This healthy General Tso chicken recipe is baked instead of fried, so it’s a lighter, easier version of the Chinese restaurant classic — with just 10 minutes of prep!
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For even more Chinese takeout-inspired recipes, be sure to try these dump-and-bake sesame chicken noodles, teriyaki ground beef, dump-and-bake Kung Pao chicken, baked sweet and sour chicken, and this one-skillet “egg roll in a bowl”, too!
I Made this for supper and it was definitely a HIT!! My family LOVED it. It was also easy to put together. I served it over cauliflower rice.
– Debbie
How to Make this Baked General Tso Chicken Recipe | 1-Minute Video
This dish is baked instead of fried, so it’s so much healthier and easier than its fried restaurant counterparts. There’s no extra hassle with breading the chicken, no hot oil splattering on your stovetop, and no babysitting batch after batch of chicken in the pan. Instead, this “dump-and-bake” General Tso chicken recipe comes together with simple, easy-to-find ingredients in one casserole dish. The oven does the work, so you get the best flavor with very little effort!
General Tso Chicken Sauce
A traditional General Tso Chicken sauce is sweet, slightly spicy, and thick enough to coat each piece of chicken. It’s made of hoisin sauce, cornstarch to thicken, brown sugar, sesame oil, and sometimes soy sauce or rice wine vinegar. We add red pepper flakes for some heat and ginger and garlic for extra flavor, too!
A Few Notes Before You Get Started
- I typically use boneless, skinless chicken breast, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs also work well.
- Hoisin sauce is like a Chinese version of barbecue sauce, with a thick texture and a sweet-and-salty taste. Don’t skip this ingredient, which is important for the recipe’s flavor and texture.
- The sesame oil is also a key ingredient, which cannot be replaced by other oils. Sesame oil has a unique rich, toasted flavor that gives many Asian dishes their authentic taste.
- If available, use fresh ginger instead of dried, ground ginger. If using fresh ginger, you’ll need about 1 teaspoon of the grated root.
- Garnish each serving with scallions, toasted sesame seeds, or extra peanuts for even more flavor and texture.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the sweet, sticky, spicy chicken over rice (or over cauliflower rice for an even lighter dish), with plenty of extra sauce spooned over top. We love it with steamed broccoli tossed into the mix as well. Additional good options include pasta, ramen noodles, sesame peanut noodles, ramen noodle coleslaw, sesame ginger snap pea salad, or baked store-bought egg rolls. Don’t forget fortune cookies for dessert, too!
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Another bonus to the baked (not fried) chicken? It’s doesn’t get soggy in the fridge!
- How to Freeze: store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: Reheat the chicken and sauce in a skillet on the stovetop over low heat, just until warmed through. You can also microwave individual servings for about 1 minute.
This is delicious! I liked that I could cut the recipe in half for 2 people. I followed the recipe exactly except I didn’t add the peanuts. My husband said this recipe is a keeper! Thank you!
– Kathy
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Healthy General Tso Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 ½-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh garlic (about 3 large cloves garlic)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or sub with ¼ teaspoon ground ginger)
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (add more for a spicier dish or omit for a mild dish)
- ¼ cup dry roasted, salted peanuts (optional)
- Optional garnish: sliced green onions, toasted sesame seeds, extra peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a medium baking dish with cooking spray (I have used a deep 9-inch by 6-inch dish, a deep 8-inch square dish, and an 11-inch by 7-inch dish, and all work well). Place chicken in the prepared dish. Sprinkle with cornstarch and toss to coat.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together chicken broth, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, garlic, sesame oil, ginger, salt, and red pepper flakes.
- Pour sauce over chicken and stir to combine.
- Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir, return to the oven for 5-10 more minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened. Remove from oven, stir in peanuts. Season with additional salt and red pepper flakes, to taste. Garnish with sliced green onions, sesame seeds, or extra peanuts just before serving.
Notes
- Don’t skip the hoisin sauce, which is important for the recipe’s flavor and texture.
- The sesame oil is also a key ingredient, which cannot be replaced by other oils. Sesame oil has a unique rich, toasted flavor that gives many Asian dishes their authentic taste.
- If you prefer dark meat, use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breast.
Nutrition
Healthy General Tso Chicken Recipe Variations
- Add a dash of soy sauce for a salty, umami component in the sauce.
- Include some rice vinegar in the sauce for a little bit of acidic flavor.
- If you prefer dark meat, substitute boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the chicken breasts.
- The peanuts are optional, since not every General Tso’s chicken recipe includes this ingredient. We love the added salty crunch that they give the dish!
- Cooking Just for Two? Cut the ingredients in half and bake the chicken in a smaller dish. The rest of the instructions remain the same.
More Easy Chinese Takeout Recipes
Chicken & Broccoli Lo Mein (“Chinese Noodles”)
30 minutes mins
Mu Shu Pork
26 minutes mins
Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
28 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in January, 2018. It was updated in October, 2024.
Thank you! Excited to try this recipe, wanted to get some extra veggies in 🙂
I hope you enjoy, Kristen! 🙂
Excellent recipe and the only thing I would do differently is reduce the pepper flakes other than that this was easy and tasty!
Thanks, Grace!
Love love love this recipe! So delicious! And easy!
Thank you, Karen! 🙂
Made this last night, and it was a bit with both my husband and I. The flavor was so good, and the easy prep was awesome. I am somewhat disabled; so lengthy meal prep is not something I am able to do. Tonight we’re making your chicken with potatoes on a sheet pan. Thank you so much for your dump and go dinners. There are several I want to try.
Awesome, Jennifer. I’m so glad to hear that the recipe was a hit. Thanks for taking the time to leave me a note!
Made this last night and my very picky grand daughter not only cleaned her plate She went back for seconds. So glad to find another dish to add to our rotation.
I’m so glad to hear that, Pat. Thank you!
This was fabulous! My whole family loved it and it was so convenient to make in the oven when you are using the stovetop for deep frying spring rolls.
Thank you, Christine!
Hello Blair, I just printed this recipe. The printout required 14 pages. Some of the info seems to be repeated. The photos do not have to be printed. The tips and other recipe titles also can be deleted from the printout.
Hi Steve,
We’re sorry this happened. Did you click the “print recipe” button on the recipe card? That should take you to a page with just the recipe. Let us know if that helps, and we will continue to look into the matter!
This was easy to fix and used ingredients that I had on hand. My husband and I loved it and appreciated that it was healthier than the fried version.
Thank you for your feedback, Pattie! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Made this tonight and it was fabulous! Dare I say, it was better than takeout. Follow the recipe and you’ll not be disappointed. Thank you for sharing. I will not do takeout for this dish again!!!
Awesome! So glad that you enjoyed it, Camellia! I’m adding this to my dinner rotation soon — I haven’t had it in ages. 🙂 Thanks for the reminder!
We found this really was simple to make and delicious to eat! We had it over a large portion of broccoli, which we steam in the microwave (no water needs to be added, broccoli contains plenty) and a small side portion of basmati rice made with chicken bouillion and steamed peas (we added the peas to the rice at the end of its cooking time). We served in pasta bowls.
I will double the sauce quantity next time as we like ours saucy!
We omitted brown sugar. Though that must be delicious, we didn’t want the sugar carbs. Guessing the omitted brown sugar would lessen the sauce viscosity, I doubled the cornstarch but will tripple it next time. I doubled the ginger.
It is a “keeper” and I’ll try in the slow cooker as someone else mentioned.
Blair, thank you!
I’m so glad that it worked well for you! Thanks for your tips and ideas, too. 🙂
I felt the sauce was a little too runny after the baking. How can I thicken it up in the pan?
Hi Eddie,
Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do after it is baked other than cooking it a bit longer. We recommend adding more cornstarch next time. Hope this helps!
Very good. The whole family of picky eaters loved it. Thanks so much.
Thanks, T.J.!
LOVE THIS! It’s quick, easy to prepare and delicious! I used boneless skinless chicken thighs because that’s what I had on hand and cut the recipe in half because I was the only one having it. Now I regret not making the whole big batch. Satisfied my craving and a much healthier option for less money.
Thank you, Nicki! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
We love this one. So easy and yummy! Wanted to modify this time and add some frozen pepper and onion blend. Would it be better to use fresh veggies than frozen? Should we change cooking time?
That’s great to hear, Carrir! I would use the frozen veggie blend, since they will be soft by the end of the baking time. If you prefer to start with fresh veggies, you’ll either want to saute them in a skillet before adding them to the dish, or just know that they will likely be crisp-tender (or slightly firm) at the end of baking. Fresh peppers and onions likely won’t be completely soft and tender after just 25-30 minutes.
If you start with frozen veggies (not thawed first), you may need to add a few minutes to the total baking time.
Hope that helps, and enjoy!
I found your recipe refreshing, especially on chicken
. Thanks for sharing your expertise!
Thank you! We’re glad you enjoy them.
We like the recipe ingredients, One question is , for the brown sugar anyway of using less for health reasons
Thank You
Hi, Eileen! Yes, ma’am! You can definitely decrease the amount of brown sugar to suit your taste and dietary preferences. I would start by cutting it back slowly — maybe try 1/3 cup of brown sugar first. If you like the taste and texture of the sauce, great! If you prefer a less-sweet version, try cutting it back to 1/4 cup and go from there. It will just take a little bit of trial and error to find your “sweet spot.” 🙂
Hi Blair. I just had this for dinner tonight. It was excellent. Absolutely making it again. My husband said we saved $40 by making this at home and killed his craving for Chinese food.
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes .
We’re so happy to hear this, Gina! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave feedback.