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Home / Latest Posts / Recipes / Course / Main Dishes / General Tso Chicken

General Tso Chicken

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By: Leigh Anne WilkesPosted: 9/15/20Updated: 3/03/22

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure policy here.

General Tso CHicken in a bowl

Sweet, and spicy is the combination that makes General Tso Chicken a family favorite. Pair with green beans for an easy family dinner.

Replicating our favorite Chinese takeout foods at home is one of our favorite things to do.  Some of our favorites include this lovely lemon chicken made in the Instant Pot.  This Caramel Chicken is a copycat recipe from a nearby restaurant and Cashew Nut Chicken is one of our all time favorite things to make at home.

General Tso Chicken

Last week was my husband’s birthday so I asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner.  His usual response is “I like anything you make.” And then I will ask him to be a little more specific and he will say, “chicken” and then a little more specific and I got “stir fry.” General Tso’s Chicken is one of our favorite Chinese takeout choices so that is what I decided to make for his birthday.

The dish was a total hit with everyone and I think my husband mentioned three or four times during dinner how much he liked it!  It was great with fresh green beans.  I think next time I may try it with snow peas or maybe even asparagus.  Something green!

General Tso Chicken with green beans

What is General Tso Chicken

General Tso Chicken is a popular dish in many Chinese restaurants in the US.  Althought the name of the dish comes from Zuo Zonttang, a military leader from the Hunana Province, there is no real connection between him and the dish.  In fact, sometimes the dish is called General Gau Chicken.

General Tso is traditionally a sweet and fairly spicy dish because of the use of red pepper flakes.  Moderate the heat in this recipe by increasing or decreasing the amount of red pepper flakes you use.  The addition of brown sugar to traditional Chinese recipe ingredients like soy sauce, ginger, and garlic, give this dish the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.

General Gau Chicken

How to make General Tso Chicken

  • Coat the chicken in an egg white and cornstarch mixture.  Then cook the coated chicken in vegetable oil.  This will give the chicken a golden brown and slightly crisp coating.  Once cooked, remove chicken from the pan.
  • Next, blanch the green beans until partially cooked.  This will make the final cooking process easier and quicker.  And it ensures that the the beans cook more evenly.  To blanch the beans, bring a pan of water to a boil on the stove top.  Add the green beans and let them boil for 2-3 minutes until they are bright green and slightly tender.  Remove them from the water into a colander and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process.  Add a mixture of garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch and red pepper flakes to the beans.
  • In the same pan you used to cook the chicken, add in the bean mixture.  Continue cooking until sauce thickens.  Then add the cooked chicken and stir to coat and incorporate, about 3-5 minutes.

General Tso Chicken and rice

Check out more of my easy Chinese food recipes:

  • Mongolian Beef
  • Instant Pot Kung Pao Chicken
  • Orange Chicken

General Tso Chicken Recipe

5 from 5 votes
General Tso CHicken in a bowl

General Tso Chicken

Recipe From: Leigh Anne Wilkes
Lightly breaded, sweet and tangy, you will love the flavor of General Tso Chicken.
serves: 6 servings
Prep:20 minutes
Cook:15 minutes
Total:35 minutes
Rate Recipe

Ingredients

  • 3 chicken breast boneless, skinless, cut into one inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 lb green beans snow peas, or asparagus trimmed and halved crosswise
  • 4 tsp garlic minced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
  • 3 Tbsp light-brown sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
  • 1/2 - 1 tsp red-pepper flakes depending on amount of heat you want.
  • 2 large egg whites
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth and cornstarch has dissolved
  • Add snow peas (or green beans), garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of red-pepper flakes to cornstarch mixture; toss to combine and set aside
  • In another bowl, whisk together the egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
  • Add chicken, toss to coat
  • In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
  • Lift half of the chicken from the egg white mixture (shaking off excess) and add to skillet
  • Cook, turning occasionally, until golden (8-10 minutes)
  • Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, adding red pepper flakes. Set aside
  • Add the green bean mixture to the skillet
  • Cover; cook until beans are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes
  • Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat
  • Serve over hot rice

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 349kcal (17%) Carbohydrates: 17g (6%) Protein: 43g (86%) Fat: 10g (15%) Saturated Fat: 5g (31%) Cholesterol: 119mg (40%) Sodium: 375mg (16%) Potassium: 918mg (26%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 8g (9%) Vitamin A: 655IU (13%) Vitamin C: 11.2mg (14%) Calcium: 46mg (5%) Iron: 1.9mg (11%)
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.
Course:Main Course, Main Dish
Cuisine:Chinese
General Tso CHicken in a bowl
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Originally posted August 30, 2010

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  1. Kimberley says

    Posted on 10/12 at 7:21 pm

    I just found this blog and this looks delish. One question, does the snow peas (or green beans), garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon of red-pepper flakes go into the mixture of cornstarch and water, or different bowl? I’ve never had it before so I’m not sure what the exact prep is. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Leigh Anne says

      Posted on 10/13 at 7:46 am

      Yes, add the greenbeans and seasoning into the cornstarch mixture – enjoy!

      Reply
  2. Alex says

    Posted on 8/15 at 2:53 pm

    Thank you for this recipe….it came out perfectly….I made it with asparagus and added green onions that were close to wilting…excellent! Even my picky eater ate 5 pieces!

    Reply
    • Leigh Anne says

      Posted on 8/15 at 3:12 pm

      Yum – love the idea of asparagus and green onion!

      Reply
  3. Anh Wood says

    Posted on 9/15 at 9:13 am

    OMGosh! I made this last night and what a hit with my family. My picky eater daughter cleaned her plate. My husband enjoyed the different flavor since prior to this, I basically use Trader Joe’s “General Tsao Stir Fry Sauce” for all my asian dishes. Trader Joe’s sauce is good too; however, I love the flavor and freshness of this recipe. I made this dish exactly as stated in the recipe with the exception of reducing the amount of the pepper flakes for hubby. At first, I was hesitant about cooking the chicken in two batches since the pan I was using was quite large. However, I’m so glad I followed the recipe exactly because I think that was a great technique for the chicken to turn out so moist without being mushy. This recipe is a definite keeper. Thank you for sharing this with us.

    Reply
  4. Jane says

    Posted on 9/12 at 4:36 pm

    We had this for Sunday dinner, it was wonderful. Thank you!

    Reply
  5. Amy says

    Posted on 9/2 at 6:10 pm

    My family loves this recipe. We have it lots.

    Reply
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