Crock Pot General Tso’s Chicken
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Crock Pot General Tso’s Chicken has crispy pieces of fried chicken cooked with a sweet tangy sauce in the slow cooker. It’s totally irresistible and easy to make ahead of time for a weeknight dinner or a party!
Watch Video – Crock Pot General Tso’s Chicken:
This Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken is the crockpot version of the traditional General Tso’s Chicken. It takes less than 15 minutes of preparation before the crock pot works its magic.
This homemade slow cooker version is healthier than your typical takeout, but still just as tasty! The sauce intensifies inside the crock pot, but it also thickens due to the cornstarch creating irresistible sweet and tangy flavors…
How to Make Crock Pot General Tso’s Chicken
Step 1: Prepare the Chicken
Start by cutting boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes.
Step 2: Coat Chicken with Seasoning Cornstarch
Unlike the traditional deep-fried version, this slow cooker version applies a thin breading to the chicken cubes. All you need to do is to mix the chicken with salt, pepper and cornstarch in a ziplock bag.
Step 3: Stir-fry Chicken in a Skillet
In a large skillet or wok over high heat, sauté the chicken cubes. Cook the chicken in two batches so that it’s not too crowded. Once the chicken pieces turn golden brown, transfer them to the crock pot.
Note: You can skip Step 2 and 3 if you are in a rush. These two steps will make your chicken slightly crispy on the outside and more tender on the inside.
Step 4: Add Sauce in the Crock Pot
Add the garlic, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and water to the slow cooker. Then cook for 4 hours on low heat. You may want to cook rice separately at this time too.
Step 5: Toss Chicken with the Sauce
Once it’s done, toss the chicken with the sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds, sliced green onions and chili peppers. Serve with rice and broccoli.
Note: if your sauce is not as sticky as you want, add 1 tablespoon cornstarch and cook on high until the sauce thickens up.
Step by Step Process Photo
Here’s a summary of the cooking process:
Cooking Tips and Secrets
- Browning the chicken cubes in a skillet will make your chicken slightly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- Before taking your chicken out from the slow cooker, do a taste test! Add more sugar, or rice vinegar to your taste. If the sauce is not as thick as you want, add more cornstarch and cook on high to thicken it.
Special Ingredients for this Recipe
- Hoisin Sauce: Hoisin sauce helps to achieve the authentic General Tso Chicken flavor. You can find it at your local Asian grocery store or order online.
- Rice Vinegar: I bought mine at local supermarket. If you cannot find substitute it with cider vinegar or white wine vinegar.
How Can I Get Crispier General Tso Chicken?
Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken is less crispy than what you’ll find at your favorite restaurant. To make it extra-crispy, deep frying is the best approach. Just marinate chicken pieces with eggs or sauce and then coat with cornstarch, you can follow the steps in this recipe.
Deep fry it by heating 4 cups of oil in a deep-fryer or saucepan to 375°F. Add chicken cubes into the oil in batches, and cook until they turn golden brown. This way, you will get extra-crispy General Tso Chicken exactly like in a restaurant or takeout.
What is General Tso’s Chicken?
General Tso’s Chicken, 左宗棠鸡 (Zuo ZongTang Chicken) is a Chinese dish where chicken pieces are fried to golden brown, and then tossed with sweet and tangy General Tso’s sauce.
It first appeared in New York as a Chinese-American dish in the 1970s and has been popular ever since. While it’s widely known in America, most people in China are not aware of this dish.
More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes:
View all slow cooker recipes
Crock Pot General Tso's Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless skinless
- 1 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
General Tso Sauce
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce, low-sodium recommended
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp water
Serving - optional
- steamed rice
- red pepper flakes
- green onions / scallions, minced
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Slice chicken breasts into bite size pieces and place in a large ziplock bag with cornstarch, salt and pepper. Shake until coated.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil and half of the chicken pieces to the pan, shaking off excess cornstarch.
- Fry several minutes until lightly golden, and add all the browned chicken to the slow cooker. Repeat for the remaining chicken.
- Add the garlic, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and water to the slow cooker.
- Cook for 4 hours on low heat. (You may want to cook rice separately during this time.)
- When ready to serve, serve chicken with optional red pepper flakes, green onions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
Please read our nutrition disclaimer.
Recipe tools:
Editor’s note: Originally posted 1/16/2017 and updated 11/19/2019.
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Love it! What would you do if you actually want it saucier?
Hi Kara, Thanks for your feedback! You can just double the sauce ingredients to make it saucier. Let me know if you try the extra-saucy version!
Husband loved it. Will definately make again. Wonderful way to make chicken crispy
Hi Marilyn, Thanks for your comment and great to hear! So glad you enjoyed it.
I love your recipe for this but I was looking for a ver simple recipe. Appreciate your recipe for my favorite Chinese dish!
Hi DeVonne, Thanks for your comment! Be sure to try https://tipbuzz.com/general-tsos-chicken/ for a quicker version. it’s very popular 🙂