Last Updated on 17 June 2026 by cooksimply
When I first tried General Tso’s chicken, I was blown away by the taste sensation of different flavours – tangy, spicy and sweet, all covering crispy bite-sized pieces of chicken. And while I’m not a fan of sweet and sour chicken (I find it far too sickly and cloying), this takeaway favourite is really worth trying. Even better, it’s dead easy to make at home, and you can have it on the table in 35 minutes.
General Tso chicken recipe: what you need to know
General Tso’s chicken is a Chinese-American dish of crispy fried chicken tossed in a glossy, sticky sauce that’s sweet, savoury and gently spicy all at once. It’s a staple of takeaway menus across North America, though it’s less common in UK Chinese takeaways, which is exactly why it’s worth making yourself.
There are a few different origin stories. One says it was named after Zuo Zongtang, a 19th-century Hunanese general, though the dish as we know it almost certainly wasn’t eaten in his lifetime. The version most food historians agree on credits chef Peng Chang-kuei, who created it in Taiwan in the 1950s before it travelled to New York and was sweetened to suit American tastes. Whoever we thank, the result is one of the most moreish chicken dishes going.
Here’s what makes it work: the sweet hoisin and brown sugar, the saltiness of light and dark soy, the depth from oyster sauce, and a sharp lift from rice wine vinegar. Add garlic, ginger and chilli flakes, and you’ve got a sauce that clings to every crisp piece of chicken.
Quick facts:
- Serves: 4
- Total time: 35 minutes (15 prep, 20 cooking)
- Calories: around 430 per serving
- Difficulty: easy, a few steps but nothing tricky
- Best served with: plain boiled or egg-fried rice
Tips for an easy General Tso chicken recipe
This dish comes together quickly once you start cooking, so the trick is having everything ready before the oil goes on. These are the tips I’ve picked up making it again and again.
- Use chicken thighs, not breast. Thighs stay juicy and tender even after frying, while breast can dry out. Cut them into even bite-sized pieces so they cook at the same rate.
- Mix your sauce before you fry. The sauce comes together in under a minute in the wok, so have it measured and combined in a bowl ready to pour. There’s no time to be weighing things out mid-cook.
- Get the oil properly hot. Aim for around 180C. Too cool and the coating turns greasy rather than crisp. No thermometer? Drop in a tiny piece of chicken, it should sizzle straight away.
- Don’t crowd the pan. Fry in batches if you need to. Too much chicken at once drops the oil temperature and you lose that crispness.
- Add the chicken to the sauce at the very last moment. This is the single most important tip. Coat it, warm it through for a minute or two, then serve. Leave it sitting in the sauce and the crispy coating goes soft.
- Prep the aromatics first. Garlic, ginger and chilli only need 30 to 40 seconds in the pan, and they burn fast, so have them chopped and ready.
Ingredients
Everything here is easy to find in a UK supermarket, and most of it will keep in the cupboard for next time. Measurements are metric.
For the chicken marinade
- 500g boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
For the chicken coating
- 50g cornflour
- 50g plain flour
- 800ml vegetable oil, for frying (plus extra for the sauce)
For the sauce
- 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped or grated
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 100ml chicken stock
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes
To garnish
- Chopped spring onions
- Sesame seeds
A few notes on the key ingredients:
- Chicken thighs are juicier and more forgiving than breast. Boneless, skinless is easiest here.
- Cornflour and plain flour do two jobs: mixed together they make the crisp coating, and cornflour alone thickens the sauce.
- Shaoxing wine adds an authentic depth. Dry sherry is the closest swap if you can’t find it.
- Hoisin sauce brings the signature sweet, savoury base. This is the same sauce behind a good chicken in hoisin sauce recipe, so a jar is worth keeping in.
- Rice wine vinegar gives the sharp lift that stops the sauce being too sweet. White wine vinegar works at a push.
- Oyster sauce adds savoury richness and helps the sauce turn glossy.
How to make easy General Tso’s chicken
The method splits into three parts: marinate and coat the chicken, fry it, then build the sauce and bring it all together. Read it through once before you start so you’re ready to move quickly at the end.
- In a bowl large enough to hold the chicken, add the egg white, light and dark soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Mix with a spoon or your hands so the chicken is well coated. Set aside for a few minutes, or do this ahead of time.
- In another bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients: the light and dark soy, hoisin, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, cornflour, brown sugar and chicken stock. Stir well and set to one side.
- Mix the cornflour and plain flour together on a plate. Take each piece of chicken, coat it in the flour mix and shake off any excess. Lay the pieces on a plate or tray as you go.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan or wok to about 180C. Check with a thermometer, or drop in a tiny piece of chicken to see if it sizzles. Carefully add the chicken and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden and crispy, moving it around so it cooks evenly. Remove and drain on kitchen paper.
- In a clean wok or pan, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli flakes and stir-fry over high heat for 30 to 40 seconds to release the aromatics.
- Pour in the sauce and stir for around a minute. It will bubble up and start to thicken into a sticky, glossy coating.
- At the last moment, add the fried chicken and toss quickly so every piece is coated. Don’t leave it too long, so the chicken keeps its crunch.
- Serve straight away with a sprinkle of spring onions and sesame seeds, alongside plain boiled rice.
Tips, variations and substitutions
Once you’ve made it once, it’s easy to adjust to your taste. Here are some ways to change it up.
Make it spicier
The recipe has a gentle warmth. For more heat, add extra chilli flakes, a few whole dried red chillies to the pan with the aromatics, or a spoonful of chilli garlic sauce to the mix. Traditional versions often use dried chillies for a deeper, smoky heat.
Make it milder
Cooking for kids or a spice-shy crowd? Halve the chilli flakes or leave them out altogether. The sauce is still sweet, savoury and delicious without the heat.
Swap the protein
The same sauce works beautifully with prawns, tofu or cauliflower. For a vegetarian version, coat and fry firm tofu or cauliflower florets exactly as you would the chicken. Tofu takes on the sauce brilliantly.
Bake or air-fry instead of deep-frying
To cut down on oil, spray the coated chicken and air-fry at 200C for around 12 to 15 minutes, turning halfway, until crisp. It won’t be quite as crunchy as deep-fried, but it’s a lighter option that still works well with the sauce.
Common substitutions
- No Shaoxing wine? Use dry sherry, or leave it out and add a splash more stock.
- No rice wine vinegar? White wine vinegar or cider vinegar will do the job.
- No oyster sauce? A little extra hoisin plus a dash of soy gets you close, though you’ll lose some savoury depth.
- Gluten-free? Use tamari in place of soy sauce and check your hoisin and oyster sauces are gluten-free.
Serving suggestions
General Tso’s chicken is rich and saucy, so it pairs best with something plain to soak it all up.
I love it with plain boiled rice or egg-fried rice. A side of green vegetables balances the plate nicely, my stir-fried pak choi is a favourite here.
If you’re making a bigger Chinese feast, serve it as part of a spread alongside my salt and pepper chicken wings, sesame prawn toast or crispy chilli beef. A simple cucumber salad on the side is refreshing against all that sticky sauce.
Frequently asked questions
What does General Tso’s chicken taste like?
It’s a balance of sweet, savoury and spicy. The hoisin and brown sugar bring sweetness, soy and oyster sauce add savoury saltiness, and rice wine vinegar and chilli give sharpness and a gentle heat. The chicken stays crispy under the glossy sauce.
Can you get General Tso’s chicken in the UK?
It’s much more common in North America than in the UK, where it rarely appears on takeaway menus. That’s exactly why it’s worth making at home; all the ingredients are easy to find in UK supermarkets.
What’s the difference between General Tso’s chicken and sweet and sour chicken?
Sweet and sour chicken is sweeter and tangier, usually with pineapple and a bright red sauce. General Tso’s is deeper and more savoury, with soy, hoisin and oyster sauce, plus a chilli kick that sweet and sour doesn’t have.
How do you keep the chicken crispy?
Add the fried chicken to the sauce only at the very last moment, toss to coat, and serve straight away. The longer it sits in the sauce, the softer the coating becomes.
Can you make General Tso’s chicken ahead of time?
You can marinate the chicken and mix the sauce in advance, then fry and combine just before serving. It’s best eaten fresh, as the coating softens on standing, but leftovers keep in the fridge for up to two days and can be reheated in a hot oven or air fryer to crisp back up.
Other recipes you’ll love
Air fryer prawn toast
Garlic and chilli crispy prawns
Air fryer crispy Chinese chicken wings
Air fryer Japanese fried chicken
Salt and pepper chicken wings
Easy recipe for General Tso’s chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken marinade
- 500 g boneless chicken thighs cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons of Shaoxing wine
For the chicken coating
- 50 g cornflour
- 50 g plain flour
- 800 ml vegetable oil for frying extra for stir-frying sauce
For the sauce
- 1 inch piece of ginger peeled and finely chopped grated
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 100 ml chicken stock
- 2 tbsps oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tbsps brown sugar
- 1 tbsp corn flour
- 2 tbsps light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp red chilli flakes
Garnish
- chopped spring onions
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a bowl large enough to fit the chicken, add the egg white, soy sauce and Shaoxing wine. Using a spoon or your hands, mix the ingredients together so the chicken is well coated. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the sauce ingredients – the soy sauces, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, cornflour, brown sugar and chicken stock. Put to one side.
- Time to coat the chicken. Mix together the corn flour and the plain flour. And getting a piece of chicken, coat the chicken in the flour mix and shake off any excess. Put on a plate or baking tray and continue to coat the rest of the chicken pieces.
- To cook the chicken, get a large pan or wok and heat the vegetable oil to about 180c. You can check with a thermometer or test with a tiny piece of chicken and it will sizzle. Carefully add the chicken to the hot oil and fry for around 3-4 minutes until crispy and golden. You’ll want to move the chicken around to make sure they evenly cook. Remove the chicken once done, and place on some kitchen paper to drain any excess oil.
- In a clean wok, or pan, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil, then add the garlic, ginger and chilli flakes. Stir-fry on a high heat for 30-40 seconds and then add the sauce.
- Stir the sauce for around a minute. The sauce will bubble up and begin to thicken. At the last moment, add the chicken pieces and combine with the sauce – making sure all the chicken is coated in the sauce. Don't keep it too long in the sauce, so the chicken retains its crispiness.
- Serve with a sprinkle of spring onions and sesame seeds on top. Perfect with boiled rice.
