It's baked, not fried! This Dump-and-Bake General Tso Chicken is a lighter, healthier version of the Chinese restaurant classic. With just one dish and about 10 minutes of prep, the easy dinner recipe is even better than take-out!
So...calling this "General Tso Chicken" might be a bit of a stretch. It's definitely not authentic Chinese cuisine -- but I'm not an authentic Chinese gal, either.
Now that I think about it, the General Tso Chicken that we all know and love from our favorite Chinese restaurant isn't exactly "authentic" Chinese cuisine either.
Instead, it's an Americanized version of Chinese food, which still happens to be incredibly tasty!
What is General Tso Chicken?
General Tso Chicken is deep fried chicken that's sweet and slightly spicy with a sicky and delicious sauce.
My version, however, is baked instead of fried so it's so much healthier and safer to cook (no hot oil anywhere). Also, I've created the easiest dump and bake recipe for you so there's minimal prep and effort involved but maximum flavor!
Whether you call it General Tso Chicken or something else entirely, the bottom line is that this Asian-inspired meal is about to be devoured by every single member of your household...and that's what I call a success!
What You Need to Make It
- Chicken - boneless and skinless breasts
- Cornstarch - this helps to thicken the sauce
- Chicken broth - use good quality store bought or homemade
- Brown sugar - you can use regular sugar but brown gives a deliciously sticky, caramelized flavor.
- Hoisin sauce - gives a huge flavor punch and important to this dish so don't skip it.
- Sesame oil - added to the sauce
- Garlic and ginger - make sure to use fresh
- Red pepper flakes - for a spicy kick
- Peanuts - for added crunch and texture
Did I mention that my General Tso Chicken is baked, not fried?
That means that you won't feel weighed-down and sick to your stomach after your meal, you won't have to stand at the stove with a hot pot of oil to tediously fry individual pieces of meat, and you won't have to spend your precious money on overpriced restaurant fare. WIN-WIN-WIN!
This is lighter, healthier, and dare-I-say BETTER than the original!
I've created a sweet and savory sauce that you whisk together and pour over your raw chicken. It all bakes together in one dish as the sauce bubbles and thickens.
Stir in some peanuts at the end for crunch, garnish with sliced green onion and toasted sesame seeds, and you've got a restaurant-quality meal ready in minutes (without many dishes to wash at the end)!
How to Make Dump & Bake General Tso Chicken in 5 Easy Steps
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Spray a medium baking dish with cooking spray.
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Place chicken in the prepared dish. Sprinkle with cornstarch and toss to coat.
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In a separate bowl, whisk together chicken broth, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, salt, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Pour sauce over chicken and stir to combine.
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Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir, return to the oven until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.
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Remove from oven, stir in peanuts. Season with additional salt and red pepper flakes, to taste. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the General Tso 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!
This is one meal that your whole family can enjoy together -- no breaded, fried chicken necessary!
Top Tips and Variations
- Use good quality chicken and if you can't get breasts you can also use boneless and skinless thighs
- Don't skip the hoisin sauce it's important for flavor
- Also, try not to skip the sesame oil as it will taste less authentic
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days
- Cooking Just for Two? Cut the ingredients in half and bake the chicken in a smaller dish. The cooking instructions remain the same.
Other easy Chinese restaurant-inspired recipes that you might enjoy:
- Dump-and-Bake Kung Pao Chicken
- Dump-and-Bake Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Dump-and-Bake Chinese Pepper Steak
- Chicken Fried Rice
Dump-and-Bake 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 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons finely minced fresh garlic I like to use a squeeze bottle of minced garlic from the produce section as a shortcut
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes add more for a spicier dish or omit for a mild dish
- ¼ cup peanuts
- Optional garnish: sliced green onions toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a medium baking dish with cooking spray (I have used a deep 9-inch by 6-inch dish and an 11-inch by 7-inch dish, and both 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, sesame oil, salt, garlic, ginger, 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 and sesame seeds just before serving.
Notes
- Use good quality chicken and if you can't get breasts you can also use boneless and skinless thighs
- Don't skip the hoisin sauce it's important for flavor
- Also, try not to skip the sesame oil as it will taste less authentic
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days
Wow. SO into this recipe. Easy, delicious and whole-family-pleasing. Definitely need to try!
Thank you, Karly! I hope that you give it a try! 🙂
Was going to make broccoli and cheese soup today but then saw this!! Ah, soup not happening!! Maybe another day. Thanks so much Blair another awesome recipe to add to my 5 yum list!!
That's great, Donna! I hope you love it! 🙂
Oh, can't wait to try this! Looks delicious..thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Chrissi! Enjoy! 🙂
I just made this for dinner and my family LOVED it! My son had to get used to the fact that it wasn’t fried but he had two helpings and my husband gave it a 10 out of 10.
Keep sending the great recipes!
Hi, Debra! I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
You say you can use chicken thighs. How does this change cooking time?
Hi, Sam! Since you're cutting the thighs into bite-size pieces, it shouldn't change the cooking time at all. 🙂
It is in the oven right now. It already smells wonderful! Will serve with coconut rice. I hope there will be leftovers for lunches!
Perfect! Love the idea of pairing it with coconut rice. So good!
Do you have anything similar for sweet and sour chicken? Most recipes I see have you frying the chicken before the oven, but I really do not like to fry anything.
Hi, Lillie! No, I don't have a sweet and sour chicken recipe like this one, but I am definitely adding it to my list. Stay tuned, and thanks for that inspiration!
Hi Blair. I made the General Tso chicken tonight for dinner & it is amazing. I served it over quinoa & oh so good. Definitely a keeper. I enjoy your weekly update on what your family has been doing, always uplifting & makes me smile while reading. Your boys are adorable. Thanks again for the great recipe, I've made many of your recipes & they are all so good.
Yay! Thanks for letting me know, Mary! I bet the quinoa was a tasty companion! 🙂
Hi Blair, I made this for dinner last week, it was so easy just steam some broccoli and rice for sides and dinner was ready. Everyone liked it, even my picky teenagers. Thanks.
Excellent! I'm so glad that your family liked it, Kristine! 🙂
Made this tonight and it was both easy and delicious. I didn't have rice but did have rice noodles! I have just discovered your site! Can't wait to see what else is here!
That's wonderful, Mim! I hope that you find plenty of other tasty ideas on the blog! 🙂 So glad that you found the site!
Hi Blair,
General Tso's Chicken is one of our favorites. We gave my brother-in-law a slow cooker months ago. Now he wants to learn how to use it. So I'm giving him my recipe for for beef stew. But I also want to bring him dinner. Can the recipe be made in the slow cooker? We love that it's a healthier version of a recipe recipe we love. Ee'll be seeing him on Sunday. I've been enjoying your site & blog immensely.
Robert Fried
Hi, Robert! Yes, I think that this recipe would work well in the slow cooker! 🙂 Thanks for your kind note!
Vegetarian here. I make it with tofu. No knocking it, now, till you've tried it.
That's a great idea, June! I bet the tofu soaks up that delicious sauce and tastes great. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
That was delicious! Way better than any of our local Chinese take outs. Thank you!
That's great, Mandy! So glad that you enjoyed it!
Made this last night and it was easy and delicious! I didn't have any chicken breasts so used bone in skinless thighs instead, a little bit less sugar and chose Asian chili garlic sauce (which we love!) instead of red pepper flakes. So easy to put the sauce together and "dump" it over the chicken, then get the rest of dinner ready while it's baking. Wonderful flavor! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi, Norma! I'm so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂 I bet that Asian chili garlic sauce was perfect in the dish!
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!
Thank you, Kathy! I'm so glad that your husband approves, too. 🙂
We are making this for dinner! Recipe says it is for 4, but nutrition says a serving is 1/6 of the recipe. I am confused.
Hey, Melody! The recipe should say that it serves 4-6. The -6 part got cut off when we updated my site to use new recipe cards, and I haven't had a chance to go back and update this particular post yet. 🙂 The nutrition information is for 1/6 of the recipe. Hope that helps clarify, and enjoy the meal!
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.
Thanks, Debbie!
I want to make this and I will do it as instructed but also wondering if it could be done in a slow cooker.
Hi! Yes, I think it would probably work well in the slow cooker. I'd try it on LOW for 3-4 hours. 🙂
YUM ! The house smelled amazing right from the prep of this recipe !
I added the peanuts & fresh chili paste after the 1st stir. I served it with sticky white rice & Chinese broccolini
There wasn’t as much sauce in the end as your pic shows - will add more liquid next time
I would have to say the recipe really only serves 4
Definitely a keeper 🙂
Thanks, Catharine! I'm so glad that it was a hit!
Great recipe! Just tried it today. I made a few amendments and put a bit less brown sugar, as well as adding some sriracha and soy sauce. Turned out really well and easy to throw together and serve with some rice.
That sounds perfect, Julia! Thank you!