Description
This Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken recipe offers a deliciously comforting and flavorful Chinese-American classic made easy with a slow cooking method. Tender bite-size chicken pieces are lightly coated, sautéed for a quick browning, then simmered in a tangy and slightly sweet homemade sauce made with hoisin, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Perfectly paired with steamed or fried rice, this dish combines convenience and rich taste for a satisfying family meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken and Coating
- 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds), chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 cup corn starch
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
To Serve
- Steamed or fried rice
Instructions
- Prepare Coating and Chicken: Preheat oil in a nonstick pan or skillet over medium heat. In a bowl, whisk together corn starch, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Place the chicken pieces in a large ziplock bag, add the corn starch mixture, seal the bag, and shake well to coat the chicken evenly.
- Sauté Chicken: Add the coated chicken pieces to the preheated pan with oil. Sauté for 1-2 minutes until the chicken pieces are browned on the outside. They will still be raw inside at this point, which is fine as they will finish cooking in the slow cooker.
- Prepare Sauce: In a separate bowl, combine hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, minced garlic, water, and crushed red pepper flakes. Whisk until the sauce ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Cook Chicken in Slow Cooker: Add half of the prepared sauce to the slow cooker along with the sautéed chicken pieces. Stir gently to distribute the sauce. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 hours, allowing the chicken to become tender and absorb the flavors.
- Finish and Serve: Immediately before serving, add the remaining half of the sauce to the slow cooker and stir gently to coat the chicken evenly. Serve the General Tso’s Chicken hot alongside steamed or fried rice for a complete meal.
Notes
- Lightly browning the chicken before slow cooking enhances flavor and texture.
- This recipe yields a mildly spicy dish, adjust crushed red pepper flakes to taste if you prefer more or less heat.
- Hoisin sauce can be found in the Asian section of most grocery stores or specialty markets.
- Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat nicely.
- For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free soy sauce and ensure your hoisin sauce is gluten-free.
