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–+ servings

Gluten Free General Tso's Chicken

5 from 1 vote
A gray bowl with general tso's chicken on top of a bed of white rice with toasted white sesame seeds and sliced green onions next to a shallow bowl of sliced green onions.
Gluten free general tso's chicken is tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce. The whole family will love this homemade Chinese takeout classic version.
Author: Lindsey Jenkins
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients
 

  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
  • ½ cup cornstarch, tapioca starch, or potato starch
  • ½ teapoon white pepper
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • avocado oil or another neutral oil

Homemade General Tso's Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or another neutral oil
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 inch fresh ginger peeled and grated
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes also called red chili flakes
  • ½ cup coconut aminos or low sodium GF soy sauce or tamari, see notes below
  • ¼ cup chicken or vegetable broth or water
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey plus more as needed, to taste
  • ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • pinch of salt

Slurry

  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch, tapioca starch, or potato starch
  • 2 tablespoons cold water

Instructions

  • Get two shallow bowls. Mix the cornstarch, white pepper, and kosher salt in one bowl. Beat the egg in the other bowl.
  • Dip the chicken pieces into the egg, shaking off any excess, and then dredge them in the starch mixture. Transfer the coated chicken pieces to a plate and continue with this process until all the chicken is coated.
  • Heat a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Cook the chicken for a few minutes on each side until golden brown, crispy, and cooked through to an internal temp of 165ºF/74ºC. Transfer the cooked pieces to a wire rack and continue with this process until you’ve cooked all the chicken.
  • Heat the avocado oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic, ginger, and red chili flakes. Stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
  • Add in the coconut aminos, chicken broth or water, tomato paste, rice vinegar, honey, and toasted sesame oil. Whisk together until combined and reduce the heat to medium-low.
  • Make the slurry by adding the starch to a small bowl with the cold water. Whisk until the starch has completely dissolved. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and continuously whisk until the sauce has thickened about 1-2 minutes.
  • Turn off the heat and add the cooked chicken pieces to the sauce mixture. Toss to coat in the sauce. Serve with rice, chopped green onions, and toasted sesame seeds.

Notes

See the blog post for side dish ideas.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

No avocado oil? - use refined coconut oil for no coconut taste.
No fresh garlic? - you can also use 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
No fresh ginger? - use 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger.
No coconut aminos? - use low-sodium soy sauce or tamari to keep it gluten free, but increase the amount of honey since these options aren't as sweet as coconut aminos.
No honey? - use brown sugar or coconut sugar instead.
Make it vegetarian - use tofu instead of chicken and vegetable broth or water.
No white pepper? - sub black pepper.