Crispy General Tso's Chicken (Oven & Air Fryer Method!)
Get ready to elevate your takeout game with our homemade oven baked General Tso's Chicken Recipe. Crispy, tangy, and perfectly glazed, this dish brings the iconic flavors of your favorite takeout restaurant straight to your kitchen without the deep fryer fuss. Prepare for a dish that will finally have you saying goodbye to the delivery menu!
Servings: 5 servings
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!
Notes
If you can't find chili garlic sauce, double the amount of garlic for the sauce and use 1/2 - 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste) instead.
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.9g | Protein: 29.1g | Fat: 8.7g | Saturated Fat: 1.9g | Cholesterol: 127.8mg | Sodium: 788.3mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 14.4g