Sweet and Savory General Tso’s Chicken is a family-favorite. This flavorful chicken is served with broccoli or other veggies and filled with the sweet and salty combo everyone loves.
With all the Asian recipes we have on the site it’s no surprise how much we love our Asian food! I think it’s safe to say that it’s my favorite kind of food and my extended family agrees.
What Is General Tso Chicken?
One of our favorite Asian dishes is General Tso’s Chicken. I hadn’t tried it until recently, but it is my new, favorite Asian chicken recipe! I’ve made it a few times since we first tried it, and it is seriously addicting!!
So, what is General Tso chicken? It’s a sweet, deep-fried chicken recipe served mostly in North American Chinese restaurants. It has a bit of a sweet taste and after adding broccoli it makes it so hearty and tasty. It’s also very simple and because it’s so good, you better believe we will be making this often!
Who was General Tso? This chicken dish is named after Zuo Zongtang or Tso Tsung-t’ang. He was a military leader during the Qing dynasty. It’s unclear why this general gets his name associated with this delish meal. In fact, when asked, his descendants hadn’t even heard of the dish!
Is this chicken the same as orange chicken? General Tso’s chicken is different from orange chicken. Orange chicken has more of a sweet and sour tangy taste with orange peel and juice. General Tso’s chicken is spicier with a little bit of sweetness in it. Both are delicious but they definitely have different flavors going on.
Coated in flour and ready for frying!
How to make General Tso Chicken:
To make the General Tso sauce, mix chili sauce, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
COAT CHICKEN. In another bowl, mix flour and cornstarch. In a third bowl, beat egg white and soy sauce. Add chicken to the white white and soy sauce and toss to coat, and then add coated chicken to flour bowl and toss around.
COOK. Pour oil in skillet and cook floured chicken for 7-8 minutes or until chicken is cooked and crispy.
ADD VEGGIES + SAUCE. Add broccoli to skillet, stirring often and cook until broccoli is softened, then add chili/vinegar sauce to skillet and cook for a few more minutes making sure to coat the broccoli and chicken.
Customize General Tso’s chicken:
- If you like a sweeter sauce add half to one tablespoon of sugar or honey
- For a spicier dish add 5-6 whole dried chilies or you can use red chili flakes.
- Add 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce for an extra layer of flavoring
- Top with sesame seeds
Is General Tso chicken spicy? This recipe for General Tso’s chicken just has a little kick of heat. It’s not too spicy at all. The sweet chili sauce gives it a sweet and spicy taste that is undeniably delicious! You’ll love it.
You could add a teaspoon of ginger and/or a ½ teaspoon of red chili flakes to make it more spicy if that’s what you prefer.
Storing & SERVING
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freezer: For longer storage, store in an airtight freezer safe container for 3-4 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat in a sautee pan. If you’re in a hurry you can also microwave the chicken.
What to eat General Tso chicken with? You’ll definitely want to serve General Tso’s chicken on top of a big pile of rice. You could make a rice bowl out of it with white rice or brown rice. We also like to serve it with:
I honestly cannot give this recipe higher praise. It is so good on its own, or is even better served with rice or noodles. Most of my kids don’t like broccoli just yet, but my little Evie enjoyed this recipe as much as I did. I hope you like it too!
For more Asian chicken recipes, check out:
General Tso Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 bunch broccoli florets cut into bite size pieces (about 3 cups)
- 2 cups cooked white rice or cooked noodles
Instructions
- Make general tso sauce by mixing chili sauce, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside.
- In another bowl, mix flour and cornstarch. In a third bowl, beat egg white and soy sauce. Add chicken to the white white and soy sauce and toss to coat, and then add coated chicken to flour bowl and toss around.
- Pour oil in skillet and cook floured chicken for 7-8 minutes or until chicken is cooked and crispy.
- Add broccoli to skillet, stirring often and cook until broccoli is softened, then add chili/vinegar sauce to skillet and cook for a few more minutes making sure to coat the broccoli and chicken.
- Serve over rice or noodles and ENJOY!
Video
This looks amazing and needs to be on my dinner plate!
Haha!! It is super good! Hope you’ll try it soon!
One of my hubby’s favorite dishes. This looks amazing. I can’t wait to make it for him. I adore your site and am on it daily. Thanks for sharing.
Awe, you are so sweet!! Thank you so much! I hope he likes it!
those look delicious! maybe i’ll make them for my cookout this weekend!
Oh, it is!! I’d love to know what you think 🙂
quesion Ma’am;
how would you make exra sauce for his dinner?
You would just double the ingredients that are in step one 🙂
This was amazing! Thank you for sharing! Husband and 3 kids loved it!
With love from Belgium x
Awesome!! So glad it was a hit! Thank you for letting me know & giving the recipe a try 🙂
we had this on Sunday & it was gone in minutes!! It has great flavor & is crisp! We have found a new favorite!
My favorite take out!
THis chicken is so delicious! One of my families favorites!
My family loves this chicken recipe! Definitely going to make this a staple on our dinner menu.
This is one of our favorite recipes! Love the sweet and spicy of this chicken!
any version of a healthier way to do general tsaos is one im excited for! cant wait to give this a try
My daughter would have this meal every day if she could! it is really good! we love the taste and how easy it is to make! Yummy
My grandaughters favorite Chinese meal! We all love chinese food and when we make this dish i have to triple or quadruple the recipe. So good and very authentic!
Im an orange or honey chicken fan and Dont really deviate however im so glad i tried this recipe. It was sO good!
This recipe is a favorite at my house because it is so easy, so yUmmy, and Everyone loves it. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
You are so welcome! Glad your family likes it! Thank you!
Love your recipes. A great way to share them.
Awe, thank you so much!
Can this be made in an air fryer?
I personally haven’t tried, but I am sure they could 🙂