this recipe has been recently improved and updated to modify the sauce ingredient amount.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Yield
- 3 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs (or chicken breast)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (or potato starch)
- 5 thin slices ginger (peeled )
- 1/2 green onion (finely chopped)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1/4 tsp sesame seeds (optional garnish)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp regular soy sauce
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar (or apple cider vinegar/white vinegar )
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (or red chili flakes (add double the quantity if you prefer spicier))
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (or potato starch)
- ½ cup water (cold)
Instructions
- 1
In a small bowl, combine sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- 2
Dice chicken thighs into 1.5-inch pieces. Do not pat chicken thighs dry, some moisture is needed for the next step.
- 3
Transfer chicken pieces into a large bowl and add cornstarch. Toss to coat the chicken in the starch evenly.
- 4
Heat vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a large pan. Carefully lower coated chicken into oil and quickly spread apart. Fry chicken in small batches until golden brown on both sides, about 5-7 minutes. Avoid stir frying the chicken and let it sit in the pan to form a crust. To air fry the chicken, see Notes section below for instructions.
- 5
Remove and transfer fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate or a wire rack for excess oil to drip off. Remove excess oil from pan.
- 6
On medium-high heat, add ginger followed by the sauce. Let it come to a boil to thicken and reduce.
- 7
Toss in fried chicken and mix with the sauce. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds (optional). Enjoy!