Authentic General Tso’s Chicken (VIDEO)
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My General Tso’s Chicken is so good, you won’t need to order it ever again! The chicken is double fried to crispy perfection and then coated in a sweet, spicy, and tangy sauce!
Watch the Authentic General Tso’s Chicken Recipe Video!
A Note from CJ
General Tso’s Chicken is the best!
General Tso’s Chicken is considered to be the most popular American Chinese takeout dish – and for good reason! My version is just like your favorite restaurant but better – the chicken is crispy, the sauce is so delicious, and it’s so much easier to make than you think!
Serve this with your favorites like a fluffy Egg Fried Rice (or Chicken Fried Rice) and Chicken Lo Mein! For similar dishes, try Sesame Chicken, tangy Sweet and Sour Chicken, classic Orange Chicken or Chinese Lemon Chicken, Chicken and Broccoli or String Bean Chicken!
My go to recipe for General Tso’s (Chicken). I’ve tried many but this is the best!
Ingredient Tips
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!
- chicken thighs – I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs that I cut into 2″ pieces – make sure the chicken is cut into similar sized pieces so they cook evenly. You can use chicken breast if you prefer white meat.
- shaoxing wine – If you can’t find it, you can substitute with mirin, sherry, or even chicken broth/stock.
- chicken stock – if you don’t have chicken broth/stock on hand, you can also use water.
- crushed szechuan chili flakes – if you don’t have this, you can substitute with another chili flakes (ex: Korean chili flakes or crushed red pepper flakes). If you’re sensitive to spice, you can omit this altogether.
Tip: To get the crispiest texture on the General Tso’s Chicken when frying, you must create craggily bits in the dry batter! I do this by pouring a little bit of the flavorful chicken marinade into the dry batter and rub it together with my hands until small, uneven clumps form.
How to Make General Tso’s Chicken
Marinate and Dredge Chicken, Mix Sauce – Add the chicken to a bowl and season with garlic, ginger, Shaoxing wine, light soy, white pepper, and kosher salt. Mix well and let marinate for at least 15 minutes. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and white pepper. Drizzle in some of your extra chicken marinade and combine to create craggily bits for extra texture. Coat your chicken pieces well, pressing the dredge in to make sure there are no bald spots. Keep the chicken in the dredge until ready to fry. Premix your sauce by combining light soy, sugar, Szechuan chili, and chicken stock. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. In a separate bowl, mix together cornstarch and water to create a slurry.
Fry Chicken (Twice) – Add the neutral oil to a large pot or wok and heat over medium high until the oil reaches 325°F. Fry the chicken pieces at 325F for 3-4 minutes (oil should not come down below 300F, work in batches if needed). Remove the chicken and bring the oil to 350F; fry the chicken pieces a 2nd time at 350F for 2 minutes until deep golden brown and crispy. Remove the chicken to a plate.
Cook General Tso’s Sauce and Toss Chicken – In a large wok, take 2 tbsp of the frying oil over medium high heat, and add the garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 15 seconds, then add the sauce. Turn the heat to high, stirring to combine, then add in the white vinegar and cornstarch slurry. Mix the sauce for 30 seconds or until sauce has thickened and is glossy. Add in the chicken and stir in sauce until well coated, about 1 minute.
PRO TIPS
CJ’s Storage & Reheating Tips
Store any leftover General Tso’s Chicken in an airtight conrtainer in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
I like reheat leftovers in the air fryer in order to crisp up the chicken. When reheating the chicken in the air fryer, the sauce with further caramelize and infuse into the crispy batter! Air fry at 350°F for 6-8 minutes or until warmed through and crispy.
Alternatively, reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. I don’t recommend reheating General Tso’s Chicken (or any fried chicken) in the microwave unless you don’t care about the texture and just want to heat it back up as quickly as possible.
If you tried this General Tso’s Chicken or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Authentic General Tso’s Chicken (VIDEO)
Video
Equipment
- Infrared Thermometer for monitoring oil temperature
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 lb chicken thigh, cut into 2" pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 tbsp ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
Dry Batter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp white pepper
Sauce
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp szechuan chili flakes, you can adjust based on your heat preference
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
Cornstarch Slurry
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water
Other Ingredients
- 1 quart neutral oil, for frying; I used avocado oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
- scallions, chopped (for garnish)
- sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the chicken to a bowl and season with garlic, ginger, Shaoxing wine, light soy, white pepper, and kosher salt. Mix well and let marinate for at least 15 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and white pepper. Drizzle in some of your extra chicken marinade and combine to create craggily bits for extra texture. Coat your chicken pieces well, pressing the dredge in to make sure there are no bald spots. Keep the chicken in the dredge until ready to fry.
- Premix your sauce by combining light soy, sugar, Szechuan chili, and chicken stock. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. In a separate bowl, mix together cornstarch and water to create a slurry.
- Add the neutral oil to a large pot or wok and heat over medium high until the oil reaches 325°F. Fry the chicken pieces at 325F for 3-4 minutes (oil should not come down below 300F, work in batches if needed). Remove the chicken and bring the oil to 350F; fry the chicken pieces a 2nd time at 350F for 2 minutes until deep golden brown and crispy. Remove the chicken to a plate.
- In a large wok, take 2 tbsp of the frying oil over medium high heat, and add the garlic and ginger. Stir fry for 15 seconds, then add the sauce. Turn the heat to high, stirring to combine, then add in the white vinegar and cornstarch slurry. Mix the sauce for 30 seconds or until sauce has thickened and is glossy. Add in the chicken and stir in sauce until well coated, about 1 minute.
Notes
Storage and Reheating
You can store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. I like reheat General Tso’s Chicken in the air fryer in order to crisp up the chicken. When reheating the chicken in the air fryer, the sauce with further caramelize and infuse into the crispy batter! Air fry at 350°F for 6-8 minutes or until warmed through and crispy. Alternatively, reheat in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until warmed through. I don’t recommend reheating Orange chicken (or any fried chicken) in the microwave unless you don’t care about the texture and just want to heat it back up as quickly as possible.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This General Tso’s Chicken recipe was originally published in September 2021, and updated in April 2024, and March 2026.
Looks great
Will try this
My go to recipe for general tso’s. I’ve tried many but this is the best!
My family and I tried this chicken at a restaurant, it was so delicious I had to try replicating it at home. Lucky for me I knew I would find it here, so I made it at home and it was even better than the restaurant version!
So easy to follow and so delicios! Have made so many attempts with not so great outcomes. So grad I found this one!! Can’t wait to try the air fryer version
I’ve made this so many times, it’s simple and delicious and dare I say better than take out? I have loved learning to cook different recipes from CJ eats! Insta handle @jacklynhammer
Could I use beef with the same recipe or would I need to change something?
You should be able to use beef and prepare it the same way. Let me know how it goes!
First time we made this I’ve never heard of shoaxing wine but it was so much fun learning. Also taught me how to make craggily bits on my recipes. It came out soooo good. Prob my personal favorite out of the ones we have tried.
How many people does this recipe feed?
Hi Lily – I would say this feeds about 3 people when served with rice!