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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 chicken and 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 oil. Cook the chicken until the chicken is lightly brown but not cooked through. Place the chicken 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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!!!
What is the measurement for the soy sauce?
It is 2 tablespoons.
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.
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!
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.
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 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!
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!
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?
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!
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!
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.
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.
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 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.
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.