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30 Minute General Tso’s Chicken, a new go-to sheet pan meal. Easy, homemade crispy baked chicken tossed in a homemade spicy, sweet, and tangy General Tso’s sauce. Serve this with broccoli cooked up right alongside the chicken. It’s the easiest sheet pan dinner. Serve this over rice for a fun restaurant-style dinner made easily and healthier at home!
One of the memories I always come back to anytime I make Chinese food at home is random, but one of my favorite memories as a kid! Often, on Christmas Eve when we lived in Cleveland, my older brothers would bring home Chinese food for us to eat while my mom frantically cleaned, prepped, and cooked for her annual Christmas Eve party.
For anyone who’s ever had a parent host Christmas Eve dinner, you’re probably familiar with the run around, hustle, and stress of getting ready to entertain. Unless your mom (dad, or whoever) was a pro entertainer. However, this was certainly not the case for us!
This meant that we were on our own for food throughout the day and very much banned from the kitchen. Luckily, I had older brothers. When my oldest brother Creighton was old enough to drive, that meant us younger kids got lucky and were able to enjoy takeout.
And for whatever reason, he used to bring home Chinese food. Always fried rice, maybe some egg rolls, and always some version of a General Tso’s Chicken. I remember loving the fried rice the most, but everything was good.
Shockingly, I’ve never made General Tso’s chicken at home. So I decided to make my own homemade and healthier version of everyone’s favorite Chinese chicken! My chicken is baked, not fried, and my sauce uses a homemade hoisin sauce made with molasses instead of sugar. It came out SO GOOD. I can’t wait to share this 30-minute recipe with you all!
These are the details
Ingredients – for the chicken
- Boneless Skinless Chicken breasts or thighs, cut into cubes
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper and chili flakes
- Flour or gluten-free flour – you can also use cornstarch
- Melted butter or extra virgin olive oil
- Broccoli florets
- Sesame seeds
- Sliced green onions
Ingredients – General Tso’s Sauce
- Tamari or soy sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Chili paste
- Garlic
- Ground ginger
- Toasted sesame oil
Special Tools
For this recipe, you’ll need a sheet pan and a glass measuring cup or bowl to whisk up the sauce.
Step 1: start with the chicken
I like to use cubed raw chicken—breasts or thighs, or a mix of the two. Toss the cubed chicken with garlic powder, black pepper, and chili flakes.
Now add some flour. The flour allows the chicken to get crispy in the oven. It’s a small amount, so it’s just a very light coating. It’s not a breaded chicken, but it has just enough of a coating to ensure the sauce can stick nicely to the chicken. You can also use gluten-free flour or cornstarch if you prefer.
Bake the chicken on a sheet pan with a side of broccoli tossed with melted butter or olive oil. I like to use butter. Depending on the size of your chicken pieces, this should take about 10 to 15 minutes to cook.
Step 2: General Tso’s sauce
Mix the tamari (or soy sauce), hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, and chili paste. I’m sharing my recipe for homemade hoisin sauce below if you’d prefer to use that!
Then, add fresh garlic, ground ginger, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. If you don’t have toasted sesame, you can easily just omit it from the sauce. I do love the flavor, but it’s not a must, and it’s not traditional.
Step 3: toss the chicken and the sauce
Pour the sauce over the baked crispy chicken to coat. Bake the chicken until the sauce really sticks. Watch this closely, you dont want the sauce to burn.
Step 4: serve with rice
You can easily serve this as is, but we love this chicken best when served over rice and topped with lots of toasted sesame seeds.
It’s so yummy! The sauce is sweet and spicy with a small amount of tanginess. And the chicken has a fried-like crispiness without any frying! We love it!
To Make Your Own Hoisin Sauce
This sauce is so good! And I love that I can control the ingredients and amount of sugar in the sauce. To make the hoisin sauce, I use a mix of tamari, molasses, rice vinegar, creamy peanut butter, hot sauce, garlic powder, and black pepper. Add a little water to the sauce, then simmer it on the burner until the sauce is smooth and thickened.
I keep the leftover hoisin sauce in a jar in the fridge. It’s sweet, tangy, and just a little spicy. I know it’s an odd mash-up of ingredients, but just go with it! It’s delish!
Looking for other busy weeknight recipes? Try these!
One Skillet Saucy Chicken Tortilla Enchilada Rice Bake
Crockpot Crispy Chicken Tinga Tacos with Avocado Jalapeño Crema
Sheet Pan Honey Mustard Salmon with Caesar Roasted Potatoes
One Skillet Cheesy Green Chile Chicken
Lastly, if you make this 30 Minute General Tso’s Chicken, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
30 Minute General Tso’s Chicken
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 373 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or rub with oil.2. On the sheet pan, mix the chicken, garlic powder, pepper, and chili flakes. Add the flour and toss again. Add 2 tablespoons melted butter, tossing to coat. Arrange the chicken on one side of the baking sheet. Add the broccoli to the other side. Toss with butter or olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.3. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a bowl or glass jar, combine all ingredients.4. Remove the broccoli from the sheet pan. Then pour the General T’s sauce over the chicken and toss the chicken up in the sauce. Bake for another 5 minutes until the sauce is baked onto the chicken.5. Serve the chicken and broccoli with green onions and toasted sesame seeds. We always serve this over rice!
Homemade Hoisin Sauce: In a small sauce pot, mix 1/4 cup tamari/soy sauce with 3 tablespoons molasses. 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, 2 teaspoons hot sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and a pinch of black pepper. Whisk in 1/3 cup of water. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce is smoothed and thickened.
