Name: Air Fryer General Tso's Chicken Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs; 1 egg, lightly beatened; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup cornstarch; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 cup chicken stock; 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed; 2 tablespoons soy suace; 2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 2 tablespoons hoisin suace; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablepoon fresh ginger, minced; 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or more to taste; Olive Oil or Cooking Spray; Sliced Scallions and Sesame Seeds For Garnish (optional)

Air Fryer General Tso Chicken Recipe — Standing in front of the stove frying up General Tso’s chicken is a common sight. But with the invention and popularity of air fryers, you can now make this Chinese dish using an air fryer instead!

One of my family’s favorite Chinese Take-Out Dinners is Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken, so today, I created a replicate dish made in my air fryer. Here is one of my favorite air fryer dishes. I present to you one of my favorite Asian recipes!

Tender, juicy chicken pieces smothered in the tasty General Tso Chicken Sauce, served over a plate of rice, and a side of broccoli, was a fantastic dinner. And it would beat any Chinese restaurant.

This healthy dinner is made with authentic chicken pieces and air-fried up to perfection. Although it tastes almost deep-fried, you use very little oil in this dish. This is a healthy Air Fryer Recipe, and it is good!

This will soon be one of your favorite weeknight meals or a great meal to impress your guests with.

Some of my favorite and excellent air fryer Chinese-inspired dishes to include AIR FRYER CHINESE SPARE RIBS, AIR FRYER CHINESE BUFFET CRAB CASSEROLE RECIPE, INSTANT POT VEGETARIAN CHINESE FRIED RICE, AIR FRYER CHINESE CHICKEN WINGS and of course, everyone needs an appetizer of AIR FRYER, CHINESE CRAB RANGOON to start the meal.

General Tso’s Chicken

If you have ever ordered this meal at a Chinese Restaurant, you will notice that it is usually fried chicken covered in a sweet but spicy sauce.

The sauce is almost the same as my Air Fryer Sesame Chicken, but a bit spicy. Typically it is served over rice and with a side of broccoli.

There are three parts to this recipe, the cooking of the chicken, the making of the sauce, and the combination of the chicken and gravy, which is sauteed up, so you get the rich and deep flavoring of the sauce.

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What Is General Tso’s Chicken?

If you’re not sure what General Tso’s Chicken is, it’s a dish that originated in Hunan, China, and was created by Zuo Zongtang. It has become popularized in America due to its sweet and spicy flavor profile, with soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic cloves, brown sugar, ginger root, and chili peppers.

Why Air Fry Chicken?

If you never have had air-fried chicken, let me tell you, it’s life-changing. I have never made tender chicken pieces, juicy, tender, and delicious.

Although this dish is typically fried, you can get tender chicken pieces by cooking them in the air fryer.

Meanwhile, the chicken is cooked to perfection less than grilling, sauteing, or baking.

Ingredients Needed For Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken

This recipe has many ingredients, but it is definitely worth the time. You will have most of the ingredients in the pantry or refrigerator.

Boneless & Skinless Chicken Breast or Thighs
Egg
All-Purpose Flour
Cornstarch
Chicken Stock
Brown sugar
Soy Sauce
Rice Vinegar
Hoisin Sauce
Vegetable Oil
Minced Garlic
Fresh Ginger
Spices: Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Chili Flakes
Cooking Spray
Garnish: Scallions or Sesame Seeds

How To Make General Tso Chicken In Air Fryer

How To Cook Air Fryer General Tso's Chicken Recipe

Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces, place in a medium-sized bowl, add the beaten egg, coat the chicken in the egg, and set aside. Whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder in another medium-sized bowl.

Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees F, air fryer setting. Take the chicken pieces one at a time and let the excess egg drip off. Dip into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.

Spray the air fryer’s basket with olive oil, place the chicken pieces not touching into the basket, and spray them generously with cooking spray. You may need to do this in batches. Air Fry for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through the coating with more cooking spray until crispy and an internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees F.

How To Cook Air Fryer General Tso's Chicken Recipe Sauce in pan

For the sauce, whisk together the chicken stock, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the vegetal oil. Add the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes to the skillet and cook, constantly stirring for 15 seconds. Add the sauce to the pan and cook for about 30 seconds until it thickens.

Immediately add the chicken and toss in the sauce. Serve with an optional garnish of scallions and sesame seeds.

Air Fryer General Tso's Chicken Recipe On Plate

Top Tips For Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken

Preheat the air fryer before adding the chicken, so the chicken’s outer part gets a great sear.
Spray the basket and chicken with cooking spray. You can use any high-heat oil that you want, I used olive oil spray, but avocado oil works well.
If you end up with white spots or dried spots on your chicken, you did not use enough cooking spray on the chicken’s outer part.

Can I Use Chicken Thighs?

You can use either boneless skinless chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs. Both chicken cuts will work in this recipe.

Do I need to preheat the air fryer beforehand?

You want to sear the chicken, which will add great flavor to this dish.

What kind of spray should I spray my air fryer with

Like all air fryer recipes, you want to use high-heat olive oil. Remember not to use any aerosol sprays which will cause your basket or tray to lose its coating over time. So, use a high-heat oil, such as olive oil, sesame oil, or even coconut oil.

How To Store Leftover General Tso’s Chicken

If you have any leftover chicken, you can easily place the leftovers into an airtight container and put them into the refrigerator. They will last for about 2 to 3 days.

How to Reheat General Tso Chicken In Air Fryer: Place the chicken in the air fryer or on a microwave-safe plate, and heat until warmed through.

How To Freeze:

Place the chicken without the sauce into a freezer container. Place into the freezer for 2 to 2 months.

When you are ready to serve it, defrost overnight in the refrigerator, and then make a fresh batch of the sauce. Toss together and place into the air fryer, heat until warmed through.

How To Make General Tso’s Chicken in the Oven

You can easily make this in the oven, prepare as directed, and then place the chicken into a preheated 425 degrees F oven—Cook for about 10 to 12 minutes.

Some Other Great Air Fryer Chicken Recipes

Some Other Great Air Fryer Asian-Inspired Recipes

If you love our recipe for General Tso Chicken Air Fryer, You will love these chicken recipes as well.

Yield: 4 Servings

Air Fryer General Tso's Chicken Recipe

There is nothing better than a homemade version of your favorite Chinese Takeout Item. Today, I am giving you a great and easy recipe for Air Fryer General Tso's Chicken.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast or thighs
1 egg, lightly beatened
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cup chicken stock
3 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons soy suace
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons hoisin suace
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Assembly Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablepoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or more to taste
Olive Oil or Cooking Spray
Sliced Scallions and Sesame Seeds For Garnish (optional)

Instructions

Cut the chicken into 1-inch pieces, place in a medium-sized bowl, add the beaten egg, coat the chicken in the egg, and set aside. In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Preheat the air fryer to 390 degrees F, air fryer setting. Take the chicken pieces one at a time and let the excess egg drip off. Dip into the flour mixture, shaking off any excess.
Spray the air fryer's basket with olive oil, place the chicken pieces not touching into the basket, and spray them generously with cooking spray. You may need to do this in batches. Air Fry for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through the coating with more cooking spray until crispy and an internal temperature reaches at least 165 degrees F.
For the sauce, whisk together the chicken stock, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl set aside.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the vegetal oil. Add the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes to the skillet and cook, constantly stirring for 15 seconds. Add the sauce to the pan and cook for about 30 seconds until it starts to thicken.
Immediately add the chicken and toss in the sauce. Serve with an optional garnish of scallions and sesame seeds.
Plate, serve, and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 569Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 186mgSodium: 601mgCarbohydrates: 45gFiber: 2gSugar: 11gProtein: 49g

ForkToSpoon.com occasionally offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although we try to attempt to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken