Super Easy Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken. Cooked in a slightly sweet and tangy Chinese-inspired sauce. Way better (and healthier) than takeout! Serve with my Chinese Fried Rice, Lo Mein, or Chicken Chow Mein to make it a meal!
If you are short on time and want to have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes try my Easy 30-minute General Tso’s Chicken, with a side of Garlic Fried Rice!
General Tso’s Chicken is my all-time favorite take-out dish. It’s my go-to whenever I order Chinese takeout. This General Tso Chicken recipe turns out incredibly tender and juicy way better than the takeout version. It is coated in a sweet and tangy sauce. It tastes just like the General Tso’s Chicken you get at a restaurant!
You can also feel better about eating this dish because it is healthier than the takeout version! There is no deep-frying in this recipe just a little oil is used to sauté the chicken. You can also control the sweetness, saltiness and spice level when you make this at home!
To add an extra depth of flavor to this dish I brown the coated chicken in a hot pan. This gives the chicken a nice caramelization on the outside and helps it stay tender and juicy while cooking in the slow cooker. The cornstarch also helps to thicken up the sauce.
If you like this recipe then try out my other Crockpot Chicken Recipe!
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Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: Cut into bite-size pieces. You can substitute chicken thighs as well.
- Cornstarch: This helps to thicken up the sauce.
- Hoisin Sauce: Can be found in the International Isle in the grocery store. It is thick, sweet, and slightly salty. It makes the perfect addition to the sauce!
- Rice wine vinegar: Can also be found in the International Isle in the grocery store. Resist the urge to substitute with another vinegar. I find that rice wine vinegar works the best in this recipe.
- Light brown sugar: Adds the perfect amount of sweetness to the sauce. Feel free to reduce the amount of sugar if you do not like it as sweet.
- Sesame oil: Also found in the International Isle in the grocery store or at Asian supermarkets. Sesame oil has a wonderful nutty flavor. A little goes a long way!
- For serving: I sprinkle the chicken with black and white sesame seeds and green onions! For a kick add some crushed red pepper flakes or a drizzle of Sriracha or chili garlic sauce!
How to make Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken
- Cube chicken thighs: Into bite size pieces.
- Coat in cornstarch: Add chicken and cornstarch to a large ziplock bag. Toss to coat the chicken with the cornstarch.
- Brown chicken: Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Saute chicken until golden brown on both sides about 2 minutes on each side. (Note the chicken will not be fully cooked and that is ok)
- Add the ingredients to the slow cooker: Add the chicken to the slow cooker. Combine hoisin sauce, vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil in a medium. Pour the sauce onto the chicken and stir to coat the chicken.
- Cook on low for 2-3 hours. Or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees and is heated through. Depending on how big you cubed your chicken it might take more or less time.
- Serve: With green onions and sesame seeds for serving, if desired.
What to serve with General Tso Chicken
- Authentic Chicken Lo Mein
- Chicken Chow Mein
- The BEST Fried Rice
- Garlic Fried Rice
- Air Fryer Fried Rice
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- White or brown rice. For a low-carb option try cauliflower rice.
- Steamed vegetables
- Crunchy Asian Broccoli Slaw
- Air Fryer Egg Rolls
- Garlic Green Beans
- Zucchini Noodle Stir Fry
- Japanese Cucumber Salad
storage instructions
- Reheat: Leftovers (chicken and sauce) in a saute pan over medium-high heat until rewarmed. You can also rewarm in the slow cooker as well!
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze in an airtight container or zip-top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw completely before reheating as above.
kelley’s tips
- You can use different meat! Try adding chicken thighs, pork, or beef instead, and increase the cooking time to 3-4 hours depending on the cut of meat.
- Vegetarian? No Problem! Cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, and carrots are all delicious in this recipe! Use what you have on hand. You can dust the vegetables with cornstarch, or make a cornstarch slurry by adding it to water and then pouring it straight into the sauce.
- Enjoy a little heat? Me too! Sprinkle some crushed red pepper flakes in, or as a few dashes of sriracha for a little kick of spice.
frequently asked questions
What is Chinese General Tso Sauce made of?
It’s made of 4 simple ingredients that you may already have in your pantry. General Tso’s Chicken sauce includes hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, light brown sugar, and sesame oil. The meat is coated with cornstarch which thickens the sauce up beautifully.
How long do you cook boneless skinless chicken in the crockpot?
For this Slow Cooker General Tso Chicken recipe, I cooked the chicken along with the sauce for 2-3 hours in the crockpot. It turns out super tender and the chicken is absolutely bursting with flavor.
Is General Tso Chicken the same as Orange Chicken?
Not quite! Orange Chicken Sauce has marmalade, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and crushed red pepper flakes. On the other hand, General Tso Chicken contains hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, light brown sugar, and sesame oil. They are very different flavor profiles! One is orange-tasting, and the other has hoisin sauce which is made from fermented soybeans.
Is General Tso Chicken spicy?
This recipe for Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken is not spicy at all, however, if you like a kick of heat I recommend adding in crushed red pepper flakes or a few dashes of sriracha. A little spice is delicious in this recipe!
Here are more Chinese Takeout Recipes you can make at home!
- 20 Minute Beef and Broccoli
- Easy Kung Pao Shrimp
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken
- Easy Pepper Steak
- 30 Minute Sweet and Sour Chicken
products i used
Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup hoisin sauce
- 4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- green onions for serving, if desired
- sesame seeds for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Add chicken and cornstarch to a large ziplock bag. Toss to coat the chicken with the cornstarch.
- Heat oil in a large skillet or wok. Saute chicken until golden brown on both sides about 2 minutes on each side. (Note the chicken will not be fully cooked and that is ok) Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
- Add hoisin sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil to a medium bowl and whisk until combined. Pour the sauce onto the chicken and stir to coat the chicken.
- Cook on low for 2-3 hours.Serve with green onions and sesame seeds for serving, if desired.
Nutrition Information
Did you make this?
I’d love to hear your feedback! Leave a review and make sure to share your pictures on social media! Don’t forget to follow @thechefsavvy.
Cindy
Where are the hot peppers? Every General Tso dish I have had has them.
Mike
This is DELICIOUS! Real easy and everyone in my family loved it.
Question – what would the best way to warm this up be?
Kelley Simmons
Hi Mike!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! To reheat leftovers place (chicken and sauce) in a saute pan over medium high heat until rewarmed. You can also rewarm in the slow cooker as well!
Thanks,
Kelley
Sharon
To make vegetarian version do I cook the vegetables in crockpot?
Or do you mean just make the sauce in crockpot and pour over vegetables? Thank you.
Kelley Simmons
Hi Sharon!
You could totally just so slow cooker general tso veggies! You can toss cauliflower, peppers, broccoli or whatever veggies you have on hand in the sauce. I would try cooking for 1-2 hours on high and check to see if they are tender.
Hope you enjoy!
Kelley
Char
It was awesome. I made it last week and am making it again this evening. This time I am adding carrots, sweet peppers and broccoli to it. Last week I just added broccoli to it and it was great we loved it.
Kelley Simmons
Yah so happy to hear you enjoyed this! Thank you so much for sharing!
Gina
Really good but a bit sweet even though I cut the brown sugar in half. Added some stir fry vegetables the last 30 minutes and it was very good.
Julia
We made this last night and would of given it 5 stars but felt it tasted a bit salty. Next time we will skip the salt and just rely on Soy sauce for seasoning. Family said it tasted just like it was made at a Chinese restaurant and had just the right amount spice. Can’t wait to try it again, minus the salt.