• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • About
  • Shop
  • Contact

Cook With Dana

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Travel
  • About
  • Shop
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Travel
    • About
    • Shop
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Cook With Dana » Recipes » Chinese

    Published: May 20, 2022 · Modified: Aug 22, 2023 by Dana · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    General Chicken Recipe

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    general tso chicken recipe

    I’m re-creating a Chinese-American dish called General Chicken. We served this dish at our Chinese restaurant but I think mine is a little better than my dad’s 😉 I taste tested the sauce many times to get the flavors just right. I have to say, the general tso chicken sauce is incredibly tasty!

    If you’ve never tried this dish before, this crunchy chicken has all the flavors of salty, sweet, spicy, and sour. It goes best with white rice because the sauce is really flavorful! Chinese takeout would not be the same after this.

    general tso chicken recipe

    INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR YOUR GENERAL CHICKEN:

    Chicken Marinade:

    • chicken thigh (skin-less)
    • ginger
    • salt
    • chicken bouillon
    • shaoxing cooking wine or sake
    • olive oil
    • egg
    • all purpose flour

    Fry Chicken:

    • corn starch
    • corn oil (to fry chicken)

    Sauce:

    • red pepper flakes (add more if you like extra spicy!)
    • garlic
    • hoisin sauce
    • ketchup
    • rice vinegar
    • soy sauce
    • oyster sauce
    • sugar
    • water
    • corn starch
    • avocado oil or corn oil
    • dried red chilis

    Garnish:

    • green onions
    • sesame seeds

    STEPS TO MAKE THE GENERAL CHICKEN:

    1. Cut chicken thigh in 1 inch pieces and sliced ginger. In a large bowl, marinate the chicken thigh with sliced ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon, 1.5 tablespoons shaoxing cooking wine, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix together.
    2. Beat one egg and add to the chicken marinade. Mix 1 tablespoon flour in the chicken. Mix together and this will help create the batter for chicken.
    3. Add 1 cup corn starch on a plate. Coat the chicken in the corn starch. The trick is to gently press the chicken in the corn starch. This is how my dad creates a crunchier coating at his Chinese restaurant!
    4. Let the corn starch chicken rest for 10-15 minutes. This will ensure that the cornstarch doesn’t fall off during the frying process. While its resting, heat 3-4 cups of oil in a pot on medium heat. To check if the oil is hot enough, add your chopstick and if there are small bubbles forming, its ready!
    5. Fry the chicken for 5 minutes in small batches (I did 4 batches) to ensure that the chicken is extra crunchy. If you fry a lot at once, this will activate more steam from the chicken and makes for less crunchy chicken.
    6. After frying, rest chicken on a rack or a paper towel to get off excess oil.
    7. To make the General Tso sauce, add 1 teaspoon pepper flakes (add more if you like extra spicy!), 1 finely minced garlic clove, ½ tablespoon hoisin sauce, ½ tablespoon ketchup, 2 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ cup water, and 1.5 teaspoon corn starch. Then, mix together until corn starch is dissolved.
    8. Heat pan on medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon avocado oil or corn oil and fry dried chilis for 1 minute until the peppers darken. Do a quick stir of the sauce to mix in the cornstarch and add to the pan. It will start bubbling and thickening. Cook sauce for 1 minute max.
    9. Coat chicken with sauce and eat the General Tso chicken with some hot white rice for a delicious and savory meal!

    Check Out More Delicious Chicken Recipes:

    • Japanese Karaage – Crispy chicken dipped in a sriracha mayo sauce.
    • Chicken Yakitori Made In The Air Fryer – Savory and sweet chicken skewers for the perfect appetizer.
    • One Pot Beef and Rice – beef rice inspired by Pepper Lunch made in the rice cooker
    • curry chicken on a plate with cucumbers, chili, lime, fork and rice
      One Pot Coconut Curry Chicken and Rice
    • Korean chicken wings coated in spicy sauce, garnished with sesame seeds and green onions on a white plate.
      Air Fryer Korean Chicken Wings
    • Cheesy chicken and vegetables being lifted with chopsticks from a skillet with melted cheese.
      Dak Galbi (Stir Fry Spicy Chicken)
    • chinese chicken rice with sausage
      Easy One Pot Chinese Chicken and Rice
    general chicken with spice
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    General Chicken Recipe

    This is how to make crunchy chicken with general tso sauce. The sauce is spicy, savory, sour, and sweet which makes this a very flavorful meal!
    Prep Time1 hour hr
    Cook Time30 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Servings: 6 people
    Calories: 549kcal
    Author: Dana

    Ingredients

    chicken marinade:

    • 1.5 pounds chicken thigh (skin-less) cut in 1 inch pieces
    • 1 inch ginger thinly sliced
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
    • 1½ tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 egg beaten
    • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

    fry chicken:

    • 1 cup corn starch
    • 3-4 cups corn oil to fry chicken

    sauce:

    • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes add more if you like extra spicy
    • 1 garlic clove finely minced
    • ½ tablespoon hoisin sauce
    • ½ tablespoon ketchup
    • 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • ½ tablespoon oyster sauce
    • 1 teaspoon sugar
    • ½ cup water
    • 1½ teaspoon corn starch
    • 1 tablespoon avocado oil
    • 6-7 dried chilis

    garnish

    • green onion thinly sliced
    • sesame seeds

    Instructions

    Marinate Chicken

    • Cut chicken thigh in 1 inch pieces and slice ginger. In a large bowl, marinate the chicken thigh with sliced ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon, 1.5 tablespoons shaoxing cooking wine, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Mix together.
      1.5 pounds chicken thigh (skin-less), 1 inch ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
    • Beat one egg and add to the chicken marinade. Mix 1 tablespoon flour in the chicken. Mix together and this will help create the batter for chicken.
      1½ tablespoon olive oil, 1 egg
    • Add 1 cup corn starch on a plate. Coat the chicken in the corn starch. The trick is to gently press the chicken in the corn starch. This is how my dad creates a crunchier coating at his Chinese restaurant!
      1 cup corn starch
    • Let the corn starch chicken rest for 10-15 minutes. This will ensure that the cornstarch doesn’t fall off during the frying process. While its resting, heat 3-4 cups of oil in a pot on medium heat. To check if the oil is hot enough, add your chopstick and if there are small bubbles forming, its ready!
      3-4 cups corn oil

    Fry Chicken

    • Fry the chicken for 5 minutes in small batches (I did 4 batches) to ensure that the chicken is extra crunchy. If you fry a lot at once, this will activate more steam from the chicken and makes for less crunchy chicken.
    • After frying, rest chicken on a rack or a paper towel to get off excess oil.

    Make Sauce

    • To make the General Tso sauce, add 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (add more if you like extra spicy!), 1 finely minced garlic clove, ½ tablespoon hoisin sauce, ½ tablespoon ketchup, 2 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ cup water, and 1.5 teaspoon corn starch. Mix together until corn starch is dissolved.
      1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 garlic clove, ½ tablespoon hoisin sauce, ½ tablespoon ketchup, 2 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ cup water, 1½ teaspoon corn starch
    • Heat pan on medium heat. Once hot, add 1 tablespoon avocado oil or corn oil and fry dried chilis for 1 minute until the peppers darken. Do a quick stir of the sauce to mix in the cornstarch and add sauce to the pan. It will start bubbling and thickening. Cook sauce for 1 minute max.
      6-7 dried chilis, 1 tablespoon avocado oil
    • Coat chicken with sauce and eat the General Tso chicken with some hot white rice for a delicious and savory meal!
      green onion, sesame seeds

    Nutrition

    Calories: 549kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 23g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 753mg | Potassium: 325mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 305IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 1mg
    Facebook Share Twitter Share
    Did you make this?Please give it a 5-star rating, or leave a comment to share your experience! Tag @cookwithdanaa on Instagram to show me your beautiful creations! 😊

    Check out Chinese Takeout Recipes from our family’s restaurant here:

    • Chicken chow mein – super tender chicken with saucy noodles will make you feel like you ordered from the best chinese restaurant (your house hehe)
    • Mongolian beef – flavorful beef and a mild spice makes my mouth water!
    • Egg drop soup – nice and warming egg drop soup makes my tummy warm and happy!

    Cook With Dana is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you purchase something through my amazon affiliate links, I earn a small commission that helps me produce more cooking content at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Cook With Dana!

    More Authentic Chinese Recipes

    • Spicy Garlic Eggplant garnished with Thai chili, green onions, and sesame seeds on a plate.
      Chinese Eggplant with Garlic Sauce
    • Crispy Chinese Chicken garnished with sesame seeds and green onions and served with white rice.
      Crispy Chinese Chicken (20 Minute Meal)
    • Pork and cabbage stir fry in a pot beside a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks.
      Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry
    • Plate of fried dumplings and Chinese red envelopes on the side with tangerines.
      Chinese Peanut Dumpling (KOK CHAI 角仔)

    Reader Interactions

    5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi there, I'm Dana and I create Asian recipes that are yummy and easy for everyone to make! I hope my food reminds you of a little taste of home.

    More about me →

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • TikTok

    Popular Recipes

    • chicken and rice with cucumbers, spicy sweet and sour red sauce, green onions ginger
      One Pot Chicken Rice – Hainanese Chicken Rice
    • udon noodles with chicken and pork broth, pork mince, green onions and spinach
      Easy Tan Tan Udon (Tantanmen Recipe)
    • chinese chicken rice with sausage
      Easy One Pot Chinese Chicken and Rice
    • mango dessert with cream, graham cracker, and ripe yellow mangoes
      Filipino Mango Float
    • Chicken and broccoli with white rice and wooden spoon.
      Easy Chinese Chicken and Broccoli
    • Egg drop soup with tofu served in a bowl with spoon.
      Egg Drop Soup with Tofu

    Featured Recipes

    • Kimchi udon noodles with spicy sauce, green onions, fried egg on top on a plate.
      Kimchi Udon (15 Minutes Meal)
    • chinese hot pot - bok choy beef tofu mushrooms
      Easy Chinese Hot Pot At Home
    • salmon nigiri with spicy crab avocado slices, green onions and spicy red sauce
      Spicy Salmon Sushi with Crab
    • Crispy fried chicken with lemon and sriracha mayo.
      Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
    • white long noodles with sliced cucumber, minced pork and peanuts on top. mix with sesame and chili sauce for fragrant noodles
      Easy Dan Dan Noodles
    • pork mince sunny side egg with white rice
      Braised Minced Pork Sauce

    Latest ‘Grams

    Featured

    A plate of Korean Japchae noodles with red bell peppers, spinach, shiitake mushrooms, sprinkled with sesame seeds and a small Kimchi dish on the side.

    Easy & Quick Japchae (Korean Glass Noodle Stir Fry)

    A plate of Japanese Mentaiko Udon garnished with an egg, spicy cod roe, green onions, and seaweed.

    Japanese Mentaiko Udon

    Footer

    Sign up to receive
    the latest recipes from
    Cook With Dana!

    ↑ back to top

    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • TikTok

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Cook With Dana

    Privacy Policy

    Accessibility

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.