Air Fryer General Tso's Chicken

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This Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken is made with crispy air fried chicken pieces and a sticky, sweet and spicy sauce! It’s crispy with minimal oil and so much better than take-out!

We just love to re-make our favorite Chinese take-out recipes in the air fryer! Similar to this air fryer sesame chicken and air fryer orange chicken, this general tso’s chicken recipe is a healthier version of a take-out favorite!

Overhead view of air fryer general tso's chicken served with steamed rice in a bowl with chopsticks.

Instead of being deep fried, the tender pieces of chicken are crisped up in the air fryer. So, you need very little oil! The hot air circulating around the air fryer and a little spray oil are all you need for crispy results.

This easy general tso’s chicken goes perfectly with steamed rice or Instant Pot jasmine rice and a side of sous vide broccoli.

It’s the perfect alternative to take-out after a long work week and tastes even better!

Jump to:

What is general tso’s chicken?
Why this recipe works
What is an Air Fryer?
Other air fryer recipes
Ingredients
Step by step instructions
Expert tips
Common questions
Storage instructions
Other Chinese inspired recipes
Recipe
💬 Comments

What is general tso’s chicken?

It’s a popular Chinese-American take-out dish consisting of fried breaded chicken pieces and coated in a sweet, sticky and spicy sauce. It’s believed to have been invented by a Taiwanese chef, Peng Chang-kuei.

The sauce recipe can vary but the base ingredients include soy sauce, vinegar, sweetener, chilies and cornstarch for thickening.

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Why this recipe works

This air fryer version of general tso’s chicken is healthier than take-out and cheaper too!
The chicken gets ultra crispy with very little oil. Instead of all the oil required for deep frying, the chicken only needs a light spritz of oil in the air fryer!
It’s a time saving recipe. The chicken doesn’t need to be marinated. And, instead of a complicated breading process, the chicken is simply coated with cornstarch.
The general tso’s sauce is packed with flavor! It’s sweet, savory, tangy and spicy and versatile enough to use as a stir fry sauce for many different recipes!

Close up of a piece of general tso's chicken topped with chopped green onion.

What is an Air Fryer?

The Air Fryer is a healthier alternative to frying foods. It's basically a small, powerful convection oven that sits on your countertop.

It circulates hot air around the food you're cooking, which is what gives it that crisp texture that mimics fried food (without all the grease).

Read more about the health benefits of using an air fryer.

I personally use this Ninja MAX XL Air Fryer because it hold 5.5 quarts, which is more than most. It has worked great so far and we just love how easy it is to use!

Other air fryer recipes

Ingredients

For the full list of ingredients and quantities, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

You’ll need 1 pound of chicken thighs, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces. I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but you can also use bone-in and skin-on thighs. You’ll just need to remove the skin and cut around the bone when cutting the chicken into pieces.

The chicken is tossed with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, which creates the easy crispy coating. You’ll also need cornstarch to make a slurry to thicken the sauce.

The general tso’s sauce is made with dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, rice wine vinegar, chicken stock, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, hoisin sauce, dried red chilies and a cornstarch slurry.

Dark soy sauce is sweeter and thicker than regular soy sauce. For the best flavor, I don’t recommend substituting with regular or lite soy sauce. You can check out these dark soy sauce substitutes.

Shaoxing wine is a Chinese cooking wine. If you can’t find any, you can substitute dry sherry.

The rice wine vinegar (also called rice vinegar) adds a tangy flavor to the sauce. In a pinch, you can use white wine vinegar.

The base of the sauce is ¼ cup of chicken stock. You can use store-bought but I often use homemade like this crockpot chicken broth.

Two tablespoons of brown sugar adds sweetness and a subtle caramel flavor to the sauce. You can also use coconut sugar.

For the spicy flavor, the recipe calls for 6 dried red chilies. You can adjust the spice level by using more or less red chilies.

Step by step instructions

Combine the 3 tablespoons of cornstarch and the salt and toss the chicken to coat.

Spray the air fryer basket with oil, then add the chicken in a single layer (will need to cook in 2-3 batches).

Spray lightly with oil, then cook at 400F degrees for 11-13 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Remove and place in a bowl and cook remaining chicken.

While chicken is cooking, combine all the sauce ingredients (except the cornstarch slurry) in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then slowly stir in cornstarch slurry, whisking constantly until the mixture has thickened and is slightly glossy.

Overhead view of general tso's sauce in a saucepan.

Pour the sauce over the cooked pieces of chicken and serve over rice garnished with green onions.

Expert tips

To ensure even cooking, you’ll need to cut your chicken into roughly the same size pieces (about 1 ½ inches in size).
To make sure the chicken pieces get crispy on all sides, don’t overcrowd the air fryer. This means air frying the pieces in a single layer and in multiple batches.
Tossing/shaking the basket of chicken pieces at the halfway point will also get them browned on all sides.
Make sure you use a good quality spray oil to spray the air fryer basket and the chicken pieces. I use this oil sprayer filled with my favorite oil. I don’t recommend using non-stick cooking sprays as they may damage your air fryer.
If your air fryer model requires preheating, you should preheat it before adding the first batch of chicken.
Each air fryer cooks a little differently, so you may need to adjust the temperature and air frying time slightly.
For easy clean up, you can line the bottom of your air fryer basket with parchment paper. (You can buy parchment paper with little holes in it that are made for air fryer baskets).
To be sure the chicken is done, use a meat thermometer to check. The internal temperature of the chicken pieces should be 165F degrees.

Side view of general tso's chicken in a bowl with rice and chopsticks.

Common questions

What’s the difference between general tso’s chicken and orange chicken?

They’re pretty similar recipes in that they include crispy breaded chicken coated in a thick and sticky sauce. The sauces, however, are quite different. Orange chicken sauce is sweet with an orange flavor from both orange juice and zest. General tso’s sauce is a little sweet and tangy, but it’s mostly spicy, thanks to the addition of red chilies.

Is this general tso’s chicken recipe spicy?

Yes, it’s a spicy recipe. The heat is tamed a little by the sweet and tangy ingredients in the sauce, but if you’d like it less spicy, just leave out a few red chilies.

Can you use chicken breast instead of chicken thighs for this recipe?

I like to use chicken thighs as the dark meat is more flavorful, but you can substitute chicken breasts, if you prefer. Chicken breasts are leaner, so the chicken pieces may turn out a little dry.

How do you thicken general tso’s sauce?

If the sauce is too thin for you, just thicken it by stirring in more cornstarch slurry. If you end up making it too thick, just stir in a little water to thin it out.

Can you make this recipe in advance?

This recipe is best enjoyed hot and crispy. Once the chicken is tossed with the sauce, the chicken doesn’t stay crispy for long because the sauce soaks into the cornstarch coating. You can make the sauce in advance and reheat it, but I would definitely wait to air fry the chicken until just before serving.

What do you serve with general tso’s chicken?

We love this crispy, saucy chicken served over Instant Pot basmati rice or coconut jasmine rice. A side of steamed or air fryer broccoli would be delicious, as would some stir fry vegetables. And, don’t forget the chopped green onions. They’re essential for sprinkling over the top!

Side view of general tso's chicken with rice in a white bowl.

Storage instructions

As mentioned above, I think this air fried general tso’s chicken is best enjoyed right away.

If you do have leftovers, you can store them in the fridge for 3-4 days. Just note that the leftover chicken will not stay crispy once reheated.

If you’re planning for leftovers, don’t toss all of the chicken with the sauce. Store them separately in the fridge. Then, you can just reheat the chicken in the air fryer to get it crispy again, and heat the sauce on the stovetop before mixing together. Just note that reheating the chicken may dry it out a little.

Other Chinese inspired recipes

Shanghai Chicken
Shrimp Lo Mein
Sticky Crispy Mongolian Beef
Air Fryer Pot Stickers with Chinese Dumpling Sauce
Authentic Kung Pao Chicken

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