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Slow cooker General Tso’s chicken is a super easy version of everyone’s favorite Chinese entree! Crispy chicken cooked in a sweet and savory sauce with a little added heat. This is way better than takeout!
Asian-inspired recipes work great in the slow cooker. It results in tender meat but also gives time for the meat to soak up the flavorful sauces. Make this slow cooker cashew chicken, my Mongolian beef, or this Kung Pao chicken. The flavors just explode because of the long slow simmer.
General Tso’s Chicken
We love Asian-inspired meals at our house, and this slow-cooker version of General Tso’s chicken is a must! Even better, it’s easy to put together and the slow cooker does all the work. The chicken is crispy on the outside but tender on the inside thanks to the magic of the slow cooker. The sauce slowly cooks and absorbs into the crispy chicken perfectly. I love being able to make better-than-takeout recipes right at home! If you make this for your family I promise that everyone will devour it!
The rich and dark sauce in this meal is incredible. It is sweet and savory with just a little bit of heat. I always have to hold out the red pepper flakes until the end just for my kiddos, but it has such incredible flavor. Make this meal complete by serving the chicken and sauce over rice. I also love to serve it with vegetable stirfry and a side of these easy cream cheese wontons. I know this is a meal that your family will love and you’ll want to make it again and again.
Ingredients For the Best General Tso’s Chicken
Simple ingredients that combine to create magic in the slow cooker. You are going to love this easy way of making your favorite Asian-inspired meals. Follow the recipe card below for exact measurements.
- Chicken Breasts: Skinless boneless chicken cut into one-inch cubes.
- Cornstarch: This will create that crispy outside.
- Vegetable Oil: To fry the chicken before slow cooking.
- Hoisin Sauce: This sweet and salty sauce can be found in the Asian aisle with soy sauce, and other Asian sauces.
- Soy Sauce: Use regular or low-sodium with great results.
- Brown Sugar: Adds a bit of sweetness to combat the heat.
- Garlic: A necessary ingredient for this incredible chicken.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: Adds that bit of zing that’s awesome.
- Sesame oil: Adds intense flavor.
- Dry Ginger: Blends easily and has just the right amount of flavor and heat.
- Crushed Red Pepper: This brings the heat. Leave it out or use extra for more spice!
- Green Onions, Sesame Seeds, Additional Red Pepper Flakes: These are all optional but all worth the extra effort to have them ready to go.
Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
Start by adding a simple breading to the outside, then pan fry the edges for just a few minutes. This is an extra step, but you will love the crispy edges. The chicken has a tender and juicy center by doing this extra step. If you want to just dump the chicken in with the sauce and let it do its thing, I have a tip for thickening the sauce in the tip section.
- Coat the Chicken: In a mixing bowl add the chicken and cornstarch. Toss until the chicken is completely coated in the cornstarch.
- Brown the Chicken: In a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat add oil and cook until the chicken is slightly brown but not cooked throughout. Put in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Make the Sauce: In a small mixing bowl whisk together hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, and crushed red pepper. Pour on top of the chicken into the slow cooker.
- Cook: Cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or until chicken is cooked throughout.
- Serve: Serve over rice and garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes if desired.
Tips for Tender and Juicy Chicken
This is truly one of my all-time favorite Asian-inspired recipes. I also love my along with sweet and sour chicken and this honey sesame chicken. Any type of breaded chicken with a sauce is right up my alley! Here are some tips to get tender and juicy chicken when it has a coating.
- Chicken: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Be sure to cut them all the same size so they’ll cook evenly.
- Coating: It’s true you don’t have to pre-brown them in the oil with the cornstarch, but the extra crispiness and coating make it more like a restaurant. Plus it just tastes so much better. If you choose not to do this step. Be sure to check the notes for how to thicken the sauce.
- Alternative to Browning the Chicken: If you are cooking the chicken without browning in the skillet first when the chicken is finished cooking, remove the chicken and add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to the sauce. Add the chicken back to the crockpot and cook for an additional 15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Chicken could also take longer to cook, closer to 4 hours.
How to Store Easy General Tso’s Chicken
The best part of eating out at Asian-inspired restaurants is the leftovers! There’s just something about warming up leftovers the next day because it tastes SO much better. Now you have lunch the next day with this slow cooker General Tso’s chicken recipe. Follow my tips below!
- In the Refrigerator: Keep for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- In the Freezer: In an airtight freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the fridge overnight and rewarm on the stove in a skillet or microwave.
More “Better Than Takeout” Recipes to Try
America loves its Asian food! When you make it at home, you know you are getting great quality ingredients with incredible flavor in the comfort of your own home. Try more of these “better than takeout” recipes! I know your family will love them all.
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Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into one inch cubes
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon dry ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, more or less to liking
- optional garnish green onions, sesame seeds, additional red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Combine the cubed 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, and 1/4 cup cornstarch in a bowl or plastic bag. Toss until the chicken is completely coated in the cornstarch.
- In a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Cook the chicken until it is lightly brown but not cooked through. Place the chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3 cloves garlic, 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon dry ginger, and1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper,. Pour on top of the chicken in the slow cooker.
- Cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or until chicken is cooked throughout. *See note
- Serve over rice and garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was amazing! I followed the recipe except I made 1- 1/2 times the sauce but keep the brown sugar at 1/2 cup. I also cubed the chicken in larger pieces and cooked for 4 hours on low. Better than takeout. Thank you! A definite keeper!
Thank you for the comment and review! I’m glad you liked it!
I loved it! Was very tasty. I did 2 Lbs of chicken thighs and double sauce. Definitely a “make again!”
Can you add frozen veggies into the crockpot? I can’t rate it yet because I am making it now.
I think so! The frozen veggies might make the sauce a little thinner, just add a teaspoon or two of cornstarch to the sauce to thicken it if you need or want to!
Can you give me instructions on how to cook this in the Instapot. I’m assuming it would be pretty much the same with the exception of the timing and the fact that everything can be done in one pot.
Here are the instruction for the Instapot: Start by following step one. For step two, set your instant pot to “Saute” sear the chicken on all sides without fully cooking. You may need to work in batches to evenly cook the chicken.
Take the instant pot off the sauté setting and pour the sauce you make in step 3 over the top.
cover and seal the lid. Set to manually cook or pressure cook for 15 minutes.
After the 15 minutes is up do a natural pressure release.
Let me know how it turns out!
This dish is so tasty! I thought I had hoisin sauce but it was oyster sauce. I looked it up and it said an Asian chef would not substitute with oyster sauce but I did it anyway. Actually I did about 3/4 oyster sauce and 1/4 fish sauce cause that’s what I had. I will do hoisin next time but I tellya it was delish. Thanks so much.
I doubled the recipe and only used 3/4 cup of brown sugar instead of a cup ( one cup for doubled recipe) and my husband said it is too sweet. So next time when I double , I will keep the brown sugar at 1/2 cup.
My first time trying this recipe. I read several of the past reviews before making. I took the advice of a couple of the reviews…
1. I cut the chicken into a little larger pieces. Maybe 2 inches.
2. I Increased the sauce and made 1 1/2 of the recipe. We are “saucey” people too.
3. I added fresh uncooked broccoli florets around the circumference inside the crockpot after I put in the chicken and the sauce.
This recipe was delicious. My husband and I enjoyed it very much. It will definitely be on our nightly menu. We served over rice.
Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Excellent
I would have slow cooked it a little less the time suggested
While the flavor of the sauce was delicious, this chicken was awful. Recipe calls for 1 in chunks. Don’t over cook. But in order to brown the chicken chunks, it too time then cooking for three hours in the crockpot, this chicken turned out more like chicken jerky. Dry and hard. IF I were to try again, I would cook chicken in larger pieces. I will save the sauce recipe.
Easy and delicious. I’m not sure next time I will even take the time to coat and brown the chicken.
Made this and it was awesome and easy great recipe!!!!!!!!!
Can this be cooked on low (8 hours) with the same results?
Yes! The chicken will be extra tender that way. ?
Your instructions indicate 3-4 hours on low. The comment asks if 8 hours on low is okay. Which time is the best?
Both will work fine. If you have time to let it sit for 8 hours then it will have more time to infuse flavors into the chicken. But, 3-4 hours is plenty of time to have tender, juicy, flavorful chicken.
I found this recipe a few years ago, jackpot! No deep frying! Grand children said it was a keeper lol. I always ask when I make something new if, keep or not. A big YES. I make it a few times. So good, thank you 🙂
Can this be made with boneless, skinless chicken thighs?
Yes it can!
Loved this recipe! Tastes just like takeout. Easy
Will this recipe be as tasty if I make the night before, refrigerate, and plug crockpot in to reheat? I am looking forward to making this!