Air-Fryer General Tso's Chicken: Quick, Crispy, And Delicious!

Making General Tso's Chicken in an air fryer is a healthier alternative to deep-frying, and it's quicker too, taking under 30 minutes. The chicken is coated in a tangy, sweet and spicy sauce, and can be served with rice, noodles or vegetables. The sauce is made with ingredients like soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, garlic and brown sugar. The chicken is coated in cornflour/corn starch and egg before being air-fried, and the dish can be made gluten-free by using tamari instead of soy sauce and gluten-free Hoisin sauce.

Marinating the chicken

Firstly, cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. You can use either boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, but thighs are generally recommended as they tend to stay juicier and are more forgiving if overcooked. Cut the chicken into evenly sized pieces to ensure even cooking.

Next, prepare the marinade. In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken pieces with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and rice vinegar. You can adjust the amounts of these ingredients to your taste preferences. For a more tangy flavour, you can also add some ketchup to the marinade. Mix everything well, ensuring that all the chicken pieces are evenly coated.

Once the marinade is ready, let the chicken pieces sit and soak up all the flavours. Marinate the chicken for about 30 minutes at room temperature. You can also prepare the chicken ahead of time and let it marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight. The longer the chicken marinates, the more intense the flavours will be.

After the chicken has finished marinating, it's time to coat the pieces before air frying. Beat an egg in a small bowl, and add some corn starch to a shallow bowl. Dip each chicken piece first in the egg and then coat it with corn starch. Make sure to shake off any excess corn starch before placing the chicken in the air fryer.

Now, your chicken is ready for the air fryer! Preheat your air fryer to 400°F for about 3-to-5 minutes. Grease the air fryer basket with cooking spray or brush it with oil to prevent sticking. Place the chicken pieces in a single layer in the basket, making sure they are not overcrowded. Air fry the chicken for 10-15 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through, until they are golden brown and crispy.

By following these steps, you'll have perfectly marinated and cooked chicken for your General Tso's Chicken dish. The chicken will be full of flavour, with a crispy texture on the outside and juicy tenderness on the inside.

Making the sauce

To make the sauce, you'll need to combine several ingredients in a saucepan and heat them on your stovetop. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Ingredients:

• Chicken broth or stock
• Sesame oil
• Soy sauce (you can use low-sodium or regular)
• Hoisin sauce (optional, but adds a nice sweet and savoury flavour)
• Rice vinegar
• Brown sugar
• Garlic, crushed or minced
• Ginger, grated or paste
• Red pepper flakes (adjust the amount to your preferred spice level)
• Cornstarch (to thicken the sauce)
• Water (to make a cornstarch slurry)
• Ketchup (optional)
• Scallions, sliced (for garnish)
• Sesame seeds (for garnish)

Method:

• Start by measuring out your chicken broth/stock, sesame oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce (if using), rice vinegar, and brown sugar. Add these ingredients to a medium-sized saucepan.
• Whisk the ingredients together until they are well combined and the brown sugar has dissolved.
• Add in your garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes.
• Place the saucepan on your stovetop and turn the heat to medium.
• Simmer the sauce for 2-3 minutes, allowing the flavours to meld together.
• In a separate small bowl, make a cornstarch slurry by mixing cornstarch and water. The slurry will help thicken the sauce without creating lumps.
• Pour the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan and stir it in.
• Continue simmering the sauce for another minute or two, until it reaches your desired thickness.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Now you have a delicious, glossy General Tso's sauce ready to be poured over your air-fried chicken! Don't forget to garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds for that extra touch of flavour and texture.

Feel free to adjust the ingredient quantities to suit your taste preferences. You can also add a bit of ketchup for extra tanginess or omit the hoisin sauce if you prefer a less sweet sauce. Enjoy creating this tasty dish!

Coating the chicken

Firstly, prepare the chicken by cutting it into bite-sized or small pieces. You can use either boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, but thighs are generally recommended as they tend to stay juicier and are more forgiving in the air fryer.

Next, prepare the coating mixture. In a bowl, combine cornstarch, all-purpose flour (optional), salt, and pepper. You can also add other spices like red chilli flakes or dried red chillies to the mixture for an extra kick. If you want a lighter coating, you can use only cornstarch instead of a flour mixture. Beat an egg in a separate bowl to create an egg wash.

Now, it's time to coat the chicken. Take each piece of chicken and dip it completely in the cornstarch/flour mixture, making sure all sides are evenly coated. Then, dip the coated chicken pieces in the egg wash. This two-step process ensures that the coating adheres well to the chicken.

After coating, place the chicken pieces in the air fryer basket, making sure they are not overcrowded. Leave some space between the pieces to allow proper air circulation, which is essential for even cooking and that desired crispy texture. You may need to cook the chicken in batches to avoid overcrowding.

Before cooking, spray the air fryer basket and the chicken pieces with a cooking spray or brush them with oil. This step is crucial, as it prevents the chicken from sticking to the basket and helps to achieve that crispy texture. You can use olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, or any other neutral-flavoured oil. Be generous with the spray to ensure that both the basket and the chicken are well-coated.

Finally, air fry the chicken according to your recipe's instructions, typically for around 8-10 minutes at 400°F, flipping the pieces halfway through to ensure even cooking.

By following these steps, you will have perfectly coated chicken pieces that are ready to be tossed in the delicious General Tso's sauce!

Air-frying the chicken

Preparing the Chicken

Start by cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Then, marinate the chicken with ingredients like ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and white pepper. Let the chicken marinate for about 30 minutes.

Next, prepare a coating for the chicken by mixing dry ingredients such as cornstarch, flour, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl. You can also add an egg to this mixture to create an egg wash. Coat the chicken pieces thoroughly with this mixture.

Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Lightly spray or brush the air fryer basket with oil to prevent sticking. Place the coated chicken pieces inside, ensuring they are not overcrowded and have space between them for even cooking.

Cook the chicken for about 8-10 minutes, shaking or flipping the basket halfway through to ensure even browning. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

You can also try "double frying" by air-frying at a lower temperature first (350°F for 10 minutes), then removing the chicken, spraying it with oil again, and air-frying at a higher temperature (400°F for 6 minutes) until crispy.

Tips

• Use chicken thighs instead of breasts to prevent the meat from drying out.
• Use olive oil or coconut oil as a safe non-stick spray that won't damage the air fryer basket.
• Cook the chicken in batches to ensure proper air circulation and even cooking.
• Always preheat the air fryer to help the food crisp up nicely.

Serving suggestions

There are many ways to serve Air Fryer General Tso's Chicken. It can be served as a main meal or an appetiser.

For a main meal, serve the chicken with a side of rice. This could be white rice, brown rice, fried rice, chicken fried rice, or even cauliflower rice. You could also serve the chicken with noodles, such as Asian noodles, or vegetables, such as steamed broccoli, green beans, or egg rolls.

If you want to serve the chicken as an appetiser, you can put out some toothpicks and let your guests help themselves.

You can also make extra sauce to pour over the rice or noodles.

Frequently asked questions