Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken
When it comes to takeout food I love making it at home. This Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken is a fun and flavorful restaurant recipe turned easy!
A TAKEOUT AIR FRYER RECIPE
I have been posting a lot of my favorite air fryer recipes lately and for good reason, we are wanting to make anything and everything in them. Not long ago I shared my oven (cheater) version of Easy General Tso’s Chicken and I got so many emails asking for an air fryer version but not a cheater version. Y’all wanted the real deal stuff so I did my best. I always say if you ask, I will try to provide – ha! So today I’m going to show you how you can make Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken! I am really so happy with how this turned out. Bust out those air fryers and make this fun version of General Tso’s Chicken..
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
So after testing this, I say definitely go with chicken thighs. If you’ve eaten General Tso’s Chicken from your favorite Chinese restaurant, that is what is used. It holds up well to the cooking process without becoming dry and rubbery. But breasts will work in a pinch. Keep an eye on that cooking time though. Chicken is cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165F degrees.
Yes! For this recipe, you will need to preheat the air fryer for at least 3 minutes before adding the chicken.
My go-to nonstick spray is olive oil. It is the safest to use in an air fryer that won’t degrade it or cause it to gum up and become sticky. Coconut oil is good second option.
Air fryers need the air to circulate to cook properly. If air cannot circulate around each chicken piece, you won’t get that crispier texture we are looking for and the chicken will cook unevenly. You will need to cook in batches.
General Tso’s is known to have some sweetness and spice to it. The spice comes from the chili sauce and chili flakes. I did not find this overwhelmingly spicy (and I know so many of you tell me you LOVE that super spicy stuff!) but if you want to make it milder, you can omit those. Or if you like it flaming hot then just addd more. It’s as easy as that. It will obviously change the flavor slightly so keep that in mind.
I like to serve it over rice, either regular white or jasmine and basmati. In addition, when I am in a cooking mood, I’ll make some of my Vegetable Fried Rice to go with it. It is also great over some asian noodles or some steamed broccoli.
Yes. But I will say that I have not personally tested this particular recipe out in the oven yet. I would suggest baking the chicken, on a nonstick baking sheet, with space between them, for about 15 minutes at 425F degrees. You will want to flip them about halfway through. You may have to play with that time a bit to make sure they are completely cooked. Then follow with the rest of the recipe.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container and kept in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen. Place in an airtight freezer container or bag and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight to reheat. You can place in the microwave until heated through or in the air fryer for about 3-4 minutes to crisp back up.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- chicken thighs
- cornstarch
- all-purpose four
- egg
- salt
- pepper
- chicken broth
- brown sugar
- hoisin sauce
- soy sauce
- garlic
- ginger
- rice vinegar
- toasted sesame oil
- chili flakes
- chili sauce (optional)
- green onion
- sesame seeds
HOW TO MAKE AIR FRYER GENERAL TSO’S CHICKEN:
Preheat the air fryer to 400° for 3 minutes. In a bowl mix the dry ingredients: cornstarch, all purpose flour, salt and pepper. In another bowl crack a large egg and whisk.
Take the chicken pieces and coat completely with the cornstarch/flour mixture, then dip them in the egg wash.
Place these pieces in the air fryer with space between them to cook all the way around.
Let air fry for 4 minutes, then using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and cook the remaining 4-5 minutes depending on the thickness of your pieces.
In a medium saucepan before placing over heat, add the chicken broth, then whisk the cornstarch so there are no lumps. Place the saucepan over medium high heat and add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce. Whisk until completely combined.
Stir sauce as it comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
Add chicken to sauce and stir, coating each piece evenly.
Serve hot, fresh with rice, noodles, or broccoli.
WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES? YOU GOTTA TRY THESE!
Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless , skinless chicken thighs cut into bite-size pieces
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
For Sauce:
- ⅔ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic
- 2 tablespoons ginger fresh grated
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon chili sauce optional
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onion
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
For the Chicken:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400° for 3 minutes.
- Spray the air fryer basket liberally with olive oil or coocnut oil cooking spray.
- In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients: cornstarch, all purpose flour, salt and pepper.
- In another bowl crack a large egg and whisk.
- Take the chicken pieces and coat completely with the cornstarch/flour mixture, then dip them in the egg wash.
- Place these pieces in the air fryer with space between them to cook all the way around.
- Air fry for 4 minutes, then using tongs, flip the chicken pieces over and cook the remaining 4-5 minutes depending on the thickness of your pieces. Finish with the rest of the chicken.
For the Sauce:
- In a medium saucepan, before placing over heat, add the chicken broth, then whisk the cornstarch so there are no lumps.
- Place the saucepan over medium high heat and add the rest of the ingredients for the sauce. Whisk until completely combined.
- Whisk sauce continuously as it comes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Add chicken to sauce and stir, coating each piece evenly.
- Serve hot, fresh with rice, noodles, or broccoli.
Notes
- Chicken breasts can be used instead of chicken thighs (but Genera Tso’s chicken is always made with chicken thighs at your favorite Chinese restaurants).
- Make sure that you cook this in batches so as not to overcrowd the air fryer snd the air can circulate.
- This can be doubled to serve more people (again cooking in batches).
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- Make sure to spray the air fryer basket before adding the chicken.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Hi Brandie,
Do you think this could be done with shrimp? I would love to try but I’m not a great cook when it comes to experimenting. Thanks.
Possibly. Air Fryer shrimp usually takes about 6 minutes at 400F (preheat the air fryer first). The shrimp should be opaque, pink and curled when it’s done.
After the egg wash the chicken pieces are not re dredged in the flor mixture?
Not for this air fryer version – the batter would be too heavy. If I were actually frying them, I would do that.