Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken

This is a super quick and easy recipe for Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken. I use cornstarch to make my chicken extra crispy in the Air Fryer! For this recipe, I use a store bought General Tso’s sauce but I’ve also included a recipe to make your own homemade sauce as well.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

HEALTHY – General Tso’s Chicken is one of the most popular Asian takeout recipes ever. That subtle spice of asian chilis blends perfectly with the sweetness. But, lets face it, it’s not the healthiest. When you make General Tso’s Chicken in the Air Fryer, you know exactly what you are putting into it. And, made with very little oil, it has a lot less saturated fat and calories!

EASY – No more ordering carryout and running up to the local restaurant when you get a craving for chinese food! Now you can just whip up a batch in your own kitchen whenever you want! 

What Is An Air Fryer?

If you haven’t already jumped on the Air Fryer train, hop on aboard! I love my Air Fryer because I can get “deep fried” results with very little oil. And Air Fryer is a small electronic appliance that cooks your food by using very hot, quickly moving air. This gives you that extra crispy outside while cooking the food perfectly inside! Yes, you do usually use SOME oil, but really just a fraction of what you would use if you pan fried or deep fried something. If you want to learn more about how an Air Fryer works and all you can do with one, check out my Air Fryer Guide.

Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken

For step-by-step instructions, check out the printable recipe card below But here is what you’ll need to get started. 

• CHICKEN – I used 2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts. But you can also use chicken thighs which are even more tender (but not quite as lean). Cut them up into bite-sized pieces about 1 inch wide. 
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• CORN STARCH – Corn starch can really help make your chicken have that nice, crispy outside in the Air Fryer. But Potato Starch is even better! We couldn’t find potato starch at the store, so we didn’t use it here. But, if you have potato starch or can find it, I’d use that. 
• FLOUR – An extra layer to help with the crispy breading. 
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• LARGE EGG – We used two eggs. Whisk them to break them apart and use them to dredge the chicken. 
• GARNISH – We garnished our General Tso’s Chicken with shaved almonds, sesame seeds and green onions. This is all optional.

Should You Use Store Bought Or Homemade General Tso’s Sauce?

I did some research on the best way to make Air Fryer General Tso Chicken. I’ve discovered that there are two paths you can take. You can make your own, homemade General Tso’s Sauce or you can youse a store bought version. As with lot’s of other things, this is a balance between time, money and health benefits. Making your own sauce will probably be a little more expensive (if you have to buy all the ingredients) and time consuming. But it will be healthier and you know exactly what you will be putting into it. Store bought will, simply, just be a lot easier! For my recipe, I just went with a store bought sauce. I went with this Iron Chef General Tso’s Sauce and was actually pretty impressed with it’s nutritional info. There was only 60 calories per serving and it is all natural with no preservatives. So, I honestly don’t see the need to spend all your time making a homemade sauce. But, if you are looking for a good recipe for a homemade General Tso’s Chicken Sauce, this one looks really tasty!

How To Serve Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken

This dish is best served right after it’s come out of the Air Fryer. Serve over a bed of white rice. You can drizzle some soy sauce over the top. Or add some hot mustard, sriracha or other Asian hot sauce. 

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator. This dish reheats ok in the microwave, but it may reheat better in your Air Fryer for a couple of minutes.

I would not freeze General Tso’s Chicken. The thawing process will make it lose a lot of it’s crispiness. 

Notes, Tips and Variations

• DON’T OVERCROWD THE AIR FRYER BASKET – Air Fryers work best when there is room for the hot air to circulate around the food. So, depending on how big of an Air Fryer you have, you may need to cook in batches. You want to try to keep all the chicken in a single layer and not too crowded in the Air Fryer Basket. 
• ADD INGREDIENTS – If you make your own General Tso’s Sauce, you’ll probably be adding your own garlic in the recipe. But, using store bought, you may want to add some flavor. Taste the sauce first and see if it needs anything. You can always add some garlic powder to the salt and pepper. 
• SPRAY THE BASKET – Don’t forget to spray your basket with cooking spray to avoid sticking. 
• ADD BROCCOLI – To make this dish go a little further, you can also add some steamed broccoli while your chicken is cooking. 
• HOW TO KNOW WHEN THE CHICKEN IS DONE – Your chicken should get a nice, crispy coating as it becomes done. I like to use a digital thermometer to check the internal temperature of the biggest piece of chicken. It should be at least 165 degrees. 

We hope you enjoy this Air Fryer General Tso’s Chicken Recipe! Please let us know how it turns out in the comment section below!

4 from 2 votes

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Air Fryer General Tso Chicken

This is a super quick and easy recipe for Air Fryer General Tso Chicken. I use corn starch to make my chicken extra crispy in the Air Fryer! For this recipe, I use a store bought General Tso sauce but I've also included a recipe to make your own homemade sauce as well. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Keyword Air Fryer, Air Fryer General Tso Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Servings 4 People

Calories 511 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Cut into 1-2 inch pieces
• 1 Cup General Tso's Sauce
• 1/2 Cup Corn Starch
• 1/2 Cup Flour
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 Eggs scrambled
• 1/4 Cup Green Onion
• 1/4 Cup Almonds Shaved

Instructions

1. Preheat your Air Fryer to 350 degrees.

2. Cut your chicken into small chunks, between 1 and 2 inches.

3. Set up three bowls. One with Cornstarch, one with eggs and one with flour.

4. Dip the chicken into the cornstarch, then the egg then the flour.

5. Cook in the Air Fryer for approximately 6 minutes, or until the chicken starts to get crispy on the outside.

6. When this happens, take the chicken out of the Air Fryer and toss with the sauce in a medium sized bowl.

7. Continue cooking for 2-4 minutes or until chicken is very crispy on the outside.

8. Serve over white rice and top with green onions and almonds.