General Tso’s chicken is one of our favorite dishes from Chinese restaurants so when I saw this lightened up version on La Table de Nana, I knew I’d give it a shot. I used 2 chicken breasts and halved the sauce recipe below, which was perfect for just Shane and I. We really enjoyed this dish and I thought the flavor was really close to the General Tso’s dishes we’ve had in restaurants. This is, however, not a very spicy version of the dish, so if you prefer more heat you’ll want to adapt the recipe a bit. I’ve also seen a great version of this recipe adapted to use tofu on The Lives and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch so be sure to check out her site if you’d like instructions for tofu instead of chicken.
General Tso’s Chicken
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3-4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
6-8 spring green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated
hot pepper flakes (optional)
Mix together the first 6 ingredients (through the water) and set aside. This is the sauce.
Dredge the chicken cubes in the cornstarch, shaking off any excess. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the chicken until browned. Remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.
Wipe pan clean with paper towel and add sesame oil with onions and chopped ginger. Fry about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add sauce mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer about 2 minutes, until the sauce thickens a bit. Add the chicken back to the skillet, toss to coat with sauce and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through. Serve garnished with green onion tops and red pepper flakes, if desired.
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Oh I need to learn how to make this at home! That looks SOOOOOO GOOD. The glaze… WOW.
I have several versions of General Tso’s Chicken that I want to try, and I’ll add this one to my list!
Ooo! One of my husband’s favorites. I’ll have to try this sometime soon- it looks delicious!
Great photos!
That looks better than any restaurant i’ve ever ordered from!
This looks great! That sauce looks amazing!
Yum! This looks so good and healthy!
Well done! Yours is beautiful!
Beautiful dish. I love the colors.
I love finding home versions of restaurant favorites so I can control the insane amount of oil they use in restaurants. This looks delicious and indistinguishable from what you’d get at PF Chang’s.
I love when I find a good Chinese recipe that can be made at home. I’ll have to try this since my husband doesn’t really lot the “hot” anyway!
Think I’m going to try it tonight. Btw, isn’t it General TAO chicken? That’s what we call it in Canada…
This looks so good and doable. Its one of my favorites. Thank you!
Wow, this is a nice chicken dish…looks so yummie. Great pictures as well.
Tried it; it was great! I added onions to the meat. I will definitely cook it again! Thanks
Looks wonderfully beautiful and delicious…can’t beat those colors and your photo is outstanding!
That looks amazing. If you told me that was from a restaurant I would have totally believed you.
When it comes to Chinese Food, General Tso’s is one of my big weaknesses. This version looks simply delicious and is definitely a must try!
General Tso’s Chicken is my hubby’s favorite… he would love this! I will give it a try!
I am so making this!! yum
I am a big fan of general tso’s chicken…it is always my go to dish!
Thank you for a great recipe!
I really enjoy your blog, I’m off to check out more…
Finally! A mock take out recipe that actually tastes wonderful! I’ll be blogging my experience with your wonderful recipe soon.
I finally got around to making this and it was very good. Then my husband added some Sirachi sauce (we call it rooster sauce) and it was amazing. This will definitely be my go to recipe for Gen. Tso’s Chicken!
I made this tonight, and it was delicious. The kiddos even ate it! So glad to add it to my repertoire. Thanks!
This recipe is delicious. I will definitely be making it again. Thanks!
Yummo – must try this soon. Chinese night isn’t far away!!
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ButterYum
Just tried this and was very good. Thanks for posting this recipe. Just like General Tso differs from restaurant to restaurant, this one differs from others I have made. It doesn’t have much spice (I like mine spicy hot), but overall the flavors blend fairly well. My oldest daughter thought it was a little heavy on the vinegar flavor and my wife thought the ketchup flavor was stronger than she liked.
This is a very good recipe overall and I would make it again.
This looks so yummy! Butttt I need help! I am DYING to make this recipe! However, I can’t find rice wine vinegar .. Is rice vinegar the same thing? Thanks for the help… ๐
Hi Jenna – Yes, they are the same thing. This is one of our favorites, hope you enjoy it! ๐
I so cant wait to do this recipe it looks really good
Hi Tracey, I love your blog and this recipe is now a staple in our house. I’ve made it bi-weekly for months. Question: we’ve tried to make it for groups and for potluck a but haven’t been successful. It seems to be best fresh made and served immediately. I thought about baking it in the oven like your sweet and sour chicken? Anyway, just wondering if you’ve had any luck making this in advance somehow. Thank you!
@Anonymous – Thanks for the kind words, this is a favorite of ours too! I’ve never made it in advance though sorry. My only thought is that maybe you could keep it warm in a 200 F oven after making it? Have you tried that?