Garlicky, a little bit spicy, and slightly sweet, this healthier General Tso’s chicken is everything you love about the classic takeout dish but made with better-for-you ingredients for a delicious, healthy dinner!
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This recipe is…
Ah, General Tso’s chicken! A long-time favorite of mine. Can I confess something? Chinese restaurants used to be my jam…specifically, Chinese buffets. I know, I KNOW… lots of mystery can be found at a Chinese food buffet, but I just couldn’t keep away! In fact, in high school, my friend and I would go to the same Chinese buffet EVERY. SINGLE. MONDAY. You know what I couldn’t keep off of my plate? You guessed it…General Tso’s chicken! It’s just the perfect combination of spicy and sweet (but not too much of either), with a touch of yummy garlicky goodness. THE BEST.
Thankfully, my eating has evolved, and while I love a good treat, I always prioritize how food makes me feel first. And if I’m being honest, that buffet General Tso’s did *not* make me feel good. This one, on the other hand, totally does! Made with better-for-you ingredients and crisped using an air fryer or oven, this rendition feels (and, dare I say, tastes!) so much better than the takeout version!
How do you make General Tso’s Chicken?
This recipe consists of 3 (super easy) different components. First, the chicken marinade, then the flour coating, and finally, the General Tso’s sauce. Typically, the restaurant version of General Tso’s chicken features battered and deep-fried chicken, but we’re going to walk you through how to get the perfect crispy coating without having to deep fry.
Here’s what you’ll need to do to for a better-than-takeout dinner:
Marinate & Bread the Chicken
- Whisk together the marinade + add the chicken. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg white, cornstarch, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, and salt, then add the chicken pieces to the marinade, and toss to coat.
- Whisk together the flour coating + coat the chicken. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, white rice flour, and sea salt (these ingredients are KEY to getting the crispiest General Tso’s chicken), then remove the chicken from the marinade, dredge it in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.
Cook the Chicken
Air Fryer Method
If you choose to use the air fryer, know that you’ll probably need to work in batches, but your end product will be ultra crispy and delicious! Here’s what you’ll do:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Once preheated, add the chicken to the air fryer in a single layer (this allows for maximum crisp!). Spritz the chicken with avocado oil spray, and set the air fryer to cook for 12 minutes, flipping the chicken halfway through.
Oven Method
If you don’t have an air fryer, no worries! Thanks to the flour coating ingredients (ESPECIALLY the white rice flour), your chicken will still get a good crisp in the oven. If you’re going the oven route, here’s what you’ll do:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. While the oven is preheating, spread the flour-coated chicken out on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Lightly spray or brush the chicken with avocado oil, then bake it for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, flip the chicken then bake for an additional 15 minutes, until golden brown and crisp.
Make the General Tso Sauce
While the chicken is cooking, make the General Tso’s sauce:
- Saute the garlic. In a frying pan or wok, heat the oil over medium heat, add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Add the honey, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce (this adds some spice, so feel free to use less if you want a less spicy sauce!), sesame oil, cornstarch, and chicken broth or water to the skillet and whisk to combine. Once smooth, let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes, or until thickened.
Toss & Serve
Once your chicken is crispy and your sauce is thickened, toss them together, garnish with sesame seeds, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Use Chicken Thighs – we opt for chicken thighs here because their higher fat content keeps them from drying out, which means they can bake for longer than a chicken breast, plus they create a crispier coating.
Spritz the Chicken with Oil – give the chicken a good spray of avocado oil before baking or air frying it. While you can use a brush to spread the oil on the coated chicken pieces, the spray is MUCH easier and creates a more even coating.
Use White Rice Flour – white rice flour gets the *best* crisp. Brown rice flour is grittier and heftier, so it won’t get nearly as good of a crisp as white rice flour.
Work in Batches/Spread Out – if you’re air frying, work in batches. It’s tempting to pile in all of your chicken in hopes that’ll it’ll turn out okay, but resist the urge! The air fryer works by moving hot air around your food, and an overly-full air fryer isn’t able to do that effectively. If you’re baking your General Tso’s chicken, be sure to spread the chicken out on the sheet pan for the best crisp.
Air Fryer vs. Oven
Both methods result in an uber crispy, better-than-takeout General Tso’s, so which is better? Here’s a quick comparison. The air fryer is faster (12 minutes vs. 30 minutes), but can cook less chicken at a time, requiring you to work in batches. Oven-baked General Tso’s takes more time but can be done all at once, and results in a *slightly* less crispy end product. Honestly, there are pros and cons to each method, but they’re both absolutely delicious, so it truly comes down to how much time you have, whether or not you have an air fryer, and just how crispy you want your General Tso’s to be.
What to Serve with General Tso’s Chicken
We like to go simple here and serve our General Tso’s chicken with a side of perfectly-cooked white rice and steamed broccoli. It just *feels* right!
More Favorite Chicken Recipes
Crispy General Tso’s Chicken (Oven + Air Fryer Method!)
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 1 egg white
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch may also use an equal amount of arrowroot flour or tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce use tamari for gluten-free
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
For the flour coating:
- ½ cup cornstarch may also use an equal amount of arrowroot flour or tapioca starch
- ½ cup white rice flour
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- Avocado oil spray or about 1 tablespoon avocado oil
For the sauce:
- 2 teaspoons avocado or olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely minced
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
- 1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce reduce to 1 teaspoon for a mild option*
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch may also use an equal amount of arrowroot flour or tapioca starch
- ½ cup chicken broth or water
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
Oven Method:
- Preheat the oven to 425 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, then lightly spray it with the avocado oil spray, or brush it with half of the avocado oil.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg white, corn starch, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch, white rice flour, and sea salt.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade then dredge in the flour mixture, then shake off the excess flour and lay the chicken on the baking sheet. Lightly spray the chicken with avocado oil, or brush it with the remaining oil, then bake for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, flip the chicken then bake for an additional 15 minutes, until browned and crisp.
- While the chicken is baking, heat 2 teaspoons avocado oil in a small pot over medium heat, then add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the honey, vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil, and stir. Let cook for 1-2 minutes, until bubbling, then, in a small bowl, whisk together the broth and cornstarch and stir into the sauce. Let it cook for another 1-2 minutes until it begins to thicken, then remove from heat.
- Toss the chicken with the General Tso’s sauce then garnish with white sesame seeds. Serve over white rice or cauliflower rice and enjoy!
Air Fryer Method:
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg white, corn starch, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch, white rice flour, and sea salt.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade then dredge in the flour mixture, then shake off the excess flour and place the chicken in your air fryer basket in an even layer. To do this, you may have to cook the chicken in two batches.
- Lightly spray the chicken with avocado oil, or brush it with the remaining oil, then air fry for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- While the chicken is baking, heat 2 teaspoons avocado oil in a small pot over medium heat, then add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the honey, vinegar, soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and sesame oil, and stir. Let cook for 1-2 minutes, until bubbling, then, in a small bowl, whisk together the broth and cornstarch and stir into the sauce. Let it cook for another 1-2 minutes until it begins to thicken, then remove from heat.
- Toss the chicken with the General Tso’s sauce then garnish with white sesame seeds. Serve over white rice or cauliflower rice and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This is one of our family’s favorite meals- it is so good.
We’re so glad to hear that, Kait! Thanks so much for taking the time to share this with us!
YUM!!!!! When I was making the sauce, it smelled like I stole it from a Chinese restaurant! We LOVED it. It will make a regular appearance at dinner here. I did the oven version, and I used water where there was the option of water or chicken broth.
Wahoo! So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Leah!
This dish hits the spot! So much better than takeout. Thank you for creating a tasty dish!
Wahooo! We are so glad you love it, Laurie!
Just made this tonight. AMAZING !!!!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed, Lori! Thank you for taking the time to share with us!
Just made this tonight. AMAZING !!!!