An Easy & Healthy Oven Baked General Tso's Chicken Recipe · i am a food blog (2024)

General Tso’s chicken may be the most popular dish in America when it comes to Chinese food. It’s easy to see why with its sweet, sticky, and umami forward deep fried chicken nuggets. Like all things though, making it yourself at home is even better. This version is simultaneously tastier than takeout while being super easy and healthy because it’s oven baked with no finicky oil to deal with, just delicious crispy chicken.

Cooking Notes
If you are so inclined, cutting the pieces into smaller than usual 1/2″ cubes make for a crispier chicken that’s actually more true to its Hunan origins. Properly speaking all parts of an authentic Chinese dish should be cut down into a uniformly small chopstick friendly size.

The whole dried peppers add an incredible kick if you eat them or a delicate hint of smoke if you don’t, but you can just leave them out entirely if you don’t like spicy food or can’t find them, this is dinner & chill after all. The green onion whites comes very highly recommended.

What do you need?
A non stick skillet and a baking sheet with a rack that fits. Cooking spray is highly recommended. It puts less oil on the rack than brushing (and you need the oil or you’ll tear your chicken),

How do you serve it?
Serve with rice, fried noodles, and some traditional broccoli.

The Dinner & Chill Oven Baked General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
Serves 2-4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes

• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed into 1″-1/2″ pieces
  
• 3 tablespoons corn starch
  
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  
• 2 tablespoons vinegar (ideally rice vinegar)
  
• 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
  
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed

Optional but highly recommended garnishes

• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional, for color)
• 4-6 whole dried chinese chilies (optional, if you like spicy authentic food)
• 4-6 green onion whites (optional, but highly recommended)
• sesame seeds (optional)

1. Preheat your oven to 450ºF and season your chicken with salt and pepper.

2. Transfer your chicken to a ziplock/plastic bag along with 2 tablespoons of corn starch and shake well. Arrange the chicken onto an oiled tray on a foil lined baking sheet.

3. Bake your chicken for 30 minutes at 450ºF, flipping once after 20 minutes.

4. While the chicken is baking, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1/2 cup of water in a cup and stir into a smooth slurry.

5. Make your sauce by combining soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, hoisin, and garlic. If you are going all out and using the optional dark soy, dried chilies, and green onion whites, add them now as well. Add the corn starch slurry and bring everything to a boil, then take off the heat and stir until a smooth and glossy sauce forms. Set aside and make your rice or relax with a glass of wine until the chicken is done.

6. When your chicken is crispy and brown, toss it in the sauce until everything is evenly coated. Top with sesame seeds and chopped green onions with a side of rice, and enjoy!

Welcome to Dinner & Chill, a new series focusing on quick & easy weeknight dinners with easy to find ingredients, no special equipment, low prep, and low effort. Less shopping, less chopping, less mopping, more eating.