Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken
Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken recipe is take-out food made at home at its best! Crispy chicken coated in a spicy, tangy and sweet sauce with no deep-frying, it’s a must-try!
Crispy Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken
General Tso’s chicken is a family favorite Chinese take-out food. But over the years, I stayed away from deep-fried foods, and we missed all the delicious Chinese food. Now, with the Air Fryer I can get crispy chicken without deep frying.
And this homemade version is even better than take-out. I know what exactly goes into them and I can tweak it to my liking. And this crispy Chinese chicken bites are done in 10 minutes in 400F in the Air Fryer.
Unlike other recipes, I marinate the chicken for 30 minutes for maximum flavor. Also, the cornstarch coating makes it crispy in the air fryer. And the sauce, that ties everything together.
For more Air fryer recipes that you can make on a weeday, check out my Air Fryer Recipes collection. We have Air Fryer Teriyaki Salmon, Air Fryer Chicken Thighs and Air Fryer Chicken Legs in our dinner rotation.
What Is General Tso’s Chicken?
General Tso’s chicken is a popular Chinese-American dish. It is said to be originated in Hunan province in China and was named after a well-respected military leader: General Tso.
It’s crispy chicken coated with a spicy, sweet, and tangy sauce. It is more spicy than sweet, compared to other Chinese dishes like Sesame Chicken, Honey Chicken, or Orange Chicken. And it’s made with ingredients like spicy red chili peppers, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic and brown sugar.
Ingredients
There are 3 parts to making Air Fryer General Tso’s chicken:
- Marinade
- Crispy Air fried Chicken
- Sauce
For the marinade we need:
- Chicken – boneless, skinless chicken thighs would be ideal. It’s forgiving when overcooked. Chicken breasts can be used in a pinch.
- Ginger – minced
- Garlic – minced
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar – is mild but if you don’t have rice vinegar, white vinegar can be used.
For crispy Air fried chicken:
- Marinated chicken – marinated for half an hour
- Egg
- Corn starch – for crispy coating
For the sauce:
- Cooking oil – vegetable oil or any neutral oil. You can garnish with sesame oil later if you like.
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Red chili flakes – Or 2 to 6 sliced red chili peppers can be used.
- Chicken broth
- Soy sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Ketchup
- Brown sugar
- Corn starch
- Garnishes – sesame seeds and sliced green onions
Step by step process
How To Make General Tso’s Chicken In Air Fryer
Even though it consists of several parts and may seem like a lot of work, making Air fryer General Tso’s Chicken is actually easy once you get the ingredients ready and follow these steps:
- Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. To a mixing bowl, add chicken, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar and mix to coat. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.
- Preheat Air fryer for 5 minutes at 400F.
- Beat the egg in a small bowl. Add the corn starch to a shallow bowl. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg and then coat them in the corn starch. Shake off excess.
- Grease the Air fryer basket using a cooking spray or brush with oil. Place the chicken in a single layer in Air fryer.
- Air fry chicken at 400F for 12 to 16 minutes. Until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F.
- For the sauce, whisk chicken broth, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, corn starch, ketchup together in a small bowl.
- Heat oil in a skillet in medium high heat. Add the ginger, garlic and chili flakes. Cook until fragrant.
- Give the sauce a stir and add it to the skillet and cook until the sauce thickens.
- Toss the air fried chicken in the sauce to coat.
- Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions.
Recipe Tips
- Preheat the Air fryer to cook faster and for crispy chicken.
- Cut chicken in to even sized pieces.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Place chicken in a single layer.
- Cook in batches.
- When the last batch is done, add the first batch to the Air fryer basket and air fryer for one more minute to keep everything warm.
- If you want a sweeter sauce, add more brown sugar.
- For extra sauce, double the sauce recipe.
What To Serve Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken With
I like to serve this chicken with Basmati rice. Learn how to cook the perfect Basmati rice! You can also serve it with brown rice, or any other grains. If you’re watching your carbs cauliflower rice would be great.
I serve them as an appetizer with toothpicks on the side when guests are over or on a party table.
Storage
Leftovers: Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave until warm.
Freeze: To freeze, place the cooked chicken without the sauce in a zip lock bag and freeze for 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and air fry chicken until crisp. Make a fresh batch of sauce and toss the chicken to coat.
More Air Fryer Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Air Fryer Garlic Steak Bites
- Crispy and Juicy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Chicken Nugget
- Air Fryer Crispy Roast Potatoes
- Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
- Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
DID YOU MAKE IT? Please leave a comment and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe!
Recipe
Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
Marinade
- 1 pound chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
To Air Fry Chicken
- 1 egg beaten
- ⅔ cup corn starch
For the Sauce
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tsp ginger minced
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
Garnishing
- sesame seeds
- sliced green onions
Instructions
- To a mixing bowl, add chicken, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar and mix to coat. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.
- Preheat Air fryer for 5 minutes at 400F.
- Beat the egg in a small bowl. Add the corn starch to a shallow bowl. Dip the chicken pieces in the egg and then coat them in the corn starth. Shake off excess.
- Grease the Air fryer basket using a cooking spray or brush with oil.
- Place the chicken in a single layer in Air fryer. Air fry chicken at 400F for 12 to 16 minutes. Until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165F.
- While the chicken is cooking you can make the sauce. For the sauce, whisk chicken broth, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, corn starch, ketchup together in a small bowl.
- Heat oil in a skillet in medium high heat. Add the ginger, garlic and chili flakes. Cook until fragrant.
- Give the sauce a stir and add it to the skillet and cook until the sauce thickens.
- Toss the air fried chicken in the sauce to coat. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. Serve warm.
Notes
- Cook in batches.
- For a sweeter sauce, add more brown sugar.
- For extra sauce, double the sauce recipe.
- Store – in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat them in the microwave until warm.
- Freeze – freeze the cooked chicken without the sauce in the freezer for 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and crisp up in the Air fryer. Make a fresh batch of sauce and toss to coat.
Nutrition
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Delicious. I doubled the sauce to have extra to add to rice. Definitely a new favorite!
Thanks Nicole! I’m glad you enjoyed. It’s one of our favorites too.
I love this recipe! My chicken didn’t come out all that great but it’s probably my fault lol. I’ve remade the sauce multiple times. It is incredibly spicy if I follow directly, I’ve been doubling or tripling all but the 1 tsp of red pepper flakes. I’ve added honey and maple and salt to cut the spice a bit. I like spicy but wow this was surprisingly spicy. I don’t measure the garlic or ginger too closely so I’m sure I use more than it calls for. It’s so dang good though!! I also used water as I didn’t have any broth on hand.
Thank you Leslie. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Yes, it is spicy :)🌶️ Reduce the amount of red pepper flakes next time. I buy mine from Costco and they’re not that spicy.