Instant Pot General Tso Chicken

Name: Instant Pot General Tso Chicken
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (diced); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 2 tablespoon ginger (grated); 1/2 cup chicken stock; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; 1 tablespoon water; 1 cup rice; 1 cup water; 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce; 2 tablespoons warm water; 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon honey; 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce; 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes; Green onions (chopped); Sesame seeds

83
votes
15 Comments
Jump to Recipe

This Instant Pot General Tso Chicken is packed with rich flavors from dark soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey and hoisin sauce.

No matter where you get Chinese takeout from in the United States, there is one dish that will always be on the menu. General Tso’s chicken! This Americanized chicken dish is sweet, tangy, and has a little bit of heat that is simply irresistible.

Why You’ll Love It

By making it in the Instant Pot, you can make a great version of the dish in less than 15 minutes. It’s healthier and cheaper than takeout. What could be better than that?
There’s no need to go out – you get to enjoy your favorite take-out at home. Have the restaurant experience without leaving the house.
You can customize the recipe to suit your taste preferences, adjusting the spice level or sweetness to create a dish that suits your palate.

eyelovecooking says: The flavors were good, and the best part was how tender the chicken turned out

Ant says: Using the pressure cooker for this recipe was great – I love my IP!

What Is General Tso Chicken?

General Tso’s Chicken is a popular Chinese-American dish with crispy bite-sized pieces of chicken coated in a flavorful sweet, and slightly spicy sauce.

The dish’s name is derived from a Qing Dynasty-era Chinese military leader and statesman named Zuo Zongtang (also spelled Tso Tsung-t’ang), though the connection between the dish and General Tso is more of a cultural and linguistic curiosity rather than an accurate representation of historical cuisine.

General Tso’s Chicken is an invention of Chinese-American culinary creativity that has quicky become a staple in American Chinese cuisine.

» You might also like this Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice.

Ingredients You Need

Ingredients for Instant Pot general tso chicken

Chicken – Chicken thighs work best in this recipe, but chicken breast can also be used.
Cooking Oil – Choose an oil with a high smoke point, like canola, avocado, or peanut oil.
Garlic – Adding fresh garlic will give the chicken a nice savory flavor.
Ginger – Fresh ginger works best, but you can use ½ teaspoon of ground ginger instead.
Chicken Stock – Using chicken stock to deglaze the Instant Pot will add an extra layer of flavor to the dish.
Cornstarch – Adding a bit of cornstarch to sauce will make it thicker.

For the Sauce

Dark Soy Sauce – Dark soy sauce has a stronger umami flavor than regular soy sauce, but tamari can be used as a substitute if you can’t find dark soy sauce.
Rice Vinegar: gives the sauce a nice sweet tang. Apple cider vinegar is an awesome substitute in a pinch.
Honey & Brown Sugar – Using a combination of these two sweeteners will make the texture of the sauce thicker while giving it a nice caramel-like flavor.
Hoisin Sauce – Hoisin will give the sauce a nice thickness and umami flavor. Oyster sauce can also be used if that’s what you have on hand.
Red Pepper Flakes – The sauce tastes better with a bit of heat, if you like it.

For Garnish

Green Onions – Fresh green onions will give the chicken a nice brightness.
Sesame Seeds – Use roasted sesame seeds for the best flavor.

Equipment Needed

Instant Pot – I use a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo Plus to make all of my recipes, but you can use any size or brand of electric pressure cooker. If you’re using an 8-quart pot, you will need to adjust the amount of liquid accordingly, as it requires more water to build steam.
Trivet – If cooking rice pot-in-pot style.

Helpful Tips

You can use chicken breast or chicken thighs for this recipe, but chicken thighs have better texture and are more moist.
You can skip the initial cooking of the chicken, it just builds more flavor.
If you use frozen chicken for this recipe, you’ll need to cook it longer, for 10 minutes instead of 4 minutes.
Make the dish more spicy by adding red pepper flakes or Sriracha sauce.
If you like a lot of sauce, double the sauce recipe and cook normally. The sauce is really tasty, so you might want to do that. I like to reserve the extra sauce to toss chicken wings in for another meal.

Using Pot in Pot to Cook Rice

Did you know that you can cook the rice at the same time as the chicken in the Instant Pot? This pot-in-pot technique saves time and effort.

All you need is a heat-proof bowl, such as a Pyrex or stainless steel bowl. Put equal parts rice and water in the bowl and set it on the trivet above the chicken. This is where the recipe differs. You will cook it for 4 minutes, as described, but you will allow an 8 minute natural release instead of opening the pot immediately.

When the cook time is over, use some mitts to remove the bowl of rice and set it aside to continue steaming while you finish the chicken.

There is some controversy over whether to use a glass bowl in the Instant Pot, so proceed at your own risk. It’s safer to use stainless steel.

Cooking rice in the Instant Pot is so easy that you won’t cook it any other way once you try it. Here are easy recipes for jasmine rice, basmati rice, and sushi rice.

How to Make Instant Pot General Tso Chicken

Step 1: Sauté the chicken

Turn on sauté mode on the Instant Pot and add in the oil.

When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces and cook them for 2-3 minutes. You’re not trying to cook it all the way through here, just give it some color and form some browned bits on the bottom of the pot that will build more flavor.

Step 2: Deglaze the pot

Turn off sauté mode. Add the garlic and ginger to the Instant Pot and let it sit in the warm pot for 30 seconds to become aromatic. Then pour in the chicken stock and deglaze the pot to remove all the browned bits from the bottom.

In a bowl, mix together the sauce ingredients. Pour it into the Instant Pot. If you’re cooking your rice at the same time, put the trivet in and the rice bowl on top.

Step 3: Pressure cook

Close the lid and set the valve to sealing. Press the pressure cook or manual button and set the cook time to 4 minutes. It will take about 5 minutes to pressurize. After the cook time is up, you can do a quick pressure release and remove the lid. If you’re also cooking rice, give it an 8 minute natural release time.

Turn back on sauté mode. As it heats up, mix the remaining cornstarch with cold water and pour it into the pot. Let it sauté for 3 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Cancel sauté mode.

Serve the chicken and sauce over rice, garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onion.

How To Store Leftovers General Tso Chicken

To store leftover General Tso’s Chicken properly, first allow it to cool completely, then transfer it to an airtight container and place it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze any leftovers in the freezer for up to 2 months.

When you’re ready to reheat, remove the container from the freezer. If it’s not a microwave safe bowl, transfer the contents to a bowl that is. Then heat it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring halfway.

You can also reheat the leftovers in the Instant Pot, but you will need to put the food in a pressure cooker safe bowl on the trivet with 1 cup of water in the base of the pot. Pressure cook on high for 1 minute.

Questions About the Recipe

Can I make this recipe with other cuts of chicken?

Absolutely! You can use chicken breast or thigh meat for this recipe. Thigh meat will be juicier, but it’s your choice. We have a lovely General Tso chicken wings recipe that you should definitely try. They’re also made in the oven, so it’s a great option for those that don’t have an Instant Pot.

Can I cook the chicken from frozen?

If you have frozen cubed chicken you want to use, you can cook it from frozen, but you will have to give it 10 minutes cook time to make sure it gets cooked through. Whole frozen chicken breasts or thighs shouldn’t be used in this recipe.

What makes the chicken chewy in the instant pot?

Chicken can become chewy when cooked in an Instant Pot due to: overcooking, lack of adequate moisture during the cooking process, cooking at very high temperatures, or cooking tough or older cuts of chicken.

What does Tso chicken stand for?

While General Tso’s Chicken is named after the Qing Dynasty-era Chinese military leader Zuo Zongtang (also spelled Tso Tsung-t’ang), the dish is a modern Chinese-American invention and is not directly connected to General Tso or his culinary preferences.

What is General Tso chicken made of?

General Tso’s Chicken is made up of bite-size chicken pieces coated in batter and deep-fried and then tossed in a thick, sweet, spicy, and tangy sauce made from a combination of ingredients such as soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, and sometimes chili peppers or chili sauce for heat.

Looking for more Asian inspired chicken recipes? Try these.

4.8 from 109 votes

Instant Pot Bourbon Chicken

24
Aug

4.9 from 39 votes

Instant Pot Cauliflower (Whole Head)

10
Oct

5 from 27 votes

Instant Pot Baby Potatoes

03
Sep

6 Must-Know Instant Pot Tips For Beginners

11
Sep

Like this recipe? We’d love for you to share it on your Pinterest boards! Click to follow our Pinterest boards so you can find all our recipes! You can also find us on Facebook!