This recipe for General Tso’s chicken has been the most popular on this site since I first posted it in 2009. Month after month it continues to be the most viewed and searched for recipe here. I love that so many of you, presumably, have visited on a mission to replicate this tasty dish from a favorite take-out.
Over the past few months, I’ve been testing and retesting this recipe for my cookbook, and want to share a new revised version. I’ve loved all your feedback and incorporated some changes that’ll make this General Tso’s even better. The sauce, for example, has a couple of new ingredients to round out the tomato base.
The biggest improvement is in the frying process. The previous recipe resulted in really nice crispy chicken, but I think this new recipe one-ups its predecessor. After countless hours frying chicken in front of the stove, I’ve found that the key marinade ingredient for crispy chicken is…egg whites, which allow the cornstarch to adhere to the meat, without lending too much of an eggy flavor. And, as one commenter suggested, tossing the cornstarch with a little salt and pepper is great for adding more flavor to the fried chicken. You can also take a few extra minutes to fry the chicken again for another 30 seconds, an optional step to get very crispy chicken, identical to the take-out kind.
(Update: If you’ve enjoyed this General Tso’s Chicken recipe, check out many more Chinese restaurant favorites in my new cookbook The Chinese Takeout Cookbook: Quick and Easy Dishes to Prepare at Home
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Almost nobody in Hunan has ever heard of General Tso’s Chicken, the most famous Hunan dish in America. Like many other American-Chinese favorites, the roots to China are vague but interesting.
You may know the dish as General Tsuo’s, or Tzo’s or Tao’s or some other variation. You couldn’t really pronounce the name, but order it anyway at Panda Garden because of its addictiveness. Who cares if it isn’t really Chinese food, like your ABC friend hinted?
General Tso’s Chicken became popular in America via some enterprisingly Taiwanese chefs who opened Hunan restaurants in New York in the 1970s. Hunan cuisine is traditionally very spicy, full of smoky chilis and pickled vegetables. But to appeal to American diners, the chefs started deep-frying, and sweetening the sauces. They improved upon each other’s crispy chicken dishes until they got a crunchy, sweet, sour, and mildly spicy coating. You can read more about the history in Fuchsia Dunlop’s NYT article, or Jennifer 8. Lee’s The Fortune Cookie Chronicles
I first tried making the Taiwanese version from Dunlop’s Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook: Recipes from Hunan Province
The older version is like the stodgy artiste who refuses to waver to popular opinion. Which is respectable. But there’s a reason Americanized General Tso’s is so good. It’s brash, super crisp, and sweet. Like pop music, it just hooks you.
So here is my altered General Tso’s Chicken after cooking in many, many times. I prefer to use boneless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast for a juicier bite. (Dark meat is juicier and much more tender than white meat, and contrary to widespread belief, not much higher in fat.) Chicken stock adds a bit more flavor, but if you don’t have any handy feel free to substitute water. Sauce may taste a little tomato-y on its own, but trust me, mixed with the fried chicken it will taste positively delicious.
The sauce, with tomato paste, chicken broth, vinegar, and hoisin sauce, thickens up quite nicely in the wok. It’s sweet but not overly so, with a mild kick and smoky flavor from the chilis and a good amount of tanginess. Meanwhile, the cornstarch coating results in a brash, proudly crisp exterior. It may not be authentically Hunan, but there’s a reason it continues to be such a beloved dish in the U.S.
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General Tso’s Chicken
Serves 4 as part of a multi-course meal, 2 to 3 as a main entree
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into 1-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups peanut or vegetable oil for frying, plus 1 tablespoon for stir-frying
- 8 dried whole red chilis, or substitute 1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, for garnish
- Scallions, green parts thinly sliced, for garnish
Marinade:
- 1 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 2 egg whites
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup chicken stock, or substitute water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- Prepare the marinade: In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, rice wine, and egg whites. Coat the chicken to the marinade mixture and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the chicken stock, tomato paste, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, sugar, and the 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Stir until the sugar and cornstarch are dissolved. Set the sauce aside.
- In a large bowl or deep plate, toss the 1 1/2 cups cornstarch with the salt and pepper. Coat the marinated chicken in the cornstarch and shake off any excess before frying.
- Heat the 3 cups of peanut or vegetable oil in your wok until it registers 350°F on an instant-read oil thermometer. Working in 2 or 3 batches, add the first batch of chicken cubes and fry until golden brown on the outside and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.
- Drain the oil into a heatproof container and save for discarding. Wipe the wok with a paper towel to remove any brown bits, but don’t wash.
- Reheat the wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add another 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat the base and sides. Add the dried chilis and garlic to the wok and stir-fry until just fragrant, about 20 seconds. Pour in the sauce mixture and stir until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Return the chicken to the wok and stir well to coat with sauce. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish. Garnish with white sesame seeds and scallions. Serve with white rice and vegetables.
Recipe first published March 3, 2009. Updated August 30, 2011.
Yum! I am bookmarking this now, really eager to make it.
It looks great! I will definitely have to try this out.
This looks lovely. I can’t wait to try this on my husband. This is the only thing he will order when we eat Chinese out for dinner.
What an interesting history! I always thought that General Tso’s was like chop suey–an American invention. I definitely need to tell my Taiwanese friend this story, esp b/c he always makes fun of P.F. Chang’s and Panda Express’ General Tso’s chicken.
I like to think of myself as an ethic food “purist”, but the original versions of some Chinese dishes like the General Tso’s chicken are quite disappointing. Thank you for this awesome version blending the best of both styles.
Ooooh I’ve been looking for a recipe for General Tso’s chicken for a while but have never found one that ‘looks right’ if you know what I mean.
Love it, love it, love it! This recipe looks GOOD! Can’t wait to try it thank you!
and it was delicious! the dried red chiles aren’t spicy at all, i thought they would be. it was scrumptious we ate the whole pan of chicken, between two people. next time i’ll add some red pepper flakes to the oil too. thanks for the recipe!!
Kate – Agreed. There are few Chinese foods the US does better, but this is one of them.
Maggie – If you want really spicy, you can slice open the dried chilis. ;) Red pepper flakes will be tamer.
That chicken looks tasty!
I LOVED this recipe and so did my family! I only regretted not making enough of it. This is definitely a keeper! Thanks so much!
I’m the opposite.
One of the reason I don’t like US-versions of most Chinese foods is because they’re too sweet.
Would it be possible to modify the recipe to not include frying the chicken. I love General Tso’s as is, but I’m looking to make healthy improvements where I can, does anyone know how much fat/cholesterol the frying process adds to the recipe. I’ve seen calorie counts for takeout and they’re quite scary!
I originally found this recipe about 6 months ago. We just loved it!!!!! I wanted to make it again, but lost the recipe. I stupidly did not bookmark the page, and couldn’t remember which recipe I originally printed out when I googled it. Anyway, I thought I had the right recipe, but the one I made the 2nd time was definately not this one. Way too sweet!!!! Not willing to give up, I kept searching and voila! I found you again. Thank you, Thank you so much. This is the BEST General Tso’s chicken recipe ever! I have now bookmarked this page. Now I’m set…unless my computer crashes!!!
I got confused for a bit, umm the ingredients section reads TWO cups of cornstarch, yet in the directions, you say to use only ONE up of cornstarch…did you mean two? or is it one cup there and another cup somewhere else you didn’t mention in the directions? Sorry, just got confused, gonna try making it tomorrow for lunch for my dad. He’s cutting down the takeouts for awhile and he LOVES general tsos =)
Hello, Great Page, just wondering what the egg yolk adds to the marinade. Thanks for the recipe !!
Hello, Great Page, just wondering what the egg yolk adds to the marinade. Thanks for the recipe !!
Stan – It helps the flour/starch adhere better to the chicken.
this stuff is the bomb, on my way to publix right now
Wow! Looks awesome! One question if I may…can the sauce be made in quantity and successfully frozen for later use?
Hi, here in the Philippines in some restaurants it’s just called “General’s Chicken”. In my opinion, if nicely done, it challenges the Colonel’s, hahaha :)
Thanks for sharing this chicken. I love General Tsao’s chicken but not the grease from Chinese restaurants so this way, I can watch the volume of oil that goes into the dish.
Just prepared the genral tso chicken and it was just great!
In Holland the dish is unknown but I always wanted to try it.
erybody that tasted it just loved it
thanks Mike
When my wife and I try out a new Chinese restaurant we ALWAYS order Hot and Sour soup and General Tso’s chciken to judge how we will like other items on the menu, for future reference. Hasn’t failed us yet. Can’t wait to try this version this weekend.
Cheers, David
I had read this recipe a while back and tried it.. loved it. .. Glad i found it again today will have to have the wife make it or find a restaurant that does make it
When I was making Dunlop’s version, I didn’t realize that it wasn’t going to be completely covered in battered. I thought the amount of potato flour used was way too little. Now, I understand…
I couldn’t find red chiles at the store, so I substituted them with a particular brand of chili sauce. It gave the sauce a tangy, hot and complicated flavor, but I think there was still too much tomato.
I just stumbled across this recipe while having a look what I could make with my limited supplies.
I strayed from the recipe quite a bit. No eggs. No tomato paste. Subbed the tomato paste for some tomato/olive/onion tapanade I found in the fridge.
Also through a bit of oyster sauce in the marinade.
All in all quite a delicious dish. Shall have to try it when I have the right ingredients again. Served with some noodles it filled the gap in good ways.
I have been looking for a good recipe for this dish. Not all are so good (to my taste). This one looks like it may be a keeper. thanks
How can I print a copy of this recipe?
I have made this dish twice and I absolutely love it! Thanks for this recipe!
Fantastic recipe! I’ve tried takeout from everywhere in the city, and this ranks up there with the best of them! I’ve made this twice now with slight modifications (garlic powder /pepper /salt to the cornstarch) and would recommend this as the best General Tso’s recipe on the net. Thanks!
We have a healthier take on gen. tso but it’s far less popular than the original. We substitute tenders or breast meat for the thighs, give them a quick grill mostly for the markings (exec chef likes it) wrap them in parchment paper with green onion and mushrooms and bake it off. The sauce is made in the same fashion but we use ketchup (don’t tell!) we get the sauce boiling and thickening before we even get the chicken out of the oven. Once you think the sauce is about to turn and burn throw in all of the chicken/onion/mushroom and the temp drops drastically. Toss, bring it to the desired thickness, plate, garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Can you substitute the orange juice with other citric juice? Such as grapefruit or lemon?
Lemon and grapefruit juice would both make the sauce very tart (lemon especially). Orange juice is ideal because of the sugar content.
I don’t see that you responded to HAM_HS inquiry about how much cornstarch is used in this recipe. You say 2 cups in the ingredients but only 1 cup in the instructions. Is it only 1 cup for the whole recipe?
Dianna – I apologize for that. I changed the directions to include two cups, instead of one. Realistically, you can probably get away with tossing the chicken in just one, but I would use two cups just to be on the safe side, of making sure all the pieces are well-coated.
You are are delusional if you think that you know what Chinese food is in this case. There is no such dish as General Tso’s chicken. It’s not Hunan, that’s why no one in Hunan had ever heard of it. So yes, it IS an american invention. Real hunan food is typically stir fry with a LOT of spice and very little sugar. I hate to burst everyone’s “culture” bubble but my family is from China and very little of the junk that America eats in a solid 90% of the Chinese restaurants here? That junk doesn’t exist in China, nor has it ever. What American cuisine has essentially done is take delightful dishes like, yes, sweet and sour chicken–and turn it into a mess. The dish was originally a STIR FRY done with pork ribs tossed in a LIGHT sweet and sour. I hate to sound so rude, but it’s frustrating and offensive that you would even suggest that this is Chinese dish. Calling it an adaptation is one thing, but claiming that it has substantial roots in China is downright offensive to our culture. The next time you attempt to be more ethnic and culturally aware, make sure your sources are legitimate.
Thanks for your response. Perhaps I should have worded it differently, but I meant that General Tso’s chicken is the most famous dish that American thinks of as Hunan. I did emphasize that the dish most likely came from Taiwanese chefs in New York in the 1970′s. They first served the dish at Hunan restaurants, and named it after a general from the province, and that seems to be the only connection. Fuchsia Dunlop most likely included a recipe in her book on Hunan cuisine only because of the vague connection and because it’s so widely accepted as a Hunan dish; leaving it out would have only invited a lot of questions. Notice that I did categorize this recipe under my "American Chinese" and "Global Chinese" tags, not "Hunan".
Also a note on adaptation: food changes and adapts wherever people migrate. Many Japanese and Korean dishes are adaptations of Chinese dishes from hundreds of years ago, and a few Chinese dishes are adapted from Korea and Japan. Yet they are no less "authentic" or true to their origins. The same can be said of food in China itself. Dry-fried green beans and mapo tofu at many restaurants in Beijing aren’t as spicy as they would be in Chengdu, and forgo a few ingredients, but does that mean the cooks are being "offensive" to Sichuan cuisine?
that recipe is very good, why some worry too much for fat
enjoy your food, just dont over eat, i eat what i like some worry too much how you look not even health, then dont eat this chicken go eat salad
I loved this dish. I had to sub for the tomato paste. I just boiled a small can of V8 until all I had left was the paste..Worked Perfect. Also, I used white wine vinegar instead, and Chicken Breast. I loved it! Will be trying it again. Thanks for the post!
yuuummmm yummmm :)
i tried this recipe and could not believe how good it tasted. The chicken without the sauce was good, I ate half of the first batch without sauce. I did not have the tomato paste so I used the natural sugarless ketcup that I had; it still turned out great! I will try it again soon with chicken breast instead of the thighs just to see how it comes out. Thanks for sharing!!
Thought this was one of the best Ive tried off the web. I did take a few posters advice. Added salt, pepper and garlic powder to the cornstarch. Also added alittle chili garlic sauce to the final stirring to add some more fire power.
Came out awesome and the crisp was perfect.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I made these yesterday for dinner and I wanted to thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. I’d never tasted something better than this! Simply delicious. Thanks again.
dredge thinly sliced chicken breast in flour, heat 1 or 2 tbsp of oil and sear the chicken. Then I pour over sauce ingredients(minus corn starch), cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Usually the sauce is thick enough at the end, but if not, mix a little corn starch with water, add it and bring it to a boil. The chickens really moist. :D
Really? You felt that you had to go to such lengths to make your point. Next time I suggest you make your arguments without calling people names and implying that people on here are idiots.
I actually never called anyone names or implied that anyone was an "idiot". If you have read that in my post or reply, please point it out.
You have a particular point of view about General Tso’s chicken and Hunan cuisine, and that’s great. But anyone who thinks even slightly differently is not necessarily wrong and should be entitled to their own opinions. Please don’t say that I called General Tso’s chicken an authentic Hunan dish when I did no such thing. What I actually did say in my post, is that General Tso’s is a popular dish in New York/American Hunan restaurants, created by Taiwanese chefs, and "isn’t really Chinese food". I also said that many dishes have been adapted over time, whether moving from Sichuan to Beijing, or from China to the US. It would be helpful to read an entire blog post before forming conclusions.
AMAZING! I made this once a few weeks ago and ate almost the whole batch of chicken before I could mix it with the sauce. I used chicken breast instead of thigh meat, put extra pepper flakes in the oil and also seasoned the cornstarch before I tossed the chicken. I tasted the sauce before I put it on the chicken and didn’t like the taste so much, but as soon as I put it on the chicken… it was DELICIOUS. I had to write a review because I’m just about to fry a batch of chicken for the recipe. I made extra this time so I could snack ;) Thanks SO MUCH for this recipe…. never had anything better!
…and while it was delicious it wasn’t sweet enough for me. All I could taste was spice and tomato!
I think next time I might cut back on the tomato paste and add some ginger into the sauce as well (I LOVE ginger).
One of the great things about this recipe though is that it guarantees tender, juicy chicken! A great recipe, I’ll go eat the rest of my delicious smelling chicken now. :D
just made this for my family, doubled the recipe (being that theres 4 of us) and it turned out great! everyone loved it, will definitely be doing this again.