Better Than Takeout: General Tso’s Air Fried Chicken Recipe

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5 from 2 votes

General Tso's Air fried Chicken Recipe

This quick and easy air fried chicken is perfect for those who are craving Chinese takeout food. So easy to make and a healthier alternative to fastfood.

Course dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Keyword air fryer recipes for chicken, Asian recipes, easy recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

FOR THE CHICKEN:

• 1 pound boneless  skinless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• ½  tsp  salt
• Dash of black pepper

FOR THE SAUCE:

• ¼ cup  ketchup
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
• ½ tsp ginger paste
• 2 garlic cloves  crushed
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 5 minutes. Do not put parchment paper when preheating the air fryer.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken pieces, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Mix to coat the chicken pieces well.
• Lime the air fryer with round parchment paper and place the chicken pieces inside. Make sure the pieces do not touch each other so they fry evenly.
• Air fry for 10 minutes. Flip the pieces then air fry for another 5 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, combine sauce ingredients. Mix well until brown sugar is dissolved and bring to a boil. Let it simmer until sauce thickens.
• In a serving dish, toss the chicken pieces with the sauce and serve with rice.

North American Chinese restaurants made General Tso’s (pronounced as [tswò]) chicken popular. This sweet fried chicken dish was invented by a Hunan-based chef named Peng Chang-kuei. There are many versions to this dish but the focus is the sweet sauce served with the fried chicken. For a healthier option, try the air fried chicken instead of the one fried in oil.

A Delicious Air Fried Chicken Recipe for All Occasions

The crispy chicken coupled with the tangy, sweet and spicy sauce is perfect for special occasions or an ordinary meal. Plus, if you’re a fan of Chinese takeout food, this air fried chicken recipe is much healthier than fast food or takeout.

It is almost similar to the Orange Chicken recipe, but with a slightly different base sauce. The Orange Chicken recipe uses orange juice as added flavor. General Tso’s chicken uses ketchup and sesame oil to add flavor to the sauce. Plus, General Tso’s chicken recipe has a spicy kick to it.

Instead of frying the chicken in oil, it is healthier and easier to cook it in the air fryer. Air fried chicken is healthier because you don’t need to soak it in oil just to get that crisp that you like. To cook it in the air fryer, just line your air fryer with some parchment paper for air fryer, place the coated chicken pieces in it, and cook it to a crisp. After that, just remove the chicken. Toss out the parchment paper and apply a fresh sheet for another batch of cooking. No mess, no hassle. Perfect for when you are in a hurry or have guests — such as Game Day!

General Tso’s Chicken is an all-time family favorite. This is one of the dishes I plan to serve this Sunday when our guests arrive. It’s very easy to prepare and I can even prepare the sauce in advance then just cook the chicken pieces in batches. Nobody can say no to crispy fried chicken so even if the sauce runs out, we can still make use of the extra fried chicken.

Help yourself to some delicious and easy Chinese cuisine and try this General Tso’s Air Fried Chicken recipe!

Don’t forget to share this recipe with your friends and family, too!