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Crockpot General Tso Chicken has a little more of a kick than sweet and sour chicken, and better flavor. A great chicken recipe for the crock pot!
Table of Contents
I love this version of General Tso chicken. More times than not, General Tso chicken is what I will order at Chinese restaurants or for takeout. It has a little more of a kick than sweet and sour chicken and I like the flavor better. Before this recipe I would always make our traditional General Tso’s Chicken recipe but ever since I came up with this Crockpot version, I haven’t gone back to the old one (the old one is equally delicious… this way is just a little easier). I came up with this crock-pot version the other day when I didn’t have a lot of time in the late-afternoon to prepare dinner. I made this during my kids’ nap time. This pairs great with our restaurant-style fried rice recipe!
If you say “Tso”
Sometimes the most difficult part of ordering food in an ethnic restaurant is pronouncing the names without sounding like an idiot. There are a lot of differing thoughts on the pronunciation of this favorite Chinese food dish in America. According to SpoonUniversity.com, it is perfectly acceptable to pronounce it “so” — just omit the “T.” But according to my husband, Jared’s, experience working in a Chinese restaurant, it is more correctly pronounced “chow.” Either way, you are going to want to be eating this amazing General Tso Chicken while you think about saying the recipe name.
Ingredients in CrockPot General Tso Chicken
What’s nice about this slow cooker General Tso chicken is that it takes minimal effort and minimal ingredients. Here’s what you need:
- Chicken
- Flour coating for dredging (flour, salt, and pepper)
- Sugar (you can use plain white sugar, brown sugar, or dark brown sugar)
- Soy sauce (“lite” or low sodium soy sauce)
- Pineapple juice
- Vinegar (white vinegar, rice wine vinegar, or cider vinegar)
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Cornstarch (to make a slurry for thickening)
- Oil (to help with browning)
- Green onion (for garnish)
Additions
We love this recipe as it is, however if you want to make some adjustments or add some ingredients, here are some popular add-in ideas:
- Sesame seeds
- red pepper flakes
- honey (in place of sugar)
- hoisin sauce (just a tablespoon)
- Chile sauce
- Sriracha (for a little extra kick)
- broccoli (sauté broccoli and add right before serving)
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftovers in a shallow airtight container for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating in a non-stick skillet or in the microwave until heated through.
What To Serve with CrockPot General Tso Chicken
We almost always serve this dish with steamed white rice. It can also be served with brown rice or cauliflower rice. If you are looking for more side dish ideas, here are some of our favorites:
More recipes like Crockpot General Tso Chicken
If you like the idea of making Chinese take-out at home, you are going to LOVE these recipes:
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. You can. If you want to skip browning the chicken first, you can absolutely just throw the chicken in the slow cooker with the sauce ingredients and let it cook until finished.
Our recipe is a delicious blend of sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, and ginger.
Liquid does not need to be covering the chicken as long as the chicken is in a single layer and isn’t overcrowded. This ensures for more even cooking.
If using powder instead of fresh, use about half the amount, so about one teaspoon.
Read Next: 35+ Easy Dinner Ideas
Crockpot General Tso Chicken
Equipment
- Crock Pot (Slow Cooker)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts cut into inch pieces
- 1 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup “lite” soy sauce
- 1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 teaspoon fresh ginger finely grated
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with ¼ c. water
- 4 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Combine flour, salt, and pepper in resealable food storage bag. Add chicken. Shake to coat with flour mixture.
- Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken about 2 minutes on each side (it doesn't need to be cooked all the way through at this point). You may have to do this in batches. Set aside.
- In the Crock Pot, whisk sugar, soy sauce, pineapple juice, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne until well combined.
- Add chicken to crock pot and cook on low for 3-4 hours. If you would like your sauce thicker add water/cornstarch mixture about 30 minutes before serving. Stir it in SLOWLY, folding it into the chicken. You won’t want your breading to be scraped off of your chicken pieces so be gentle!
- Garnish with green onion and serve.
Notes
- Serve with steamed rice and/or steamed or sautéed veggies to make a complete meal
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days
- Freeze leftovers for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before re-heating.
Nutrition Information
I love general tsos chicken and this was sooooooo good! Never ordering it from a restaurant ever again.
This is seriously so good & the idea of the crock pot is even better!
I’ve been leaning more on my slow cooker to help with dinner due to our crazy schedule. This was perfect! So easy to make and full of flavor. Thanks!
We really enjoyed this recipe! Thanks!
I know what I will be making for dinner tonight! This looks easy and amazing too! Delish!
This was not good. Soggy and not good flavor. Waste of time and ingredients. 👎🏼
I’m so sorry this didn’t work out for you. I am trying to figure out what could have gone wrong. What about the flavor was off?
I am making this now and the sauce is very thick and I the chicken and sauce is burning on the sides of the crockpot. I’m only 2 hours in, any thoughts on why this would have happened?
Hmmm… I am not sure. I do know that every Crock Pot can be different. Some have different “hot spots”. It sounds like yours might cook a little on the hot side. You definitely don’t want the chicken to be overcooked and dry. Maybe next time check the chicken after an hour. If you have a meat thermometer, you can check it to see if the internal temperature is showing it is done. I would say reduce it to “warm” as soon as you see that the chicken is done. Hope this helps!
I’ve been making this in home EC and I get to try it tomorrow! I promise I will tell results!
I apologise for responding late! The chicken was AMAZING and was very delightful! (The instructions are VERY true when it says to stir carefully) The sauce turned out great and I even paired it with white rice
My husband doesn’t like chicken breast, l used boneless skinless chicken thighs didn’t bread them or brown just dumped,set and forget. Until time to add slurry. Was GREAT!!!!!
Could someone tell me what kind of pineapple juice you used? Should this be the kind from the juice isle or should I use the juice from canned pineapples, which the label shows has “no added sugar?” My grocery store does not carry a sugar-free pineapple juice. Thanks for any advice.
I used the juice from the pineapple chunks. This is my first time to make the recipe so hopefully the juice choice will be ok