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Home » Crockpot

Crock Pot General Tso's Chicken

March 11, 2014 by Morgan 124 Comments

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Crock Pot General Tso's Chicken. Tastes even better than the take-out version and cuts a lot of the calories, to boot!

There are a lot of things that I've experienced over the years that I thought would be amazing but wound up being terrible ideas, like pregaming open bars, volunteering to do favors that I can't possibly fit into my schedule, or watching Juan Pablo be this season's Bachelor.  (Seriously, by the end of the Finale After-Show, I was ready to throw my TV out the window.  Anyone with me there?)

Crock Pot General Tso's Chicken. Tastes even better than the take-out version and cuts a lot of the calories, to boot!

There are also things that sounded questionable at first but surprised me with how perfectly they turned out, like Crock Pot General Tso's Chicken.  When I first thought to do it, I was pretty positive that it was going to result in disaster, but figured I'd give it a go anyway.  I mean, Chinese food (American-Chinese takeout and authentic Chinese food alike) usually calls for quick cooking methods, like a fast stir fry or a dip in bubbling peanut oil.  The total opposite of slow cooking.

But when I first lightly pan-fried the chicken and THEN added it to the slow cooker, where the sauce thickened and soaked into the crisp pieces, it was heavenly.  I served it over microwavable steamed rice and broccoli, and the meal was simple, delicious, and enjoyed by my whole family.  I'd absolutely make this again, many times over!

Crock Pot General Tso's Chicken. Tastes even better than the take-out version and cuts a lot of the calories, to boot!

Did I mention, by the way, that this is a lot better for you than the take-out version? Instead of being deep fried, the chicken is lightly pan fried in only 2 tablespoons of oil total. It also contains WAY less sodium! Did I also mention that it tastes better than the take-out version?  Because it does.  It really, truly does.  But don't just take my word for it, try it for yourself and see! (And then tag #hostthetoast in an Instagram photo and show me how you serve yours!)

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Crock Pot General Tso's Chicken


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.9 from 8 reviews

  • Author: Morgan
  • Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
  • Yield: 6 1x
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Description

Slightly adapted from Fav Family Recipes


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” pieces)
  • ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • ½ cup unsweetened pineapple juice
  • ⅓ cup vinegar (white distilled or apple cider)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon dried ginger
  • Green onions, chopped, to top
  • Rice and broccoli, to serve

Instructions

  1. Combine ¾ cups cornstarch, the salt, and the pepper in a shallow dish. Dip the chicken pieces in the cornstarch mixture to coat, shake off excess, and set aside.
  2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken pieces. It should take less than 2 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set aside.
  3. In the slow cooker, combine the sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne. Stir to mix well.
  4. Add the chicken to the crock pot and cook on low for 4 hours. Check 20 minutes before serving and make sure your sauce is thick enough. If not, take the remaining 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and mix it with 2 tablespoons cold water until a slurry forms. Then, gently mix a bit into the chicken and sauce, being careful not to scrape the cornstarch coating off of the chicken. If it's very thin, you'll need more, if it's not too thin, use is sparingly. It thickens significantly as it cooks, so you may not need the whole ¼ cup. Cook for another 20 minutes, and then serve over broccoli and rice. Top with chopped green onion.

Notes

If you cannot use pineapple juice in the sauce, orange juice will work fine for a slightly different (but still delicious) flavor!

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 4 hours

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Comments

  1. Paul Censullo says

    March 14, 2014 at 8:56 am

    Hi Morgan,
    My (picky) son came across this recipe and has been after me to make it. So I will!
    Question: do you use fresh or dried cayenne pepper? Also, my wife does not like spicy, so do you think I can wait til close to the end of cooking before taking her portion out and adding the cayenne pepper?
    Much thanks!
    -Paul

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      March 14, 2014 at 9:33 am

      Hi Paul,
      Great question. I used dried cayenne pepper. I think the recipe would be fine without it, or if you want to add it near the end to just your portions, that should work, too! I hope you all enjoy it!

      Reply
      • Leigh says

        April 01, 2016 at 1:07 pm

        Hi I am cooking this now. Should the chicken just sit on top of the sauce or should I coat it in the sauce B4 turning the crockpot on?

        Reply
  2. Shane says

    March 19, 2014 at 9:27 am

    Could you please clarify the size or type cup used for the measurements. This looks too tasty not to try

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      March 19, 2014 at 9:33 am

      The cup used for measurements in this recipe is a standard US measuring cup. Assuming that you might be outside of the US, 16 tablespoons is equal to 1 cup. Hope that helps!

      Reply
      • Rebecca says

        April 14, 2014 at 12:07 am

        Shane
        1 cup = 240 ml
        hope that helps

        Reply
        • Judy says

          February 05, 2016 at 8:55 am

          1 cup is actually 250 ml

          Reply
          • Aprill says

            March 11, 2016 at 2:27 pm

            Actually it is 240 ml in a cup

          • Helen says

            May 31, 2016 at 3:57 am

            As this is a US recipe the cup is 240ml. Metric (as per Australia any many other countries a cup is 250ml). A US tablespoon BTW is 15ml (or 3 teaspoons) - metric is 20ml (or 4 teaspoons).

  3. Dave Holmes says

    March 30, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    Hey so we made this recipe, and it was DELICIOUS! However, we didn't get that nice glazy coating like you have in the photo. Ours ended up more like chicken in Tso's flavored gravy. What would you recommend to get a better glaze on the chicken?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      March 31, 2014 at 9:41 am

      Hi Dave,
      I'm not really sure why it would come out like that. Did you add more cornstarch at the end? Perhaps even our crock pots have different temps for "high" and it resulted in a different consistency for the sauce? I'm sorry I can't give you a definite answer!

      Reply
      • Whitney says

        April 06, 2014 at 8:25 pm

        Hi Morgan,
        I just made this recipe tonight and it was awesome! I had the same problem as Dave though, my glaze never thickened. I did add the extra cornstarch after it cooked for almost 4 hours on low. Would cooking it on high help at all?
        Thanks!

        Reply
        • Morgan says

          April 07, 2014 at 9:39 am

          Hm... I'm really not sure what the issue could be, perhaps it does have to do with differing temperatures in the crock pots? I think maybe increasing the temperature to high after adding the cornstarch slurry and letting it cook a 1/2 hour or so might make a difference, but I can't say for sure. Since a few people on here have mentioned this, I'm going to give it a try in my other crock pot (which is bigger and therefore might yield different results) and see if I can figure out the problem. Sorry I can't give you an immediate, definite answer, but I will get back to you once I try it in the other crock!

          Reply
          • Whitney says

            April 27, 2014 at 6:13 pm

            Hi Morgan,
            I gave the recipe another shot this weekend and I wanted to give you an update because I might have found a solution for the gravy sauce. I still didn't get it quite to the nice glaze you had, but it was miles closer than the first time I made it. I turned the temp from low to high on my crock pot for the last 40 minutes and I could see that helped a little. I still ended up doing the slurry, but I also went a bit heavier on the cornstarch in ratio to the water (not by much, but it definitely wasn't an even 1/4 cup each) and that also definitely made a difference. I think maybe a larger slow cooker might help too by allowing the sauce to spread out a bit and thicken in the middle. I'm going to give it another go for my parents sometime because they have an 8 quart and mine is only 4, I'm determined to figure it out! 🙂

            -Whitney

  4. Jennifer says

    March 31, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    I made this tonight. I omitted the cayenne pepper bc my family does not like spicy.
    I have to say it was great!!! And so filling. Definitely a keeper in the recipe book and so much cheaper than eating out.
    Thank you for posting !

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      April 01, 2014 at 10:56 am

      I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it, Jennifer!

      Reply
  5. Cathleen Sever says

    April 01, 2014 at 8:06 am

    Hey, Do you not know what measuring cups are? Yikes!!!!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      April 01, 2014 at 10:55 am

      What makes you say that?

      Reply
    • lynne says

      August 26, 2014 at 12:58 pm

      Yes I'm curious about the question regarding measuring cups Cathleen. Morgan's measuring instructions were perfect.

      Reply
  6. jdub says

    April 01, 2014 at 11:32 am

    I'm going to make this recipe tonight but I wonder what setting to put my crock pot on. Mine has settings of High 4hrs High 6 hrs Low 8hrs Low 10hrs. Wonder if I should set it to High 4 hours or if Low 8 hrs and just take it out at 4 would work.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      April 01, 2014 at 11:42 am

      I would probably say low 8 hours and take it out at 4. If it's not quite right at that time, put it back in for another 30 mins on High 4 hours and see if it makes a difference.

      Reply
      • jdub says

        April 01, 2014 at 11:51 am

        Thanks a lot!

        Reply
  7. Kristi F says

    April 07, 2014 at 12:50 am

    Since I know I can trust your opinions by the Juan Pablo reference (hahaha seriously) I am adding this to this weeks dinner menu. I'm so happy I found this blog!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      April 07, 2014 at 9:34 am

      And I had such high hopes for Juan Pablo... Sigh. I hope you enjoy the General Tso's, and I'm so happy to have you here!

      Reply
  8. Pat says

    April 08, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    Morgan,

    Quick question, I have a small (I think 3 qt) and a large (7 qt) crock-pot. Which would you recommend using? Making this Thursday, stoked!

    Thanks,
    Pat

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      April 09, 2014 at 12:12 am

      I believe that the crock pot I used was a 4 quart crock pot. I'm not quite sure which option would be better or easier for you, but I'd probably choose the 3 quart. I know crock pots work better when filled at least half way, so I wouldn't want something to go wrong if there wasn't enough for your 7 quart crock pot.

      Reply
  9. Annie Morgan says

    April 13, 2014 at 11:59 am

    If the sauce isn't thick enough when I make this I would gently ladle the sauce into a sauce pan, bring up to a boil, add the extra corn starch slurry, cook till thickened and add it back to the chicken. I know it's an extra step but I want it to look like the photo you posted.
    This looks and sounds delicious.

    Reply
  10. Erin says

    April 22, 2014 at 10:39 am

    I made this meal yesterday and it was delicious! You were right- it's better than any take out I have ever had. As a new mom I am looking for recipes to make in my crock pot- but not just chili and stew so this was perfect! My sauce turned out in a really nice glaze, just wanted to FYI you since I know others had issues.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      April 22, 2014 at 3:38 pm

      So glad to hear, Erin, and congrats on your new mommyhood! 🙂

      Reply
  11. Sandra says

    April 30, 2014 at 4:35 pm

    My family loves General Tso's Chicken. This was fabulous. My glaze was perfect. I actually stopped cooking after 3hrs. I have a large oval crockpot and the chicken fit in a single layer on the bottom so I am thinking it cooked a bit quicker than a smaller crockpot. Will definitely make this again!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      May 02, 2014 at 8:49 am

      So happy to hear, Sandra!

      Reply
  12. Rachel says

    May 04, 2014 at 11:56 am

    Hi! Am making this tonight! Which vinegar type do you recommend?? Any other things I should watched out for while making? Can't wait!!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      May 05, 2014 at 9:39 am

      Hi Rachel,
      I'm sorry that I didn't see this yesterday-- I was driving home from my cousin's wedding in upstate NY. I used apple cider vinegar for this recipe, but white distilled, white wine, or rice wine should all work well, too! I hope yours turned out great!

      Reply
  13. Chelsea says

    May 09, 2014 at 5:20 pm

    Think I'm going to make this tomorrow I'm not a fan of pineapple, is there a substitute I could use?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      May 09, 2014 at 5:32 pm

      The General Tso's doesn't wind up tasting pineapple-y, but if you're still nervous I'd recommend using orange juice! I've never tried it that way, but I have very little doubt that it would work perfectly fine.

      Reply
      • Chelsea says

        May 10, 2014 at 3:43 pm

        I made it, Havent eaten it yet but the orange juice worked well 🙂
        I also added ALL of the ingredients to the crock-pot at the beginning including the corn starch. it turned out like the picture.

        Reply
        • Morgan says

          May 11, 2014 at 3:21 pm

          I'm so glad that the orange juice worked well! Hope you enjoyed the final dish =)

          Reply
  14. Suganya says

    May 11, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    Yummy Yummy, I will try this one sometime next week. For sure my family will love this dish.

    Reply
  15. Jennifer says

    May 16, 2014 at 10:39 am

    just wondering, what can I use besides pineapple juice? I'm allergy to it but I really want to try this recipe.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      May 16, 2014 at 10:42 am

      Another commenter used orange juice and said that it worked well!

      Reply
  16. ajohal21 says

    May 17, 2014 at 8:45 pm

    Hey Morgan just made this and it tastes amazing. Except the chicken became soggy in the cooker. When did you add the chicken?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      May 19, 2014 at 11:04 am

      I'm sorry to hear that! I added my chicken in in the very beginning with all of the other ingredients. While the chicken should definitely stay crisp, it's not as crispy as deep-fried General Tso's for sure. But if yours was straight up soggy, it might have to do with a difference in our crock pots, or perhaps the thickness of the cornstarch coating. I couldn't tell for sure without being there myself, but if you continue to have problems, you could try pan frying the chicken and cooking the sauce separately in a saucepan until reduced to a glaze, and then combining the two at the end! It wouldn't be exactly the same, but your chicken would stay crispier!

      Reply
      • Erin says

        May 21, 2014 at 2:40 pm

        Any idea how many weight watchers points?

        Reply
  17. Alek says

    May 22, 2014 at 6:28 pm

    I followed the recipe to a t but the chicken turned out like mush... any idea what could have gone wrong?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      May 23, 2014 at 12:20 pm

      I'm sorry to hear that Alek! I'm not really sure what the issue could have been. Perhaps it was a difference in our crock pots, or maybe in the thickness of our cornstarch coating. I'll give this another run-through when I get a chance and see if there is anything during cooking that I can find that would cause that to happen so that no one has that issue in the future. So sorry again =(

      Reply
  18. josh says

    May 23, 2014 at 2:39 am

    Hey, this is cooking right now for me but it looks like its going to be awesome. Can this be doubled?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      May 23, 2014 at 12:13 pm

      If you have a big enough crock pot, doubling it should work fine!

      Reply
  19. Emma says

    June 04, 2014 at 7:58 am

    Hi I did a review of your recipe: http://emmalovisaa.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/slow-cooked-general-tsos-chicken.html
    I would love if you checked it out! I was so happy with the results; everything tasted absolutely delicious. Thank you so much for the recipe. Your pictures were definitely the selling point.

    Kind regards,

    Emma

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      June 04, 2014 at 9:46 am

      Thanks, Emma! Yours looks awesome! I'm so glad that you liked it, and it was so nice of you to take the time to write such nice things about Host the Toast. Oh, and your sesame tuna pictures have got me drooling!

      Reply
      • Emma says

        June 05, 2014 at 1:54 pm

        Thanks Morgan, that means a lot 🙂 No problem at all. I am glad it was okay to use your recipe on my blog. As I said before, it really was so so good. Thank you so much for the compliment and for responding to me!

        Reply
  20. Erica Hernandez says

    July 15, 2014 at 1:20 pm

    Hello,I had a question I used 3 1/2 pounds of chicken I had to add more of the ingredients.. Is the liquid supposed to be light? And I had to use sweet and pineapple juice dose that make a difference ?
    Erica

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      July 17, 2014 at 10:34 am

      The liquid should be relatively light, but not extremely. I have never tried the recipe with sweetened pineapple juice, but I would assume that it would be too sweet with the amount of sugar-- how did it wind up turning out for you?

      Reply
  21. Kurt D. says

    August 10, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    I made this yesterday and had decent results. The flavors in the sauce were great, but my problem lies in the basic flaws of my, or most, by an un-scientific tally of web research, slow cooker; the meat is DRY.
    That's a bit disappointing when you've gone through all the proper steps and measures, etc. and seen the delicious looking pictures on the site. (Mine looked mostly like the pictures, but, eh, not quite...) so, next time I try this, I will probably try a 3 hour cooking time and use boneless chicken thigh, since it has a higher fat content. My chicken "coating" was also a little gravy-ish, as others described. May have been my fault, though, because I may not have browned the chicken pieces at a high enough temperature. They weren't exactly "browned" even though I fried them for more than two minutes per side.

    Reply
  22. Brooke says

    August 14, 2014 at 11:39 am

    Could you replace the cayenne with something else? Like siracha sauce?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      August 15, 2014 at 12:13 am

      Sure thing, Brooke!

      Reply
  23. shelly says

    August 18, 2014 at 1:34 pm

    Hello- I have a general tso premade sauce I bought for the grocery store. How would I sub this into your recipe? Could I use the premade general tso sauce for this step of the recipe? Thanks!

    3.In the slow cooker, combine the sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne. Stir to mix well.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      August 18, 2014 at 2:02 pm

      I'm really not sure, Shelly, as I have never tried that before. I don't want to lead you astray by telling you to go for it, but if you do decide to try it out please let me know how it turns out for you!

      Reply
  24. Trevor says

    September 28, 2014 at 5:00 pm

    I loved this! I made it for my lady as well as for a family member of mine who has a severe allergy to all fish and seafood. Due to her allergy, she's rarely able to indulge in Chinese food, as the language barrier has caused issues in the past, so she now just avoids it. It came out so great! I left it in the crockpot a bit too long, so it got nice and tender, some pieces were falling about. Regardless, it was amazing. The flavor was spot on, and it was great knowing exactly what was in my chinese food. Served it with white rice and steamed brocoli and it was amazing! I will 100% be making it again, thanks for the recipe! 😀

    This week I'm making 3 or 4 of your recipes, I'm very excited to try them all!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      September 29, 2014 at 9:14 am

      I'm so glad to hear it, Trevor! I hope you enjoy the other recipes as much as you did this one!

      Reply
  25. Amanda says

    October 13, 2014 at 11:54 am

    Can I use brown sugar instead?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      October 13, 2014 at 1:41 pm

      You can. Brown sugar will give a more molasses-y flavor, but that should be fine here.

      Reply
  26. Ashley Brown says

    November 06, 2014 at 11:31 am

    Tried this - it's awesome. The coating didn't really stay on as well as it looks in your pictures, but the hubby and I didn't care, because the sauce was amazing.

    Reply
  27. Carissa R. says

    November 08, 2014 at 11:29 am

    Made this the other night and, knowing how my new-and-large All Clad slow cooker cooks things SO FAST, I was careful about undercooking the chicken initially. I really dredged the heck out of it and didn't really remove a bunch of excess so the sauce would thicken -- which it did, MUCH more than needed, so I ended up adding another 1/2 C. or so of pineapple juice at the end. I kept the sauce amounts the same but used 1.5# of chicken, which was cooked through and perfect at the 2:10 mark (a full hour and :50 early?!). It wasn't crispy, but it was delicious; I'll happily add this into the rotation.

    Reply
  28. Crystal says

    November 09, 2014 at 11:28 am

    Hey, I'm just wondering if you have any suggestion for an alternative to the pineapple juice? My daughter is allergic to pineapples, so I can't use that, but I'd love to try this recipe out. I was thinking apple juice, or maybe grapefruit juice for a more tart flavor, but I'm not sure. I'd really appreciate any suggestions. Thanks. 🙂

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      November 09, 2014 at 7:38 pm

      Try orange juice! Orange juice works really well with Chinese food =)

      Reply
  29. Three Friends and a Fork says

    December 02, 2014 at 8:34 pm

    This was a huge hit at our house. It is going in the recipe file!. Thank you so much!

    Reply
  30. Siobhan says

    December 06, 2014 at 10:09 pm

    This sounds absolutely delish! I really want to try it, but I'm worried about the carb count being way too high. Have you ever tried it without the cornstarch coating? Just fry up the chicken a little first?

    Thanks!!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      December 07, 2014 at 12:21 pm

      That will work fine, Siobhan! I actually JUST made another crock pot recipe (Crock Pot Kung Pao Chicken) that did exactly that. However, you won't be able to thicken the sauce without cornstarch or some other thickening agent. While it won't be bad if it's still liquidy, it won't stick the way you'd like it too. Perhaps you could replace it at the end with tapioca or arrowroot or something similar?

      Reply
  31. Siobhan says

    December 08, 2014 at 10:29 am

    Oh good! I'll have to try that! Thanks so much!

    Reply
  32. Stephanie says

    January 03, 2015 at 2:40 pm

    This was SO SO SO good!! Thanks for the recipe, definitely a KEEPER! 🙂

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 03, 2015 at 2:49 pm

      Awesome! I'm glad you liked it so much!!

      Reply
  33. Anita says

    January 05, 2015 at 10:00 pm

    Wow you are gifted! I made this tonight, it was terrific and we're a hard crowd to please. Made it with stir fried/steamed broccoli snow peas celery bok choy and onions. So glad that I stumbled upon your site and now that I have I can't wait to try more.
    Btw. Cornstarch in this recipe can get everywhere for a messy cook. Try gently coating the chicken in batches in a Baggie filled with the cornstarch.

    Reply
  34. Katherine says

    January 06, 2015 at 3:53 pm

    This was huge hit at my house last night - thanks for the new recipe!

    Reply
  35. Robin Davis says

    January 08, 2015 at 8:08 pm

    This is a winner of a recipe. My whole family loved this including the five year old. I always hate it when people comment their changes to a recipe but here goes. I didn't have time to cook it in the crock pot, so I put the cooked chicken in a pan and poured the sauce on and let it simmer for about 15 minutes. Because we have a little one here, I omitted the cayenne pepper but had the option available should adults want to pepper their sauce. With the exception of omitting the cayenne pepper, I followed the instructions for the sauce and it was delicious. I used the juice from a can of pineapple chunks and then put the pineapple chunks in with the chicken. Thanks so much for this recipe.

    Reply
  36. Amanda says

    January 15, 2015 at 6:54 pm

    This recipe came out great. My whole family loved it! I used orange juice instead of pineapple juice. I would probably reduce the sugar next time if I use orange juice again cuz it was very sweet. Also I put the extra cornstarch into the liquid at the beginning (after reading thru a lot of the previous comments) and mine came out nicely glazed and thick. My 8 year old son said it tasted like the chicken at the mall that they hand out on toothpicks.

    Reply
  37. Jen says

    January 18, 2015 at 8:59 pm

    This was fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      January 19, 2015 at 10:49 pm

      I'm so happy that you enjoyed it, Jen!

      Reply
  38. Danika says

    February 02, 2015 at 4:03 pm

    Hi, For my crock pot low is 8 hours and high is 4 hours. Is it okay if I can have it at high? as I want this to be ready in 4 hours.

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      February 02, 2015 at 4:37 pm

      Most recipes recommend cooking on low for 8 hours or on high for 4, but it actually depends on what you're cooking (for example, you wouldn't say "my oven is 350 degrees for 20 minutes"). Because you quickly fry the chicken first, and because it is in smaller pieces and you are not looking to shred it, it takes much less time than, say, a pork shoulder. Low at 4 hours will be fine, but if you want it done sooner, I'd assume high heat would work alright for slightly less time (probably just under or at 3 hours). I haven't tried it myself though so I can't really recommend it.

      Reply
  39. Melissa says

    February 04, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    Hello Morgan, I'm writing from Spain. Just wondering would a pressure cooker or oven be ok for the General Tso's recipte?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      February 04, 2015 at 2:16 pm

      I don't know how it would work in a pressure cooker, but it most certainly would have to be adjusted. Pressure cookers cook quickly whereas slow cookers do the opposite.

      Reply
  40. Liza says

    February 10, 2015 at 12:26 am

    This dish is absolute delish.. ! I used brown sugar as ran out of white.
    I'm an Asian who doesn't know how to cook Chinese food, today I was a star to my family.

    Reply
  41. Anne says

    February 24, 2015 at 2:42 pm

    I just made this and although a lot of the brwading came off when I tried to stir gently at the end, it is still amazingly delicious! I am wondering if I toss the chicken in the sauce immediately upon putting it in the crock pot of that might help keep it intact?
    I also added pineapple, edemame and sliced mushrooms an hour before it was done, it rocked! I will def make this again!

    Reply
  42. Darla Ng says

    February 27, 2015 at 9:45 pm

    i'm always tickled by "Chinese" recipes. I married a Chinese immigrant who had never heard of General Tso's chicken. He pronounces it as General Joe, which is probably correct. I cook "fake" Chinese for him, which he really enjoys. Thanks for your recipes, which I enjoy.

    Reply
  43. Laura says

    March 02, 2015 at 3:54 pm

    Delicious recipe! I followed the recipe (in regards to the ingredients) and it was wonderful. I only changed the order of how I made everything after reading reviews that the sauce wasn't thickening into a glaze. What I did was make the sauce first and put it in the crockpot on high and added the corn starch/water mixture. Then I prepared my chicken and cooked it. By the time the chicken was cooked, my sauce thickened up and I transferred the chicken right onto the sauce. Stirred it gently so you do not remove the batter from the chicken!

    Reply
  44. ashley says

    March 08, 2015 at 12:38 pm

    Can you use frozen chicken?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      March 08, 2015 at 7:22 pm

      No, it would not do well in the first few steps, unfortunately.

      Reply
  45. Kim says

    March 24, 2015 at 9:12 pm

    Made this tonight (not slow cooker, just put the sauce on high to thicken and fried the chicken until done), and realized we really, really should have followed your specification for low sodium soy sauce :/. We had regular, so that's what we used, and served it over fried rice- tasted like straight salt. All the flavors sounds/smelled spot on, but we definitely need to try this again with either low sodium soy sauce or less regular soy sauce. So, forewarning for anyone contemplating making this: DO NOT use regular soy sauce, especially if your serving it over fried rice, which also has soy sauce in it. Can't wait to try it again though, and see if we can correct the problem!

    Reply
  46. Amber says

    April 19, 2015 at 11:54 am

    This sounds delicious however I am cooking for one. Would this freeze well?

    Reply
  47. Keri says

    April 26, 2015 at 8:45 am

    This is absolutely delicious. I made this for my boyfriend and he wants to have it every week! I did forgo the crock pot (just to speed things up a bit) and made this in a skillet on the stove and it was perfect. Making it again today, thanks for the awesome recipe!!

    Reply
  48. Toni says

    April 27, 2015 at 2:07 pm

    Hi, I made this yesterday for my family and I seemed to have the same issue with it not getting a glaze like yours. While it was delicious, it didn't look pretty LOL. I am definitely going to try this again, but maybe I will try with my smaller crockpot instead of my large one and see if that makes it better.

    Reply
  49. Bridget says

    May 27, 2015 at 8:26 pm

    Thank you for posting this recipe! I've tried to cook Chinese food at home before, but it usually doesn't turn out well. This was an exception! It's way better than any takeout I've ever had!!!

    Reply
  50. Stephane gunther says

    July 19, 2015 at 1:45 pm

    I use a can of unsweetened pineapple and throw juice and fruit in. Which we love.

    Reply
  51. Lauren says

    July 25, 2015 at 7:02 pm

    Hi there! Looks delicious. One question... Do you see any reason why you could not use rice vinegar instead of white or cider? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      July 25, 2015 at 11:46 pm

      Rice vinegar would be fine!

      Reply
  52. Aly says

    September 11, 2015 at 11:02 pm

    I know this is an older recipe - but I had to comment! My boyfriend and I just made this and it was great!! A lot of times recipes say they are as good as takeout, and they are nothing to write home about - but this was seiously better than takeout! Awesome recipe, thanks!!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      September 12, 2015 at 12:22 am

      I'm so glad you liked it! It's funny, I actually *just* finished up making a whole batch of "better than take-out" recipes that I'm going to be sharing starting next week!

      Reply
  53. Carrie says

    September 16, 2015 at 12:09 pm

    i made this twice since finding the recipe last week. DEE-Licious! I didn't have time to do the crock pot so I did it on the stove in a wide sauce pan. Mixed all ingredients, brought to near boil then reduced and cooked on med-low. Guess it took about 20-30 mins for the right consistency. Don't try to simmer too low or sauce won't thicken. Plus need to keep checking. As soon as sauce is frothy, it's done. Should then have gel- like consistency like sauce you get on take-out. No need to add extra cornstarch (did that first time and then didn't keep good eye, turned almost into a paste.). Put cooked chicken pieces into pan, put on lid and tossed gently to coat. My boyfriend thought it was better than our usual Chinese restaurant ( which is pretty good BTW). Told him it was healthier too. He asked "How?" .... Well, he does think iced coffee counts as a food group. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!

    Reply
  54. Rosalyn says

    January 04, 2016 at 9:06 pm

    WOW....Amazing Recipe,,,made it on the stovetop, definitely making this again...thank you!!!!

    Reply
  55. Lauren says

    January 23, 2016 at 8:04 pm

    This recipe was absolutely AMAZING. It really was better than takeout, and I never say that. I reduced the amount of sugar to 1/4 cup because I don't like my sauce super sweet and it was wonderful. Will definitely make again.

    Reply
  56. TVA says

    January 27, 2016 at 1:19 pm

    TO MAKE IT STICKY!!!!

    Try lifting the crockpot top (towards the last hour or two) and situating it so the steam can escape. That always causes my meats to tighten-up, if you will, and get a little crispy. I do this when I roast chicken legs in the crockpot and they always have a tighter skin (not soggy). I am printing this dish out now and plan to try it really soon, as I like not having to buy "special" ingredients that I may never uses again. : )

    Reply
  57. Anna Marye says

    January 30, 2016 at 7:39 pm

    I made it and the taste is winderful, however mine came out more like a general tso's pulled chicken dinner. My chicken was very tender and just kinda fell apart?

    Reply
  58. Dave says

    February 18, 2016 at 6:45 pm

    Can this be frozen

    Reply
  59. Emily says

    June 16, 2016 at 10:20 pm

    Hi! I have tried this recipe before and have loved it! I was thinking of making it for my book club. How would I go about doubling this recipe? Do I just double all of the ingredients? Then, how long should I cook it and on what temperature?

    Reply
  60. Kim says

    August 03, 2016 at 7:00 pm

    Could I use Tamari sauce instead of soy?

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      August 05, 2016 at 7:07 pm

      Yes, that would be fine, Kim!

      Reply
  61. Diana Hurtado says

    September 30, 2016 at 8:30 am

    Made this wonderful dish last night and it was delicious! Everything turned out great. I did sauté broccoli in olive oil before serving. Glaze was beautiful. Chicken alone is great football watching treat. Love it, thanks

    Reply
  62. Min says

    October 07, 2016 at 11:13 am

    Hi! I'm planning to make this tonight but I don't have dry ginger but I do have fresh ginger! Would that work? And if so, how should I add it into the recipe??? Excited to make this since my boyfriend loves general tso chicken!!!

    Reply
    • Morgan says

      October 07, 2016 at 11:46 am

      Yes, you can use fresh ginger! Just peel and grate or finely mince about a tablespoon's worth and throw that in instead =)

      Reply
  63. Julia says

    January 27, 2017 at 9:11 pm

    Hi Morgan, I'm a huge fan of this recipe! It's delicious every time! I'm wondering how your prep time is so quick. Cutting up the chicken takes 10 minutes alone, and the frying process adds quite a lot to that. What's your secret?

    Reply
  64. Christoper-Carlyle says

    February 21, 2017 at 10:10 am

    I wanna make the sauce by itself. How do I do that? How much cornstarch do I add to the liquid? I wanna pour the sauce over fried chicken wings.

    I made this recipe and I think I added too much garlic because I bought bottled garlic and used 1 tbs instead of 1/2 tbs. Also, I don't think I browned my chicken enough because it literally feel apart in the crockpot.

    Reply
  65. Crystal says

    July 05, 2017 at 5:24 pm

    Hi Morgan,
    Did you ever hear back about whether or not this tasted ok with sweetened pineapple juice? I saw someone ask and you asked a follow up question but I didn't ever see a reply. Thinking of cutting the sugar down because all I have is sweetened pineapple juice.

    Thanks!

    Reply
  66. Pip Witner says

    October 13, 2017 at 4:33 pm

    I made this this am and there is by far too little sauce. I have my crock pot on low so I do not know why there is so little sauce. I checked the recipe to make sure I had the correct ingredients and amounts, so what is the problem? I am going to make another double batch of the sauce to add and hope it works

    Reply
  67. Jaime says

    December 20, 2017 at 12:48 pm

    Morgan,
    This turned out Amazing!! I was also short on time so I ended up cooking it on high for just under 2 hrs and it came out perfectly! The sauce was thick & tasty. It is a bigger crock pot so I wonder if cooking on high & using a bigger crock pot is the trick to getting the sauce to thicken. I'm also wondering if the sugar helps to thicken the sauce? If not, I may try to use less sugar next time as it was a little sweet.
    Thank you so much for sharing this yummy goodness! Definitely a keeper!

    Reply
  68. Kristen says

    June 07, 2018 at 1:59 pm

    Made this for my boyfriend and he LOVED it! I did too! It’s so tasty and EASY. Now I’m going to treat my parents and make it for them too. Highly recommended.

    Reply
  69. Misty says

    July 22, 2018 at 4:58 pm

    Was really good but sauce was very thick how do I thin it out? Without losInt flavor?

    Reply
  70. Jennifer says

    December 31, 2018 at 3:00 pm

    Doubled this recipe. Way 2 spicey for me and my hubby. Will 1/2 the cayenne next time. My daughter loved it. Other than that its a keeper!

    Reply
  71. Rianne says

    August 09, 2019 at 12:43 pm

    Love this recipe!! Glad that all ingredients are Fodmap low so good to eat for people with IBS. Thanks for sharing

    Reply
  72. Nichole says

    December 30, 2021 at 7:20 pm

    MAKE THIS! So easy and tasted delicious!

    Reply
  73. Lerum says

    February 06, 2022 at 12:45 pm

    This was so good. My husband questioned whether it would be better with shrimp so I’m going to make it outside of the crockpot this time with shrimp. Sauce has such a good flavor. I would consider this a super spicy dish and may notch it down just a bit next time.

    Reply
  74. Sabrina says

    April 03, 2022 at 12:41 pm

    I'm obsessed with my slow cooker and always looking for new simple delicious recipes and this one did not disappoint. It was so easy to make and packed with amazing flavours. Thanks for this, its a keeper!

    Reply
  75. Lea says

    July 16, 2022 at 1:19 pm

    Obsessed. Will make this ALL the time for meal prep from now on.

    Reply
  76. Willlie Garvin says

    May 15, 2023 at 3:52 pm

    Looks tasty but I'm not sure about healthy - that's a lot of sugar added.

    Reply
  77. Masha says

    June 27, 2023 at 9:22 pm

    Can I put it under the broiler to crisp it up?

    Reply

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MEET MORGAN

Morgan is a full-time food blogger, pizza-related sleep talker, and self-described hobby hoarder.
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