General Tsos chicken dish (Printer-friendly)

Crispy fried chicken coated in sweet and tangy sauce, served with fragrant steamed rice and garnished with sesame.

# What You'll Need:

→ Chicken

01 - 1.3 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
02 - 2 large eggs
03 - 1 tbsp soy sauce
04 - 1 tsp sesame oil
05 - ¼ tsp white pepper
06 - 1 cup cornstarch
07 - ½ cup all-purpose flour
08 - Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

→ Sauce

09 - ½ cup chicken broth
10 - 3 tbsp soy sauce
11 - 2 tbsp rice vinegar
12 - 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
13 - 3 tbsp sugar
14 - 1 tbsp cornstarch
15 - 1 tbsp water (for slurry)
16 - 2 tsp sesame oil
17 - 1 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing wine (optional)

→ Stir-fry & Garnish

18 - 2 tbsp vegetable oil
19 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
20 - 2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
21 - 6-8 dried red chilies or 1-2 tsp chili flakes, to taste
22 - 2 spring onions, sliced
23 - Steamed white rice, for serving
24 - Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

# How To Make It:

01 - In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Add chicken pieces and toss thoroughly to coat.
02 - Combine cornstarch and all-purpose flour in a shallow dish. Dredge each chicken piece in the mixture, shaking off any excess.
03 - Heat vegetable oil in a deep pan or wok to 350°F. Fry chicken pieces in batches for 4 to 5 minutes until golden and crisp. Drain on a wire rack or paper towels.
04 - In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and Shaoxing wine if using. Mix cornstarch with water to form a slurry, then stir into the sauce mixture.
05 - Heat vegetable oil in a clean wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add dried chilies, garlic, and ginger; stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant.
06 - Pour the sauce into the wok with aromatics and cook, stirring continuously, until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
07 - Add the fried chicken pieces to the sauce and toss gently to coat each piece evenly.
08 - Serve immediately over steamed white rice. Garnish with sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The contrast between crispy, golden chicken and a sticky-sweet sauce that clings to every piece feels like restaurant magic, but it's honestly simple.
  • You can make it exactly as spicy as you want without compromising the depth of flavor.
  • Leftover sauce is secretly amazing on roasted vegetables or over rice the next day.
02 -
  • The sauce will thicken more as it cools, so pull it off the heat just before it looks thick enough—it'll continue to set.
  • Never crowd the pan when frying; the oil temperature drops too much and you get greasy chicken instead of crispy.
  • If you're making this ahead, keep the chicken and sauce separate until the last moment or the coating will lose its crunch.
03 -
  • If your sauce looks broken or grainy, whisk in a splash of room-temperature chicken broth to smooth it out before serving.
  • Make extra sauce—people will want to drizzle it over rice or ask for the recipe twice if you don't have enough to go around.
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