This General Tso Chicken recipe is simple and easy to make and will go amazing with your Chinese takeout night at home.
One of our favorite things is making Chinese takeout at home. I started doing this years ago when the Chinese restaurant we loved went out of business.
It was a sad day for all of us, but never fear! My love of taking on a food challenge led me to create an ultimate takeout menu that pleased everyone in our home — including this recipe for General Tso Chicken — my son's favorite.
For this recipe, I used my basic Baked but not fried chicken nuggets which are so easy to do. If you make any Chinese or Asian dishes at home, this is the way to go.
How to Make General Tso Chicken
You start with an egg and cornstarch base. Take your chicken and cut them up into 1″ or 2″ chunks — whichever you prefer. Normally, when you do this, you dredge in egg mixture then your dry ingredients. We like a puffy batter so we do it the opposite way.
Start with the cornstarch batter and get all your chicken pieces coated well.
Once you get all the chicken pieces coated, toss them into a bowl with 3 eggs that have been whisked together. Trust me when I tell you this is the way to go! It makes for a light and puffy batter.
Then, you just need to fry them a few at a time until they are browned. At this point, they will not be done all the way. You are just getting them browned.
After you get them browned, transfer the chicken nuggets to a 9×13 baking dish. You can let them rest here while you make the General Tso sauce — which is THE BEST sauce I have ever tasted.
To Make the General Tso Sauce
For the sauce you will need —
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- ½ cup dried chili pod
- ¼ cup of rice wine
- soy sauce, 1/4 cup
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar may substitute with white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup of sugar
In a large skillet, bring one tablespoon of vegetable oil to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger, stirring frequently for one minute.
Next, add in the dried chili pods. You can find these usually in the produce section at the grocery store.
Continue stirring for 30 seconds before adding rice wine, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sugar. Stir occasionally until the mixture is bubbling. Once the mixture is bubbling, simply add in the cornstarch slurry, stirring frequently. The sauce should begin to thicken in a minute or less.
Once the sauce thickens, pour it over your chicken and toss it all to coat. Now, bake in a preheated 350 oven for about 20 minutes to finish cooking the chicken all the way.
Remove from the oven and garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and then serve with a side of rice.
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General Tso Chicken
This General Tso Chicken recipe is simple and easy to make and perfect for a Chinese Takeout Night at home
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1½ cup cornstarch
- 4 eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup canola oil
For the General Tso Sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- ½ cup dried chili pod
- ¼ cup of rice wine
- ¼ cup of soy sauce
- ¼ cup of rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup of sugar
Instructions
For the Chicken
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Take your chicken and cut it up into 1" pieces and then season with salt and pepper.
- In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned. It will not take that long at all, so watch your pieces carefully. Transfer the chicken to a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- In a large skillet, bring one tablespoon of vegetable oil to medium-high heat. Add garlic and ginger, stirring frequently for one minute.
- Add dried chili pods. Continue stirring for 30 seconds before adding rice wine, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sugar. Stir occasionally until mixture is bubbling.
- Add cornstarch slurry, stirring frequently until sauce thickens.
- Pour over all the chicken. Toss it a few times to coat the pieces.
- Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Once your chicken comes out, spoon it over hot rice and sprinkle on toasted sesame seeds.
For the General Tso Sauce
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 361Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 147mgSodium: 620mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 24g
Sapana
Wednesday 11th of December 2019
Such a great recipe. Your general tso sauce is so delicious I even added it on my tofu. Thank you!
Kushigalu
Wednesday 11th of December 2019
This recipe is so flavorful and delicious. I cant wait to give this try on weekend. Thanks for sharing.
Sue | the view from great island
Wednesday 11th of December 2019
This recipe sounds spot on ~ there's nothing better than making take out at home!!
Pam Greer
Wednesday 11th of December 2019
We have stopped getting takeout after discovering this recipe! It comes out perfect every time and the chicken is so delicious and crispy!
Tara
Wednesday 11th of December 2019
I love learning how to make my own takeout at home, too! This was delicious.