General Tso's Chicken
Crisp chicken in a sweet, tangy, lightly spicy glaze.
Ingredients
- 600 g Chicken thighs
- 80 g Cornstarch
- 1 Egg
- 3 tbsp Light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 4 Dried chilies
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 Ginger
- 400 ml Neutral oil
Method
- Cube the chicken, mince the garlic and ginger, and coat the chicken in the egg and cornstarch.
- Whisk the soy, vinegar, and sugar into a glaze.
- Heat the neutral oil in a wok or deep pan to 175C (350F) for deep-frying.
- Deep-fry the chicken in batches until golden and crisp, then lift out and drain.
- Pour off most of the oil, then sizzle the dried chili, garlic, and ginger, pour in the glaze to bubble, and toss the chicken through to coat.
- Serve at once with rice.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About General Tso's Chicken
General Tso's Chicken is a defining dish of American Chinese cooking — crisp fried chicken tossed in a sweet, tangy, gently spicy glaze. Though it carries the name of a Qing-dynasty general, the version known worldwide was developed by Chinese chefs abroad and became a takeout icon in the United States. Boneless chicken thigh is cubed, coated in egg and cornstarch, and deep-fried, then bound in a soy-and-vinegar glaze punctuated by dried chilies, garlic, and ginger.
The appeal is textural and flavor-driven: a shatter-crisp coating that holds up against a glossy, sticky sauce balancing sugar, the sourness of rice vinegar, and a slow chili heat. Frying the chicken in batches keeps the oil hot so each piece crisps rather than turns greasy, and sizzling the aromatics before the glaze goes in builds a deeper, more fragrant sauce than a plain sweet-sour coating. Thigh meat is the smart choice here, staying juicy where breast would dry out. It's meant to be served the moment it's tossed, over steamed white rice with the sauce spooned around, before the crust has any chance to soften.
General Tso's Chicken: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in General Tso's Chicken?
A serving has about 583 calories — 28.1g protein, 32g carbs, 37.3g fat, 1g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 28.1g of protein, roughly 19% of its calories.
Is General Tso's Chicken gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Light soy sauce. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
How long does General Tso's Chicken take to make?
About 35 minutes start to finish, but only around 26 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
How many servings does General Tso's Chicken make?
This recipe makes 4 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.