My at-home recipe of Crock Pot General Tso Chicken is just as delicious, healthier, and easy slow cooker dinner. It’s truly sensational!
I’ve really been embracing the flavors of Asian foods lately. General Tso’s Chicken has been a favorite and notably one of the most popular Chinese take-out dinners. My recipe has the classic sweet and spicy flavors. Since it’s not fried you’ll save a few calories, Therefore, I really prefer it over my favorite restaurant version.
CROCK POT GENERAL TSO CHICKEN
Crock Pot General Tso Chicken has a sticky-sweet sauce with just the right amount of heat. Slow cooking allows the chicken to become really tender and the sauce thick.
I’m usually not a fan of browning meat in a pan before adding it to the slow cooker. But, I found with this recipe, it’s absolutely necessary. You may ask ‘Why not cook it all on the stovetop?’ Which is exactly what I thought, but then the sauce isn’t as good. The sauce really needs to cook down and I found the slow cooker was the best and easiest way to get this recipe perfect.
TIPS AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but you can use thighs.
- You may be tempted to skip coating the chicken chunks in cornstarch. Don’t skip it. This chicken really is better searing the chicken coated in cornstarch.
- If you can’t find hoisin, you can use teriyaki. Although it’s not the same it’ll work for this recipe.
- As well, you can use agave nectar for the honey.
- Adjust the red pepper flakes to your level of heat.
- I recommend using a slow cooker liner for easier clean-up.
While you’re here, check out these recipes
- Chili Garlic Noodles
- Ground Beef Mongolian Noodles
- Ground Turkey Pot Stickers
- Thai Peanut Noodles Recipe
- Potsticker Pasta Salad
- Crock Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
- Ground Beef Mongolian Noodles
- Sriracha Ramen Noodle
- Panda Express Chow Mein Copycat
Crock Pot General Tso Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 4-6 ounce each chicken breasts or 2 to 2.5 pounds of chicken, cut into chunks
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon black pepper freshly cracked
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ cup hoisin sauce I like this brand
- ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce like Kikkoman, or coconut aminos like this
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 4 cloves fresh garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced, less if you don't like spice
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes omit if you don't like spice
- 2 medium Chopped green onions sliced for garnish
Instructions
- Add the chicken cubes, cornstarch, and freshly cracked black pepper to a plastic ziptop bag. Shake the bag until the chicken is coated in the cornstarch.
- Heat the oil in a large pan (I prefer a non-stick pan) over high heat. Add the chicken and sear it until it is well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. You may need to do this in batches depending on how large your pan is. Avoid crowding the pan. This is steam the chicken instead of searing it.
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker. In a bowl whisk together the hoisin, soy, honey, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper. Pour mixture over the chicken in your slow cooker.
- Set your crockpot to low for 2 hours. Check the chicken after 2 hours. Cook another hour is needed. You can easily double or triple this recipe. However, it may take longer to cook if you do.
- Serve plain, over rice, quinoa, or vegetables sprinkle of green onions on top.
Nutrition
You can also find great recipes at Recipe Index or at Meal Plan Monday or Weekend Potluck
Mary Stansbury Murray says
Cook 2 hours on high or low?
Paula says
2 hours on low