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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!
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?
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!
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.
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.
Common questions
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
If you love this recipe, please leave a star rating and a comment below and let us know your favorite thing about it. We'd also love to connect on Instagram! Follow us at @went_here_8_this for awesome recipes and all sorts of fun food stuff 🙂
Recipe
Air Fryer General Tso's Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken thighs cut in 1 ½" pieces
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- green onions for serving
General Tso's Sauce:
- 2 ½ tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
- 6 dried red chilies
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water cornstarch slurry
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 sauce pan 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.
- 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.
Nutrition
Savita says
The chicken looks so amazing, it is definitely a must-try air fryer recipe.
Danielle says
Thanks!
Beth says
This looks absolutely perfect. I love General Tso's chicken, so I can't wait to try his one.
Danielle says
Thanks!
Gwynn says
I'm always looking for new recipes to make in my air fryer and this recipe is definitely a keeper! So easy to make and so delicious too!
Danielle says
Totally!
Farah Maizar says
Love that this is made in an air fryer! I love discovering new recipes for mine, and this looks so simple and delicious!
Danielle says
The air fryer makes it so easy!
Sandra says
Our family loves General Tso's Chicken! It was easy to make in the air fryer and it turned out nice and crispy. The sauce is delicious. Will definitely make this again!
Danielle says
So glad you liked it!