General Tso’s Chicken is one of my go-to Chinese food orders because I just can’t get enough of that tangy sauce! This Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken recipe is a healthier take on the classic Chinese takeout, and it’s even more delicious. Succulent bites of chicken are slathered in a homemade General Tso sauce, and served with a side of fluffy rice. It’s so easy to make in just 20 minutes!
Easy General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
My family doesn’t even ask for take-out anymore – they only ask for this easy air fryer chicken recipe! Making General Tso’s Chicken in the Air Fryer is so quick and easy to do with less than 10 ingredients.
The homemade sauce is easy to whip up using soy sauce, ketchup, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and tangy, with a wonderfully flavorful kick. It coats bites of chicken beautifully, and they get nice and crispy in the fryer.
Variations On General Tso’s Sauce
Change up the sauce with simple tweaks before tossing it with the air-fried chicken.
- If you like a slightly less sweet sauce, add 1 tablespoon of sugar instead of 2.
- To make it sweeter, add 1 tablespoon of honey.
- To add heat, add something like gochujang or sriracha.
- Add a little orange zest to brighten the dish up.
Email This Recipe
Enter your email and we’ll send the recipe directly to you!
How to Store and Reheat
Let your leftover General Tso’s chicken cool to room temperature prior to storing in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for 2-3 days.
To reheat, I recommend popping it back in the air fryer or oven until heated through. Avoid overheating, or you’ll dry out the sauce!
Notes and Tips
- Coating pieces of chicken with cornstarch helps them get crispier in the Air Fryer, and also helps the General Tso’s sauce stick. Flour can be used instead.
- I always serve this chicken with white rice or chicken fried rice, and a side of egg rolls!
Top Reader Review
“I followed your recipe spot on. It was excellent! Just the right amount of heat and tanginess. Excellent. And it was so simple.” – Terry
Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Dash of black pepper
For the Sauce:
- ¼ cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ginger paste
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
For the Chicken:
- Preheat air fryer to 400°F for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, toss the chicken with cornstarch, salt and pepper, coating evenly.1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 2 tablespoons cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt, Dash of black pepper
- Spray Air Fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place chicken in basket, separate the pieces so they cook all the way around.
- Air fry for 10 minutes, tossing the basket once at 5 minutes to flip the chicken over.
For the Sauce:
- Add all the sauce ingredients to a small, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat.¼ cup ketchup, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon ginger paste, 2 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Whisk until brown sugar dissolves, and bring to a rapid boil.
- Reduce heat, simmer about 5 minutes until sauce has thickened.
- Pour the sauce over the air fried chicken and coat evenly.
- Serve over white or brown rice.
Notes
How to Make General Tso’s Chicken in the Air Fryer Step by Step
Cook the Chicken: Cut 1 pound of chicken (boneless thighs or breasts) into small pieces. Then toss in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, ½ teaspoon of salt, and a dash of black pepper. Spray the air fryer basket with a little bit of non-stick spray. Place the coated chicken in an even layer in the basket, and cook at 400°F for 10 minutes; flip the chicken half-way through the cook time.
Make the General Tso’s Sauce: To a saucepan set over m medium heat, add ¼ cup of ketchup, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of ginger paste, 2 cloves of crushed garlic, and ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Whisk until the brown sugar has dissolved and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook for about 5 minutes, or until thickened.
Toss it All Together: Place the chicken in a large bowl, then pour the sauce and toss to evenly coat all pieces. Serve General Tso’s Chicken with rice, veggies, or your other Chinese takeout favorites!
I had to comment after reading some of your reviews. I followed your recipe spot on. It was excellent! Just the right amount of heat and tanginess. Excellent. And it was so simple.
Thanks for sharing, Terry!
The chicken came out nice and crispy and the sauce is great! Only issue i had was the cornstarch was still grainy/powdery when eating despite the sauce.. any help? Should it be a dusting or a coating?
You’ll want to coat it evenly, but you can switch to a dusting if that’s not working.
This is a wonderfully tasty homemade gem of a recipe. Honestly like it more than the restaurant versions!
Thanks for sharing, Lori!
Very delicious and super easy to make! 30 mins start to finish and super tasty and satisfying.
Could be a bit crispier but I think I should just cook it a bit more
Need to spray oil on chicken pieces to achieve deep frier like crispness. Still healthier than deep fried.
So easy and delicious! Vibrant colour too. I did with green beens ams then Asian greens. Topped with toasted slivered Almonds too
Sounds delicious, Trisha!
This recipe was delicious and so quick and easy!
I’m glad it was a hit!
But it tasted nothing like general tsos? It’s a fine recipe and was okay but just really not what I would call general tsos. Heavy ketchup. Airfrying the chicken was a good touch though. Leaves a nice texture
I’m sorry this recipe wasn’t quite to your tastes, Morgan!
Use house of tsang’s general tso’s sauce
So tasty and easy to make!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Vicky!
Recipe slaps but don’t overcook or the chicken will be dry af