Description
This General Tso’s Chicken recipe features crispy pan-fried chicken thighs coated in a tangy, sweet, and slightly spicy sauce. Perfectly balanced with garlic, ginger, and a hint of red pepper flakes, it is an irresistible Asian-inspired main course that serves 8 and takes only 30 minutes to prepare from start to finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 2 lb chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1/4 cup extra light olive oil, for frying, plus more as needed
- 2 tbsp minced ginger, from a 2-inch piece of ginger
- 3 cloves garlic, or 1 Tbsp grated or finely minced
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or added to taste
- 1 tsp sesame seeds, optional for garnish
General Tso's Sauce
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 5 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar, or more to taste
- 1 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 4 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Cut chicken into 1-inch cubes. Toss chicken in batches with corn starch, tapping off the excess. Set dredged chicken pieces on a platter and set aside.
- Make the sauce: In a separate bowl, combine cold water, low sodium soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, granulated sugar, and corn starch. Whisk thoroughly until the sugar and corn starch are dissolved and the sauce is smooth.
- Cook the chicken: Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add the extra light olive oil. Fry the chicken in 2 to 3 batches, sautéing each batch until golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 4-6 minutes per batch. Remove cooked chicken and transfer to a bowl. Add more oil as needed for remaining batches, leaving at least 1 tablespoon in the pan.
- Sauté aromatics: Add the minced garlic, minced ginger, and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Sauté for about 30 seconds or until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Simmer the sauce: Pour the prepared sauce into the skillet and bring it to a simmer while stirring constantly. Let it simmer for 1 minute to slightly cook off the vinegar and thicken the sauce.
- Combine and serve: Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning with more soy sauce or rice vinegar if desired. Add the cooked chicken back to the skillet and toss to coat well with the sauce. Serve immediately, garnished with sesame seeds if using.
Notes
- For extra crispiness, you can double-dredge the chicken pieces by dipping them in egg before coating with corn starch.
- Adjust the heat level by increasing or decreasing the amount of red pepper flakes to suit your taste.
- Extra hoisin sauce can be added for a richer flavor.
- Use gluten-free soy sauce if you want to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Serve with steamed white rice or steamed vegetables to complete the meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
