Have Chinese takeout again with my version of the popular dish, Gluten Free General Tso's Chicken. It's spicy, sweet, and better than ever!
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I have never had General Tso's Chicken from a Chinese restaurant, so for me to say my version is just like it would be a lie. BUT, my husband has had it and he claims this is better than any General Tso's Chicken he ever had, so does that count? So I'll walk you through how easy it is to make this takeout favorite and in no time you'll be enjoying it, too!
Everything you'll need to make general tso's chicken
- Hoisin sauce -- make sure your hoisin sauce is gluten free, as some are not. The brand I used was Joyce Chen, which I got from my local grocery store, but there are some other brands that are gluten free, such as Wok Mei (affiliate link).
- Tamari -- I always have gluten free tamari (affiliate link) in my house, but you can also use gluten free soy sauce (affiliate link).
- Cubed chicken breasts -- you may substitute with chicken thighs.
- Cornstarch -- this is really what makes the chicken so crunchy. You may be able to substitute with potato starch or tapioca starch, but I haven't tested these so I don't know for sure.
- Reserved marinade -- a little bit of the marinade is set aside to add to the cornstarch/flour mixture to make it "craggy".
let's make takeout!
- Whisk together marinade ingredients and add 6 tablespoon to cubed chicken in ziptop bag. Refrigerate chicken. Set aside 2 tablespoon of marinade for coating.
- Saute garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes until fragrant. Add marinade and simmer until the mixture is thickened. Cover and set aside.
- Whisk egg whites in shallow bowl until foamy.
- Combine dry ingredients in shallow bowl and add reserved marinade. Mix with fork until it resembles pebbles and is "craggy."
- Drain chicken and pat dry. Dip in egg whites and then into cornstarch mixture.
- Fry at 350 degrees F for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
- Toss with the sauce and serve with steamed rice.
general tso's chicken frequently asked questions
For best results, deep fry the chicken. However, a wok may be used or even an air fryer, but with the air fryer you will need to spray each chicken piece with an oil to obtain crispy, golden brown chicken.
Yes, chicken thighs are actually very good in General Tso's Chicken.
Adjust the crushed red pepper flakes to suit your tastes. If you'd like your chicken a little less spicy, reduce red pepper flakes to ¼ teaspoon and drop the ginger to 1 tbsp. If you'd like General Tso's Chicken more spicy, add up to 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and keep the ginger at 2 tbsp.
more gluten free chicken recipes
- Honey Coriander Wings
- Curry Chicken Salad
- Easy and Delicious Chicken Salad
- Chick-Fil-A Style Chicken
- Chopped Chicken Salad
No need to miss out on Chinese takeout anymore. Just make Gluten Free General Tso's Chicken and you'll forget all about those little white boxes!
Gluten Free General Tso's Chicken
Ingredients
Marinade & Sauce
- ½ cup (120 g) gluten free hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup (60 g) white vinegar
- 3 tablespoon tamari or gluten free soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1½ cups (360 ml) water
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes more or less to taste
- 1 pound (454 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes chicken thighs may be substituted
Coating & Frying
- 3 large egg whites
- ¾ cup (90 g) cornstarch
- ¼ cup (35 g) Kim's all purpose gluten free flour blend
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 4 cups (1 gallon or 896 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1-2 green onions, thinly sliced optional garnish
Instructions
- Whisk the hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, and water in a bowl. Place chicken into ziptop bag and pour 6 tablespoon of the marinade mixture over the chicken and seal. Toss chicken in marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Set aside 2 tablespoon of the marinade for later.
- To make the sauce, heat the tablespoon of canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and saute just until fragrant. Add the rest of the marinade and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens. Cover the sauce and remove from the heat. Keep warm until ready.
- Begin heating the oil in a Dutch oven to 350° F.
- Whisk the egg whites in a shallow bowl until foamy; set aside. Whisk together the cornstarch, flour, and baking soda in another shallow bowl. Add the reserved marinade and stir with a fork until it resembles small craggy bits.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Dip half the chicken into the egg whites and then into the cornstarch mixture. Make sure to press into the chicken to adhere the little craggy bits. Transfer chicken to a plate and finish dipping and dredging all of it.
- Fry the chicken, half at a time, in 350° F oil for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy. Transfer the cooked chicken on paper towels to drain.
- Heat the sauce until gently simmering. Turn off the heat and add the fried chicken pieces. Toss to coat and serve over steamed white or brown rice, sprinkling with chopped green onions for garnish, if desired.
Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker's General Tso's Chicken
Keith Sadler says
I made this tonight for the family. It was a hit and a definite do over. Thank you!
Kim says
Yay! So glad you liked them!!!
Nadine Silverman says
Wow the chicken on its own was so good I am keeping some of it without the sauce to eat on its own. Super recipe
Kim says
Awesome! That's how my son eats it (no sauce)
Gillie says
I finally had a chance to make this and boy howdy is it good! Between the time you printed this recipe and making it, I had hubs order some from a chain Chinese-ish restaurant, he really liked it. He liked your version so much better! Thank you for this wonderful recipe, it blew the doors off my taste buds, and made me feel like we had ordered takeout. Yummy deluxe!!
I have to admit to changing your recipe just a bit. I just coated the chicken in corn starch and double fried them.
Kim says
I'm so glad you and your husband liked it, Gillie!
Ry says
It was really good. The chicken was almost like KFC's popcorn chicken. I think I would only make half the sauce next time since I had a lot of leftover sauce. I also will eat it without fully coating the chicken since it loses crispiness when drenching it. Thanks for another good recipe Kim.
Kim says
Thanks, Ry! You can also freeze the sauce. I do it all the time 😊
Gillie says
I haven’t made this yet, I’m giving you full stars because every single thing on your website is utterly delicious! I’ve not had this either, and have always wondered what it tastes like. This weekend we are going to visit going Tso’s!
Kim says
Awe, Gillie, thank you SO much for your continued support and your very kind words! I appreciate you so much 🥰🥰🥰