Easy General Tso's Chicken Recipe (2024)

What is General Tso’s sauce made of?

General Tso’s sauce is made with rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine), garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper. Some recipes also call for chili paste.

What does TSO sauce taste like?

The General Tso’s sauce is sweet, savory, spicy, and tangy.

Is General Tso always spicy?

General Tso sauce usually uses chili paste, cayenne pepper, or red pepper flakes, which is the reason is spicy. However, if you make it at home, you can control how much heat you want to add.

Do I need to brown the chicken first?

The chicken’s caramelized surface will give a rich and delish flavor to the finished dish, but you can totally skip this step if you are short of time.

What can I use in place of Chinese cooking wine?

If you don’t have or find Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine), substitute it with dry sherry.

How does slow cooker mode on the instant work?

According to my testing: NORMAL = LOW mode in a traditional slow cooker. MORE = HIGH mode in a traditional slow cooker.

How spicy is this recipe?

This recipe is mild and spicy. ¼ teaspoon, add a subtle spicy kick to the dish that won’t leave you breadless. Of course, you can adjust the amount of cayenne pepper in the sauce to your liking, more for more heat, or just omit it for not heat at all.

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings 6

• ▢ 2 – 3 tablespoons oil (olive oil, vegetable or canola)
• ▢ 1 ½ – 2 lb (2 kg) Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cubed
• ▢ 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon (15 g) cornstarch
• ▢ Sesame seeds to garnish (optional)
• ▢ Crushed red pepper to garnish (optional)
• ▢ 1 green onion, sliced – to garnish (optional)

For General Tso's sauce:

• ▢ 1/3 cup (80 ml) rice vinegar
• ▢ 1/3 cup (80 ml) soy sauce
• ▢ ¾ cup (180 ml) hoisin sauce
• ▢ 4 tablespoons (50 g) brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) (see notes)
• ▢ 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste (see notes)

Pressure Cooker:

• Turn the Instant Pot ON, select "sauté" mode, and adjust the heat to more. When hot, add oil. Add the chicken in batches, make sure not to crowd the pot, and cook about 2 minutes per side, or until slightly brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate and repeat with any remaining chicken. Press "cancel". Return chicken all the chicken to the pot. NOTE: You can also sauté the chicken in a skillet over the stove if you prefer.

• Make the sauce: mix all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Pour sauce over the chicken. Mix to coat.

• Secure the lid to the Instant Pot, close the pressure valve, select "poultry" or "high pressure," and adjust to 10 minutes. When the time is over, carefully turn the valve to "venting" to release the pressure. Then remove the lid. Press "Cancel".

• Turn the Instant Pot ON, select "sauté" mode, and adjust the heat to normal. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until no lumps. Pour mixture over the chicken; mix to combine. Simmer for 1 – 2 minutes until the sauce thickens.

• If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds, crushed red pepper, and sliced green onions. Serve chicken with rice.

Slow Cooker:

• Turn the Instant Pot ON, select "sauté" mode, and adjust the heat to more. When hot, add oil. Add the chicken in batches, make sure not to crowd the pot, and cook about 2 minutes per side, or until slightly brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate and repeat with any remaining chicken. Press "cancel". Return chicken all the chicken to the pot. NOTE: You can also sauté the chicken in a skillet over the stove if you prefer.

• Make the sauce: mix all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Pour sauce over the chicken. Mix to coat.

• Secure the lid to the Instant Pot, OPEN the pressure valve, select "slow cook" and adjust to NORMAL. Cook for 3 hours. Or, adjust to MORE and cook for 1 ½ hours. When the time is over, carefully remove the lid. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until no lumps. Pour mixture over the chicken; mix to combine—Cook for 15 more minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

• If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds, crushed red pepper, and sliced green onions. Serve chicken with rice.

Stovetop:

• Preheat a non-stick skillet with oil over medium high heat. Cook chicken in 2 to 3 batches, sauteeing until golden on both sides and cooked through, then remove the chicken from the pan and transfer to a bowl. Repeat with the remaining chicken, adding more oil as needed.

• Prepare the sauce: mix all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined.

• Add the sauce to the skillet and bring it to a simmer while stirring. Let it simmer for 1 minute to cook off the vinegar a bit. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning to your taste if necessary. Add the chicken and toss to coat.

• Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl until no lumps. Pour the mixture over the chicken; mix to combine— simmer for 3 – 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.

• If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds, crushed red pepper, and sliced green onions. Serve chicken with rice.

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