General Tso’s Chicken
General Tso’s Chicken features crisp, tender bites of chicken tossed in a glossy sauce layered with ginger, garlic, and a balanced sweet-tangy heat from chiles. The contrast of crunchy exterior and sticky glaze makes it a crowd-pleaser for weeknight dinners or casual gatherings. Serve it hot with steamed rice to soak up every flavorful drop.
- Prep30 mins
- Cook20 mins
- Serves6
- DifficultyMedium
easyChef Pro health score
Calculated from USDA-referenced nutrient data for the ingredients in General Tso’s Chicken, not estimated by an AI model. The same recipe returns the same score every time.
- Glycemic ImpactPoor
- 35 / 100
- Carb quality, not quantity. Higher is better.
- Nutritional DensityPoor
- 3 / 100
- Nutrients per calorie. Higher is better.
- Energy DensityGood
- 81 / 100
- Calories by weight. Higher means more food for fewer calories.
- NOVA Processed Culinary Ingredients
- 2 / 4
- Processing level, 1 (whole) to 4 (ultra-processed). Lower is better.
How it scores for each health goal
The same recipe scores differently against different goals, because the goal changes the calculation rather than filtering a list. Set your goal in easyChef Pro and every recipe is scored against it.
- 25
- Heart Health
- 56
- Metabolic
- 25
- Digestive
- 25
- Inflammatory
- 43
- Performance
- 36
- General Wellness
- 1
To Make Sauce: In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup cornstarch with 1/4 cup water and mix together.
- 2
Add garlic, ginger, sugar, 1/4 cup soy sauce, and white wine vinegar.
- 3
Then add chicken broth and monosodium glutamate, and stir everything until the sugar dissolves.
- 4
Refrigerate until needed.
- 5
To Prepare Chicken: In a separate bowl, combine the chicken, 1/2 cup soy sauce, and white pepper.
- 6
Stir in the egg.
- 7
Add 1 cup cornstarch and stir until the chicken is evenly coated.
- 8
Add oil to help separate the chicken pieces.
- 9
Divide the chicken into small batches and deep-fry at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until crispy.
- 10
Drain on paper towels.
- 11
To Make Mixture: Add a small amount of oil to a wok and heat until the wok is hot.
- 12
Add the scallions and dried chile peppers and stir-fry briefly.
- 13
Remove the sauce from the refrigerator and stir.
- 14
Add the sauce to the wok.
- 15
Then add the fried chicken and cook until the sauce thickens (add cornstarch or water as needed until the sauce is as thick as you like).
- Calories 696.55 kcal High 35%
- Protein 40.13 g Good Source 80%
- Carbohydrate 47.69 g 17%
- Total Fat 40.72 g High 52%
- Saturated Fat 5.65 g High 28%
- Trans Fat 0.0 g Low Source 0%
- Cholesterol 163.02 mg High 54%
- Sodium 1230.17 mg High 53%
- Dietary Fiber 2.87 g Moderate 10%
- Total Sugars 27.1 g --
- Added Sugars 0.41 g Low Source 1%
- Calcium 27.28 mg Low Source 2%
- Iron 2.6 mg Moderate 14%
- Potassium 859.71 mg Moderate 18%
- Vitamin A 21.55 mcg Low Source 2%
- Vitamin C 13.35 mg Moderate 15%
- Vitamin D 0.18 mcg Low Source 1%
Values are per serving. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
- Eggs 🥚
- Soy 🌱
- Wheat 🌾
- Gluten
- Corn 🌽
- Garlic 🧄
- Onions 🧅
- Alcohol 🚫🍷
About This Recipe
General Tso's Chicken is made with 15 ingredients and serves 6. It takes about 50 mins and is rated medium. Key ingredients include Chicken Broth, Cornstarch, Diced Chicken Breast, and Dried Chile Peppers. Each serving provides about 696.55 kcal, and is a good source of protein.
Recipe Questions
- What is General Tso’s Chicken made of?
- The main ingredients are Chicken Broth, Cornstarch, Diced Chicken Breast, Dried Chile Peppers, Eggs. The full list of 15 is above.
- How long does it take to make General Tso’s Chicken?
- About 50 mins in total: 30 mins to prepare and 20 mins to cook.
- How many calories are in one serving?
- One serving provides about 696.55 kcal. The full nutrition breakdown is above.
- Is General Tso’s Chicken easy to make?
- This recipe is rated medium, with 15 ingredients and 15 steps.
- Is General Tso’s Chicken healthy?
- General Tso’s Chicken has an easyChef Pro health score of 38/100. Per serving, it provides 696.55 calories and 40.13 g of protein, or 80% of the Daily Value. Worth noting per serving: sodium at 1230.17 mg (53% of the Daily Value) and saturated fat at 5.65 g (28% of the Daily Value). It contains Eggs, Soy, Wheat, Gluten, Corn, Garlic, Onions and Alcohol, so it may not be suitable for people with those allergies or dietary restrictions. Whether it fits your goals depends on your complete meal plan and nutritional needs. Remix it in easyChef Pro to adjust the ingredients and generate fresh nutrition and scores.
How easyChef Pro scores recipes and products
easyChef Pro analyzes up to 41 nutrients using data sourced from USDA and other verified food databases. Its scoring method uses the nutrients relevant to nutrition quality, calorie density, processing level, and your selected health goal. Recipes and food products get a health score from 0 to 100, calculated using consistent rules instead of being estimated by AI. The same nutrition data, serving size and health goal will produce the same result.
The calculation evaluates nutrients, calorie density, processing level, and how well the food supports your selected health goal. Protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other beneficial nutrients can strengthen the score. High amounts of sodium, saturated fat, added sugar and other nutrients may lower it.
Your health goal also matters. easyChef Pro evaluates recipes and products across six health areas and adjusts their importance for your selected goal. This means the same food may be a better fit for one health goal than another.
For recipes, changing an ingredient, quantity or serving size changes the nutrition and may change the score. Remix the recipe in easyChef Pro to calculate fresh nutrition and scores for the version you actually make. Product scores are based on the nutrition and serving information associated with that specific product.
Score a recipe free, no app required