Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken

This slow cooker General Tso’s chicken is savory, sweet, and just spicy enough, with tender chicken coated in a glossy, sticky sauce that tastes better than takeout. It’s a mostly hands-off crockpot recipe that delivers big flavor on busy weeknights with very little effort.

This slow cooker General Tso’s chicken is all about big flavor with an easy, mostly hands-off approach. I start by lightly coating the chicken in cornstarch and quickly searing it so each piece gets a golden crust. That step makes a huge difference—it helps the chicken hold its texture and gives the sauce something to cling to later. The chicken then goes into the crockpot with a simple yet bold sauce made from soy sauce, honey, hoisin, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger.

As it slowly cooks, the chicken becomes incredibly tender, and the sauce thickens into that glossy, sticky coating you want in a great General Tso’s chicken. The result is sweet, savory, tangy, and slightly spicy, with every bite packed with flavor. It has everything I love about the classic takeout dish, but made at home in a way that’s perfect for busy weeknights—prep it, turn it on, and come back to dinner that’s ready to serve over rice with broccoli.

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4.73 stars (70 ratings)

Crockpot General Tso’s Chicken Recipe

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 4 hours hrs

Total: 4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

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This slow cooker General Tso’s chicken is savory, sweet, and just spicy enough, with tender chicken coated in a glossy, sticky sauce that tastes better than takeout. It’s a mostly hands-off crockpot recipe that delivers big flavor on busy weeknights with very little effort.

4

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized chunks)
• ▢ ¼ cup cornstarch
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• ▢ ½ cup hoisin sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup soy sauce
• ▢ ¼ cup honey
• ▢ ¼ cup rice vinegar
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic (finely minced)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• ▢ sliced green onions and sesame seeds (to serve)

Instructions 

• Place the chicken in a bowl and sprinkle the cornstarch and pepper over the top. Mix the chicken around so that it is well coated.
  4 chicken breasts, ¼ cup cornstarch, ½ teaspoon pepper
  
• Heat the oil in a large, nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear it until it is well browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
  1 tablespoon cooking oil
  
• Add the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger to your crockpot and stir well. Add the chicken and stir to coat the chicken in the sauce. Cook for 3-4 hours on low heat, until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is very tender.
  ½ cup hoisin sauce, ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup rice vinegar, 4 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons minced ginger
  
• Serve with some sliced green onions and sesame seeds over the top.
  sliced green onions and sesame seeds
  

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 475kcal (24%), Carbohydrates: 39g (13%), Protein: 53g (106%), Fat: 11g (17%), Saturated Fat: 2g (13%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 152mg (51%), Sodium: 1407mg (61%), Potassium: 1012mg (29%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 27g (30%), Vitamin A: 75IU (2%), Vitamin C: 4mg (5%), Calcium: 37mg (4%), Iron: 2mg (11%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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