My general Tso chicken recipe is a little different than what is usually served in Chinese restaurants across the globe. My version is baked, not fried, and comes with a sauce that has the perfect balance of savory, sweet, and sour. The use of crushed cornflakes makes the exterior of the chicken extra crispy without feeling oily. It’s so good that I prefer it over the real thing!
General Tso chicken is one of the most popular dishes served in Chinese restaurants across the United States and Canada. The dish is made of chicken pieces that have been dipped in egg and cornstarch and deep fried until crispy. The fried chicken is then tossed in a sweet and tangy gooey sauce and sometimes topped with sesame seeds.
While I do love the traditional way of serving general Tso chicken, sometimes I find the dish a little too oily and heavy. After succeeding at making a baked version of chicken katsu, I thought of trying a similar technique for general Tso. Instead of using panko breadcrumbs I chose cornflakes to give the exterior a super crispy, deep fried-like texture. I find that by baking the chicken this way, the outside stays crispy longer because no oil is used. This recipe is very easy to follow and is a hit with both adults and kids!
Table of contents
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe.
- Chicken: I always use pasture raised organic chicken because of its superior taste and best humane practices. I’m using boneless and skinless chicken breast but if you enjoy eating the skin, feel free to get one with the skin on!
- All-purpose flour: The flour acts as a glue for the whisked egg to stick to the chicken pieces.
- Eggs: One large egg, preferably pasture raised since they taste so much better!
- Corn flakes: The corn flakes should be crushed in sizes small enough to stick to the chicken pieces and and uniformly cover them.
- Sauce: A mixture of chicken broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha sauce, rice vinegar, salt, and cornstarch. The mixture of all of these ingredients yields a sauce that’s savory, sweet, a little spicy, and tangy.
- Additional seasonings: The seasonings are optional but highly recommended! The toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds add plenty of nuttiness, and the Chinese dried red chilies add an element of smokiness and some extra heat.
Variations
- Make it vegan: Yes, you can make this dish vegan! Just follow my recipe for general Tso tofu – you won’t believe how good tofu can be!
- Make it more nutritious: For the sauce, swap the sugar for honey. Add some veggies by using 1 sliced bell pepper and 1/2 small chopped onion. Pan fry the bell pepper and onion for a few minute until the pieces are tender, and add them to the skillet once the chicken is coated with the sauce.
How To Make It
- Slice the chicken into bite size pieces.
- Dip the chicken in flour, egg, and corn flakes, and place them on a cooking tray covered with parchment paper.
- Bake at 450ºF for 13 to 15 minutes.
- Add the ingredients for the sauce, except for the cornstarch, to a small pot, and bring it to a low simmer.
- Make the cornstarch slurry and add it to the bubbling sauce, while stirring.
- Take the crispy chicken out of the oven and add it to a large skillet. Pour the sauce over the pieces and keep tossing until they are evenly coated.
- Add the additional seasonings and serve immediately.
Expert Tip
- Get the right color on the corn flakes: This will determine whether or not the corn flakes will remain crispy for a long time or a short time. In my instructions I mention to bake for about 13 to 15 minutes, but this could change depending on the type of oven you have. Yours make bake faster or slower than mine. Therefore, keep an eye on the corn flakes since they will tell you when the baking process is done. Look for a deep golden brown color, and also make sure that the chicken is fully cooked.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: I recommend eating this dish fresh out of the skillet but if you end up with some leftovers, transfer them to an airtight storage container, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Freezer: While some recipes will say that you can freeze general Tso chicken, I don’t recommend that you do. A big part of what makes this dish so irresistible is the crispy outside and the tenderness of the chicken. Freezing it will destroy both of these qualities and render the corn flakes mushy.
Reheating: To keep the chicken from overcooking and drying up, microwave on medium for a few minutes, until you are satisfied with the temperature. It can also be warmed up in a skillet with a little oil. Wait until the oil is hot before adding the chicken to keep the sauce from sticking to the skillet.
What To Serve With My General Tso Chicken Recipe
General Tso chicken is a pretty filling dish. This recipe makes enough for 4 people when served with a side of rice, for a regular size meal. If you are starving or like to eat bigger portions (because it’s so tasty!), I recommend doubling the recipe. To complete my meal, I like to stick to other Asian dishes that are on the lighter side like vegetables or soups. I also like to serve it with a simple fried rice or stir fried noodles instead of plain white rice.
Some of my favorite dishes that I like to pair with general Tso chicken are: Egg fried rice, Japanese fried rice (yakimeshi), Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce, bok choy with garlic and oyster sauce, egg drop soup, miso soup, hot and sour soup, Chinese green beans with garlic sauce, dan dan noodles, fried noodles with soy sauce, vegetable egg rolls, ad mushroom and cabbage dumplings.
Other popular Chinese takeout recipes you might like: Moo goo gai pan, sesame chicken, Singapore chow mei fun, restaurant style fried rice, smacked cucumber with chili oil, Szechuan potatoes with chili and vinegar, and mu shu tofu.
Frequently Asked Questions
No it isn’t. The recipes calls for soy sauce and all-purpose flour which contain gluten, and corn flakes, which contain sweeteners that have gluten in them. To make it gluten-free, swap regular cornflakes for a gluten-free brand such as Nature’s Path, and use gluten-free flour and soy sauce, or tamari.
Yes you can. I have never tried it myself but others who have done it said it was just as delicious!
Yes you can make it without sriracha sauce. You can simply omit it or replace it with ketchup instead.
Did you like this recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
Print
General Tso Chicken
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Poultry
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Chinese American
Description
An easy general Tso chicken recipe that’s baked, not fried! Tender and crispy chicken tossed in a tangy and sweet sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch chunks
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 2 cups crushed corn flakes
General Tso Sauce
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sriracha sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
Additional Seasonings (Optional)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 Chinese dried red chilies, finely sliced
- Sesame seeds, as garnish
Instructions
- Turn the oven on: Move one of the oven racks to the upper-middle part and preheat the oven to 450ºF.
- Prep the cooking tray: Cover a large cooking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Set up dipping station: Place three large bowls one next to another and fill the first one with flour, the second with eggs and the last one with crushed corn flakes.
- Dip the chicken: Dip each piece of chicken in flour and egg and cover with crushed cornflakes, while gently pressing to coat. Place them on the cooking tray.
- Bake: Bake in the oven for about 13 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the cornflakes are golden brown.
- Make the sauce: Meanwhile, add the chicken broth, tomato paste, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha sauce, rice vinegar, and sugar, to a medium size pot, and bring to a gentle boil.
- Add the cornstarch slurry: Give the cornstarch and water a quick stir and slowly add to the sauce, while constantly stirring. Turn the heat off once the sauce has thickened.
- Coat the chicken with the sauce: Take the chicken out of the oven and transfer it to a large skillet. Turn the heat on to low and pour the sauce over the chicken, coating each piece evenly while tossing.
- Add the additional seasoning: If you are using the sesame seeds, toasted sesame oil, and dried red chilies, this is the time to add them.
- Serve: Turn the heat off, transfer to a plate and serve immediately.
Notes
Save the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 398
- Sugar: 10.9g
- Sodium: 857mg
- Fat: 4.2g
- Saturated Fat: 0.9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 55.3g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 8.4g
- Cholesterol: 168.6mg
Hi there: Looks awesome! No garlic or ginger in the sauce? I’m surprised.
Hi Davey!
I know, I’m such a garlic and ginger lover too! I wanted to create the simplest and healthiest recipe for General Tso so I got rid of quite a few ingredients. The essence is still there though and I must admit to being a sucker for this recipe 🙂
This is my new favorite! So many “baked” recipes are fried before baking, so I usually skip them. This is really baked and so awesome! I used boneless thighs because I had them. I pounded them and trimmed well, and they were quite delicious. My only other change would be to omit the hoison sauce because it didn’t taste like restaurant Tso sauce. I added diced green onion and diced pickled jalapeño to my sauce, not the kids ‘ sauce. LOVE LOVE LOVE
Oh yeah, my package of thighs was 2# so I doubled everything. The kids had their sauce on the side for dipping. I dipped my pieces separately, spooning extra sauce on my rice. I ended up with enough chicken pieces baked to make it again, so I will freeze them for another day. Can’t wait to see how that turns out.
Wonderful! Thank you Anita for sharing your tips, great ideas!
I made this in my crock pot. I doubled the liquid ingredients and used five drumsticks, 8 boneless, skinless thighs and 4 boneless, skinless breasts cut in 3 pieces. I cooked it on low for just under 4 hours. After removing the meat I poured the liquid into a saucepan and reduced it to half then served the chicken and sauce with texmati rice
Wow, sounds amazing! Thank you Catrin for the great idea!
Made this for my family tonight, we loved it! Thanks for sharing this unique and healthier version of a favorite 🙂
Thank you Nicole!
Hi! What is the serving size? I see the calories listed but not the amount of chicken. Thanks!
Hi Gabriella! Serving size is for 4 (per quarter), or approximately 240g.
I have never tried General Tso chicken until I tried yours. Now I will never order it out because this was so easy to prepare and yummy! Thank you once again…. We love all recipes we have tried.. I have made your meat pie 3 times with the intent to share with my grandchildren but by day two it is gone!
My husband devours it!
Thank you again!
Cheryl, my husband also gobbles down the pie – I’ll usually only get to enjoy one or two slices before it’s all gone! My plan is to make two or three next time and see if they freeze well 🙂
Great recipe! Made this last night and it was awesome! I added more sriracha than the recipe called for since I’m a fan of spice. Happy I found this since I had a craving for chinese, without the 1,500 calories involved with takeout lol.
Is the nutritional information based on the whole recipe, or one serving??
Hi Angela,
The nutritional facts are per serving (4 for this recipe).
Is the nutrition info accuracte? Where’s all that protein coming from? There’s 22-25 grams of protein in a 1/4 lb serving of boneless chicken
Hi El!
The nutrition widget can be inaccurate (I’ve re-entered the recipe and changed the label- thanks for pointing it out 🙂 ), I’m still looking for one that I don’t have to fix time and again. If you know of any out there that are reliable, please do share as I’ll definitely take a look!
Question: you say to remove the chicken from the oven and transfer to a large pan then to turn the heat to low and pour sauce over the chicken… Are you talking about on the stove or the oven? How long is this process supposed to take? Thanks
Hi IsaJennie!
Once the chicken is removed from the oven, put it in a large pan over low heat on the stove. The process only takes a minute or two, it’s just so that the chicken stays warm while you pour the sauce over.
Hello!
I found this recipe tonight, looked through the ingredients and was so happy that I had them all in the cupboard! I got everything out to realize I didn’t have the cornflakes. I looked through the comments on this to see if anyone had tried anything different – I found some tortilla chips and wanted to tell you how well they worked!
This recipe is fantastic, we friggen loved it!
Thank you!!
Tortilla chips, I would have never thought about that, great idea! So many options to bake these chicken nuggets with! Thank you for sharing Michelle!
I made this tonight for dinner and it was AMAZING! My whole family loved it. Thank you! I have to confess though, I used a bottle of General Tso’s sauce from the store instead of making my own. Still so good!
haha! You’re welcome Michelle and next time, you gotta try the sauce, you’ll love it 🙂
Another breading option for those who can’t have grains would be crushed pork rinds. I have used this before with pork cutlets and they were super crunchy!
I have never tried that, sounds amazing Linda!!
I am impressed, this looks as if it was fried. Can’t wait to make this. I really love visiting food blogs, I appreciate all of you for sharing your wonderful recipes with the world. Your pictures are amazing! I can already tell this is a 5 star recipe. Thanks!
Thank you Crissy! 🙂
Could I use panko instead of corn flakes? I have some lying around needing to be used, and this seems like it might be a good use.
Hi Leslie,
I’m not sure if panko would work as it may get soggy too fast. Why not try on a couple of pieces of chicken to see if it works instead of baking a whole batch. I’d love to hear back from you as this could be a great idea for a substitute!
I use panko when making orange chicken, works great for me.
Thanks for sharing Myriah, I’ll add the panko option to the recipe!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It turned out perfect. To take a bit of the spice away, I added some orange zest – about 1/3 orange. So full of flavour!
What a great idea Kirsten! You made it half orange chicken, yummy! 🙂
This was delicious, and devoured by my husband who is very fond of typical takeout General Tso chicken. I am so happy to find a healthier version for him! Thank you.
You’re welcome Cheryl! 🙂
Hello,
I am wondering how well this will hold up if it’s not server immediately, could it be fridged the night before or could it be made in the morning and last in a lunch container for a few hours?
Sometimes I just get a craving for Chinese food and do not wish to pay the prices offered at my school, haha!
Any response is appreciated
thanks so much
Hi D!
I know what you mean about craving Asian food, I can’t go more than two days without it! Unfortunately this recipe doesn’t hold well for long – I’ve eaten it the next day and it was a little soggy. However, I do have a roundup of my favorite chicken (but healthier) stir fries that are super easy to make and can keep in the fridge for a couple of days if that interests you. Here is the link: https://pickledplum.com/10-easy-chicken-stir-fry-recipes/
This looks great! Do you have a recipe for orange chicken that’s baked like this?
Hi Barbara! I don’t have a recipe for orange chicken but am working on it so stay tuned! 🙂
My husband and I LOVE General Tso’s Chicken. It’s a huge hit in my home on take-out night but I never knew it was so simple to make at home. Thank you so much for this recipe 🙂
-Ria @ Whipp’d Up
whippdup.com
You’re welcome Ria! And it’s a much healthier version too which means you can eat more of hehe!
Wow, never thought of using corn flakes before!! I love how so many people are beginning to experiment with different kinds of breading. I recently tried a pretzel “breading” for oven baked chicken nuggets and it turned out surprisingly well. As long as you have the egg in there, there’s something to make your coating stick to the chicken. Corn flakes would be extra crunchy too, I think I’m gonna try it out!!