General Tso’s Chicken

Ingredients for General Tso’s Chicken

Just a few simple ingredients are needed to create General Tso’s chicken for dinner.

Chicken: We start with frozen fully cooked breaded chicken pieces which eliminate the need to cut up raw chicken, dredge it in a starchy coating and deep fry it. Use your favorite unflavored or original chicken nuggets or look for brands of frozen chicken made with real chicken breast or thighs. Size of the pieces vary. Some of the terms on the chicken packages include nuggets, popcorn chicken, chunks, pieces, or bites.

Soy Sauce: Check your cupboard for a bottle. Feel free to use either lite or regular. Even though the recipe calls for 1/4 cup, it is diluted with water and coats a lot of chicken.

Rice Vinegar: This is a staple in Asian cooking. Rice vinegar has a milder flavor and balances well with the other flavors. Whether you use seasoned rice vinegar or plain, it doesn’t matter. We don’t recommend substituting distilled, wine, or apple cider vinegars in this recipe.

Toasted Sesame Oil: Even if sesame oil isn’t on your pantry shelf, it is worth picking up at the store to add a pleasant, toasty, authentically Far East flavor to this and other dishes.

Other ingredients: Ketchup, combined with the other flavors in the sauce, eliminates the need for harder-to-find hoisin sauce, which is often found in General Tso’s chicken. Sugar adds that special sweetness, and cornstarch thickens the sauce so it clings perfectly to the chicken.

Spice: We have kept this version of General Tso’s chicken family friendly and therefore, pretty mild. You can serve with crushed red pepper flakes or a bottle of hot sauce for those who want some additional heat. 

How to Make General Tso’s Sauce

The original General Tso’s chicken recipe starts with dredging raw chicken pieces in a coating mixture and deep frying it; we are substituting frozen chicken pieces as a time saver. The ingredients in the sauce are also streamlined. Some versions include multiple types of soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and wine. We kept it simple with a few kitchen staples that still pack a punch of flavor. Look below for the full recipe, but here is a recap.

Heat the Chicken

Start with fully-cooked and breaded chicken chunks, nuggets or pieces. Place chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and bake as directed. For even crispier chicken, use an air fryer.

Make the Sauce

Measure the dry ingredients for the sauce before wet ingredients to keep the sugar from sticking in the spoon. Stir or whisk everything together, making sure the cornstarch is mixed into the sauce. This prevents lumps from forming in the sauce. Heat the ingredients until sauce boils. Stirring all the time keeps the sauce super smooth. When the sauce thickens it is almost ready. Finish by stirring in the sesame oil so the toasty flavor of the oil doesn’t evaporate with longer cooking.

Finishing Touches

Pour the sauce over the chicken, stirring to coat the nooks and crannies of the chicken. Spoon chicken mixture over a platter of hot cooked rice. Garnish with sesame seed and sliced green onions if you want. 

Hints

Brown sugar or honey could be used instead of the granulated sugar.

If you don’t have cornstarch, substitute 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour instead. It won’t be quite the same, but it will thicken the sauce.

How to Store and Reheat General Tso’s Chicken

If you have leftovers of General Tso’s chicken, you can try to separate the rice from the chicken mixture, or keep it all together. It’s your choice. Place leftovers in a covered container, and refrigerate up to three days or freeze up to one month. If you freeze leftovers, thaw before reheating. It is always a good idea to label the container, so you know what it is at a quick glance.

To reheat, there are a couple of options. Realistically, most of us likely spoon leftovers onto a plate or bowl and microwave until hot. For food safety reasons, check that the finished temperature reaches at least 165°F. The other way to reheat is to spoon leftovers into a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the internal temperature reaches at least 165°F.

More Asian-Inspired Dishes

If you love the simplicity of bringing Asian restaurant flavors into your own kitchen, check out these recipes for more ideas.

Asian-Spiced Cashew-Chicken Piadinis include some of the same ingredients used in General Tso’s Chicken. These handheld rolls boast chicken, chopped cashews and coleslaw tossed in a tangy sauce and rolled up in refrigerated Pillsbury™ Thin and Crispy Pizza Crust Dough.

Easy Asian Pork Bundles are little parcels of dough stuffed with pork and savory flavors. Start with biscuit dough, and add the savory filling. Bake, and they are ready to enjoy.

Asian Stir-Fry Sheet-Pan Dinner sounds like a misnomer, and maybe it is. The oven and a sheet pan replace the wok or skillet. Toss veggies with a savory sauce, add chicken, and let it roast in the oven. Easy-peasy.