I went on a long quest to find the perfect easy General Tso Chicken recipe without finding just the right one… until I tried this one. Really, who needs takeout? It’s everything a good General Tso chicken should be: sweet, sticky, slightly spicy… and it’s not deep-fried! I’m not a big fan of deep frying at home, it kind of scares me actually! And I find this unfried version a lot lighter too, all that without sacrificing the taste.
People can be put off by Asian recipes because of the amount of ingredients they can have. But it’s mostly stuff that we already have in the pantry or fridge. Plus, most asian recipes are super fast to make. This easy General Tso Chicken recipe can be done in less than 30 minutes, it’s really easy, you can even mix together all the sauce ingredients in advance to save some time. The sweetness of the sauce here is perfectly balanced with the amount of soy sauce and rice vinegar. I’m pretty sure you’ll never order a takeout version for General Tso again!
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- 6 tablespoons chicken broth
- 6 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons sambal oelek
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
- ½ cup canola oil
- 2 lbs (1 kg) chicken skinless and boneless thighs chicken, cut into large cubes
- ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 4 whole dried Sichuan chilies (optional)
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- Salt and pepper
- Combine in a small bowl all the sauce ingredients, soy sauce, broth, vinegar, ginger, garlic, cornstarch, paprika, sambal oelek and sesame oil. Set aside.
- Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan, stir to mix well. Bring to a boil and simmer until mixture is slightly caramelized, about 5-7 minutes. IMPORTANT: don't stir the mixture while bringing to boil, instead, swirl the saucepan occasionally.
- Once slightly caramelized, add the sauce mixture. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Keep sauce aside, off the heat.
- Add 2 tbsp. of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook peppers and chilies if using for about 3 minutes. Set aside on a plate.
- In a large bowl, season chicken pieces with some salt and pepper (go easy on the salt, there is soy sauce in the sauce). Add flour and toss until well coated. Remove any excess flour.
- In the same skillet that you cooked your peppers in, brown half of the chicken at a time in remaining oil (95 ml or ⅓ cup + 1tbsp.). Add oil, if needed. Drain on paper towels and keep warm. Repeat with remaining chicken. Discard oil.
- Reheat skillet with sauce, add chicken and peppers, mix to combine. Sprinkle with green onions.
- Serve with rice and a green vegetable.
If you’re always looking for some great chicken recipes, also try these:
OVEN-BAKED CAESAR CHICKEN KEBABS. These chicken skewers are a fun twist on a classic Caesar Salad.
EASY OVEN-ROASTED CHICKEN SHAWARMA. This recipe is an absolute gem. Who knew making Chicken Shawarma at home was this easy!
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