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General Tso Chicken
I made this recipe four years ago and the pictures weren’t doing it justice. We love asian inspired meals here at our family so of course this was one of the first recipes to make its debut on the blog. We have it quite often at our house and it is incredible. I love being able to make better than takeout right at home! It was time to update the pictures on here and my family was reminded about how much we love it. Everyone devoured it including my youngest two year old.
Ingredients For Slow Cooker Chicken
Simple ingredients that combine to create magic in the slow cooker. You are going to love this easy way of getting better than take out at home.
- Chicken Breasts: Skinless, boneless and cut into one inch cubes.
- Cornstarch: This will create that crispy outside.
- Vegetable Oil: To fry the chicken in before slow cooking.
- Hoisin Sauce: This sweet and salty sauce can be found in the asian aisle with the soy sauce, and other asian sauces.
- Soy Sauce: Can use regular or low sodium with great results.
- Brown Sugar: Adds a bit of sweet 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 easy and has just the right amount of flavor and heat.
- Crushed Red Pepper: This brings the heat.
- Green Onions, Sesame Seeds, Additional Red Pepper Flakes: These are all optional but all worth the extra effort to have them ready to go.
Making Incredible Slow Cooker General Tso Chicken
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 you can as well.
- Mix: In a mixing bowl add the chicken and cornstarch. Toss until the chicken is completely coated in the cornstarch.
- Brown: In a medium sized skillet over medium high heat add oil and cook the chicken until the chicken is slightly brown but not cooked throughout. Put in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- Whisk: 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 chicken in 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.
- Note: If you are cooking the chicken without browning in the skillet first, when chicken is finished cooking, remove the chicken and add 1 Tablespoon cornstarch to the sauce. Add the chicken back to the crockpot and cook for an additional 15 minutes until the sauce thickens up. Chicken could also take longer to cook, closer to 4 hours.
Tips for Tender and Juicy Chicken
This is truly one of my all time favorites along with Crispy Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken or Baked Honey Sesame Chicken. I can’t decide, but either way they are all super easy, and super delicious.
- Chicken: I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs. Be sure to cut them all the same side 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 restaurants. 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.
- Serve: Our favorite way to eat this is over rice. But this is also great over brown rice, cauliflower rice and quinoa. It would also be amazing over a salad or roasted vegetables.
How to Store Easy General Tso Chicken
America loves its Asian food. You know you are getting great quality ingredients with incredible flavor in the comfort of your own home. You have to try these tried and true recipes! You are going to love them.
- Store: Keep for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container.
- Freeze: 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 Asian Inspired “Better than Takeout” Recipes
- Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
- Air Fryer Cream Cheese Wontons
- Sticky Asian Glazed Chicken
- Crispy Air Fryer Egg Rolls
- Easy Fried Rice
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 T soy sauce
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp dry ginger
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper more or less to liking
- Optional garnish green onions, sesame seeds, additional red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl add the chicken and cornstarch. Toss until the chicken is completely coated in the cornstarch. In a medium sized skillet over medium high heat add oil and cook the chicken until the chicken is lightly brown but not cooked throughout. Put in the bottom of a slow cooker.
- 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 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
Serves: 5
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
I am so excited to try this out. Making it tomorrow.
Can this sauce be used in the same way as your baked Chinese chicken recipes?
That is a great idea! Thank you for sharing! XOXO
Can this recipe be used on a Keto diet?
NO it is not Keto friendly.
Holy cow this is so good!! Easy to make!! I am so excited to feed my family dinner! I couldn’t find this on your Instagram to make a post.
I made this stove-top, and the entire family LOVED it! My son asked me to start making this weekly
This was good but the hour i spent sauteing the chicken in batches for crispness was a wasted effort. Any crockpot I have ever used tends to steam as it cooks. That does not result in anything being crisp. If I were to make again I would do stovetop If I wanted crisp. Flavor was great though.
I’m going to try it in the Instapot where I can saute first then turn it on for slow cooking.
Did it work?
Coating the chicken in corn starch and then sautéing it before finishing it in the crockpot is intended to flavor and thicken the sauce. The chicken is not meant to be served crispy. That is why the author noted to remove some sauce, thicken with cornstarch and return to crockpot if you not choose not to sauté the chicken.
This sounds wonderful! I’m adding is to my weekend menu. Only change, I have a thing go pineapple in my spicy Chinese dishes. Think I’ll add a can of minced or diced to the pot at the end. Thanks for the recipe!
Would I be able to increase the general tso chicken to serve 20 which would increasing it by 4 or would it be too much liquid? Thank you
That sounds great! Good luck and enjoy! XOXO
Made this on the stovetop and it was excellent!
How did you make this recipe on the stovetop?
How long do you cook on stovetop?
I made your beef and broccoli in the crock pot yesterday. We loved it and would make it again. The directions we clear and easy and it tasted great.
I made this today for the first time! It was amazing! I used thighs instead of breasts and crisped them in the pan first with the oil and cornstarch. So great! Thank you!
Mmm… sounds yummy with thighs. I made it last night with breasts but will try with thighs next time!
This was a very easy and tasty recipe. The only thing I will change next time is to use less sugar. Too sweet for me, otherwise a delicious dish. Thank you!
Color me amazed. This recipe is amazing. It satisfied my guys whose favorite food in the whole world is General’s Chicken. Especially my son who was requiring “comfort” food. It passed every litmus test known to *this* family. My least favorite thing about making Chinese is having to whip everything together last minute. Not so with this! This recipe is a keeper. Exactly as is. I *never* do that.
Wow! I’m (also) usually not the type to leave a comment, but I had to thank you for this wonderful recipe! I did not have enough time to place it in the slow cooker, so I instead made it on the stove. I first browned the chicken and then added all the sauce and some water. It cooked for about an hour on low with lid on (really until the sauce became thick and water evaporated). It was amazing! Definitely better than take out. We served it with fried cauliflower rice and green beans! Making again today!
I also made this on the stove top. I spent longer browning the chicken to get it more crispy. When the chicken was browned on both sides I simply added the sauce mixture, covered the pot and turned the heat down. I did not add water. I heated the sauce, stirring frequently. I made the rice and 10 minutes later had a delicious meal.
I did not have good results with this recipe. Flavors were excellent, but I put is on low ad went to the gym. It was really black when I returned, with no sauce! Needs more liquid to sustain it for 3 hours in slow cooker. I should have realized it but I just went on my merry way and spaced it!
Can you add veggie with this recipe if so what kind and how long to cook vs the chicken
You are welcome to try adding vegetables. It will be soaking in all the sauce from the recipe if you like the flavor and texture on your vegetables. If you are going to do that I would recommend adding more sauce to the meat and vegetables so it still has enough to cover both. I would recommend cooking the vegetables away from the chicken and serving together at the end. Enjoy! XOXO
If I skip browning the chicken, would you still recommend coating the chicken in cornstarch?
Yes! That is a great way to cook this chicken.
I had the same experience with this recipe as Renee. I cooked it for 4 hours and it was way too done and dry with no sauce left. I think next time I’ll either cook it on the stove or cook it for way less time and double the sauce.
Slow cooker makes things soft. How can I do it on top of the stove to make it crispy, it looks delicious! Thanks
I made it on the stovetop. I just fried the chicken all the way and then added the sauce for about 7 minutes on low- medium heat and it all came together nicely and tasted great. Took an hour from start to finish.
Cook the chicken in the pan completely and then mix it in once sauce has had time to simmer for at least 20 minutes.
I added fresh ginger root, peeled, and mashed fine, then put into sauce about 1/2 way thru. To the pot I added the ginger about 1 tablespoon, and some molasses, ( about 1/4 cup), to make it a bit tangy.
I made a quick and easy variation of this using the pressure cooker setting and no browning step, and it was awesome and tender. Lay boneless/skinless chicken legs (chopped into 2-3 pieces, no corn starch coating) on bottom of IP. Cover in the sauce. Cook on Hi pressure for 10-12mins (Breast would probably be 12mins?), with natural release. At end the sauce in the pot is quite runny so remove the chicken, put IP on saute to take the sauce to boil, remove 1/4 cup of the sauce and mix with 2Tbs corn starch and then whisk the slurry back into the sauce in the IP for a minute or two. Stir back in the chicken. Was great with cauliflower rice cooked with onion, garlic and a bell pepper.
This was really yummy and toddlers loved it too. I wasn’t sure what crushed chilli was so used ground chilli (I’m Australian). Served with coconut rice and Asian broccoli.
I only used one chicken breast and half the sauce as wasn’t sure i would like it but definitely making more next time and freezing it. Thanks for sharing!
Thank YOU for sharing…I LOVE everything…about THE RECIPE CRITIC….Recipes, weekly meal plans,photos, tips and the comments. BUT I love the community of people which you use to share with us…
Could I please ask …..Is the Crockpot General Taos recipe…freezable???
AWE! You are SO sweet! Thank you so much for all of your love and support! Yes, this does freeze well. I actually like to freeze the chicken individually on a sheet pan tray in the freezer. Then when it is frozen after an hour or so I will stick them in freezer bags or use my sealer and placed back in the freezer. Hope that helps! Thanks for following along with me!
I made this and I thought it was really good (Unfortunately a little too spicy for my husband). I want to make it ahead of time for a party. Are you freezing it with the sauce in the same freezer bag as the chicken? How do you recommend reheating? thank you.
I would recommend freezing it before the sauce is added to it. Then after being baked you can add the sauce while they are warm. To reheat, stick in the oven and let them bake. Hope that helps!
Hello…. This might be a silly question but how much do 4 chicken breast fillets weigh?? I have a tray of them at the moment and they weigh 2kg (4lbs)…. Seems a bit more than I anticipated?
It would be nice to know the Nutritional facts. This looks amazing, but my husband is on a very low cholesterol diet, so not sure he could have this.
I like to use myfitnesspal.com or skinnytaste.com for any nutritional information. Hope that helps answer any nutritional questions that you have!
I made this but I air fried the chicken. SO CRISPY and amazing and the best part is the chicken only took 4 minutes to cook. Then it was right into the pan to caramelize it into the sauce.
That is a great idea! Thank you for sharing! I am glad that you made it your own and you loved it!
I breaded this and it is cooking in my oven right now. I realize that I prepared way too much chicken for two. Do you know if it freezes well?
Elaine!
Thanks for the question! Yes, this will taste just great on another day if you need to freeze it. I hope you love it! Thanks for following along with me!
I currently am making this and although it tastes AMAZING, I have added 3 tablespoons of corn starch and the sauce is still very runny! I put the chicken in raw and did not sauté the chicken. But I did take out the chicken once it was done and added cornstarch and it is still very runny. Any suggestions?
You will want 1/4 cup cornstarch. I am sorry, I am not sure where you got 3 tablespoons but the recipe calls for 1/4 cup cornstarch. That will help it not be runny.
Very delicious. It’s a little time consuming but definitely worth it. Just make sure you plan ahead for the searing of the chicken in batches. Family favorite at our house!
What size Crock-Pot did you use. Wondering if I should double it for my big family or use two Crock-Pots.
Yes, you can double this recipe. I use a 8 quart crock pot.
What is the measurement for the soy sauce?
It is 2 tablespoons.
I’ve made this several time and keep meaning to leave a review. This is the best General Tso chicken recipe. It smells and tastes just like Chinese take away. I always double the sauce. I’ve made it twice on stove top, wicked easy- one pan. Today, I used the slow cooker to make ahead and it keeps it warm. I highly recommend this recipe!! It also freezes well, that is, if you happen to have any left =) I cook broccoli and other veggies separately, then add them while serving. Yumm!!!
Made this tonight and it was awesome! Sweet and spicy! Will definitely be making again maybe with just a little more heat.
If not browning first do you still coat the chicken in cornstarch or just add it at the end to thicken the sauce?
Yes, in the first step you will coat the chicken with cornstarch before cooking them.
This recipe turned out great! We loved it. I did one thing different. I added 7 dried Japones red chili peppers to the sauce before pouring the sauce over the chicken. We liked it so much that we will definitely be make it again, but we will be doubling the sauce volume. This recipe is EXCELLENT!! Thank you sooooooo much for sharing it!
How long should it cook in the crockpot if I am using 16 pieces of chicken instead of 4 pieces of chicken. I need to feed 20 people for a function.
Oh, my goodness! It was absolutely delicious! Followed recipe exactly (although it was done in about 2.5 hours…I browned the chicken just a little bit longer in the skillet) and it was heavenly! Making again this Sunday!
Sorry no picture, but I just want to say that I make many recipes that I get on the internet, but yours is the very first that I’m actually posting a comment on. I’ve looked at other recipes for General Tso’s chicken, but they had so many steps that I said forget thi Your recipe is absolutely so easy and simple and so amazingly delicious.. I only had chicken wings in my freezer, so I decided to make it with the wings. They turn out so very delicious. And the smell while they were cooking was heavenly. I allowed myself six wings, but It was much too good and I had to go back for two more. I served rice with it on the side as you suggested and made myself some coleslaw. Oh my. It doesn’t get any better than that. I have just subscribed for your recipes and I hope they are all as amazing and easy. Many many thanks.
OMG this is soooooo good. The sauce was so good, I’m happy I doubled it. I cut the sugar in half and it was plenty sweet. I will be making this again and again!
This was absolutely delicious! I made it after looking at all reviews and reduced brown sugar to half of what it called for to make. My husband loved it and I took it to some friends who were recovering from Covid and they loved it too. I made my own fried rice recipe to go along with it and Asian cole slaw. Leftovers tonight! Yummy! Thank you for sharing!
This recipe was delicious! The sauce was very sweet so next time I will probably reduce the amount of brown sugar in the recipe. Aside from that, everything went well and tasted great.
I made this today. It is sooooo good! It’s definitely going into rotation. This is the closest I’ve ever had to the Chinese takeaway and it’s not deep fried. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
This was a hit with my picky eaters. I did doubled the sauce but only used 1/2 cup of brown sugar however still came out too sweet for me so next time I will use less oh and also cooked it on the stove top. This will for sure go into the rotation. Thank you so much.
This was generally tasty (no pun intended!). I used the stovetop method and think that’s a far better way to do it…the chicken would be dead twice over if you cooked it for 4 hours in a slow cooker! I did attempt to brown the chicken before adding the sauce, but it didn’t really work out so well…and I didn’t want to overcook it. Next time, I might try using butter with the oil to get more of a browning effect. The sauce was a little sweet for me, so I will reduce the brown sugar next time. I stir fried some veggies on the side, did all the sauce and two chicken breasts, and it was fantastic for two people (plus a lunch the next day).
I followed the recipe, but added some sautéed green peppers an hour before it was done. Super Delicious! Will make it again
I made this for dinner yesterday for my family, absolutely delicious! Better than the Chinese restaurant, everyone LOVED it! But, I made it on the stovetop instead as I didn’t have time to use the crock pot. I cooked the chicken in batches not crowding the pan, let drain while I boiled the sauce in another pot, then added the chicken back into the pan that I fried in, poured some juice over it & added some steamed broccoli & let boil for 2 -3 mins. Served over rice with scallions & extra sauce on the side. YUM! 🙂 Great Recipe, thanks for sharing!!!
I posted the last comment but forgot to rate it, I noticed it when I hit Post comment! 🙁 So I tried to hit the stars before it posted but think I missed it! But definitely a 5 star recipe! 🙂
So glad I doubled the recipe!!! It is wonderful ❤️
I haven’t had takeout in years (allergies) but my husband can vouch it’s a great knockoff. It’s definitely not a set it and forget it slow cooker recipe but it was so incredibly easy. I used the same ingredient ratios but only 3 breasts and stirred every 45 minutes. Mine was done in 2 hours (new crock kicks!) with plenty of sauce leftover.
how spicy is it?
If I wanted to tone the spice down is it the red pepper flakes that I would have to reduce?
Yes, reduce the amount or even take out the red pepper flakes.
Really lovely. Just needed to make double for my ganets to deal with the “is there any more requests”. Yes it went down storm and super easy to make.
I think this recipe is too sweet. I am going to cut the hoison sauce and brown sugar down to a 1/4 each and see if we like it better. Fingers crossed!