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Home Method Instant Pot

Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken

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By: Diana Posted: 8/1/20 Updated: 8/16/20

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This homemade Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken is better than takeout! It’s so quick and easy to make, requires simple ingredients, cheaper, definitely healthier than takeout, and the flavors are right on point!

A close up of General Tso chicken on a bed of white jasmine rice

General Tso’s chicken is one of America’s favorite Chinese takeout dishes (American-Chinese!), and apparently, it’s one of the most ordered dishes on Grubhub and other food services.

And as much as I love getting takeout, I always prefer cooking my own food at home (when possible). So here’s my better than takeout General Tso’s chicken recipe made in the Instant Pot! This recipe is so quick, easy, and can be easily converted into a dump and start recipe if you like.

The Instant Pot is such a game-changer! It makes cooking so easy, convenient, and will actually help you save money as you won’t get takeouts as often if you own this magic pot!

I use it all the time to make my favorite takeout dinners such as beef and broccoli, shrimp and broccoli, sesame chicken, firecracker chicken, hibachi steak, chicken, and shrimp, fried rice, butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, chicken shawarma, and this general tso’s chicken! You guys can tell now why I love my Instant Pot so much, right? 😁

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How to Make Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken

You can either do a dump and start recipe, and it will work just fine. Or, to make it closer to what you’d get if you order takeout, then you’ll have to saute the chicken, and saute the aromatics for extra flavor (more on this below). I recommend that you do so if you have the time.

The Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken.

Instant Pot General Tso Chicken Ingredients
  • Chicken – I normally use chicken thighs as dark meat is what’s preferred for Chinese dishes, but you can definitely use chicken breast if you prefer. Just dice into 1-inch pieces.
  • General Tso’s Sauce – This is so easy! All you need is soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar (or regular vinegar), sesame oil, sugar, and water. Here’s my recipe for the sauce with the exact measurements.
  • Aromatics – ginger, garlic, and chili flakes. If you don’t have fresh ginger, you can substitute with ground ginger (1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger).
  • Cornstarch mixed with water to make the cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce after pressure cooking.

You will also need an Instant Pot (obviously!), this is the one that I currently use and LOVE!

The Directions

  1. If you’re going for the dump and start method, then add all of the ingredients to the pot (except for the cornstarch) and skip to step 5. If you decide to do the saute steps, then in a bowl, mix the chicken with cornstarch until it’s well coated.
  2. On the Instant Pot press on SAUTE (on low) and heat the oil. Add the chicken, and brown it until lightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pot onto a plate and set aside. Work in batches.
  3. Deglaze the pot by adding ¼ cup of water, and with a wooden spoon or a heat resistant spatula scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. I recommend discarding the liquid and the chicken cornstarch bits that were stuck to the pot to get a smooth sauce.
  4. On the SAUTE setting, cook the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes for 30 seconds. Then add 1 cup of the General Tso’s Sauce, put the chicken back in and give everything a mix.
  5. Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 4 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 4 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam and carefully remove the lid.
How to make Instant pot general tso chicken

How to Thicken the Sauce

Immediately after removing the lid, add the cornstarch mixed with water (just mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water – add more if needed). Whisk until the sauce is thickened (it thickens very quickly).

If the sauce is no longer hot, just press the SAUTE button so it simmers gently as you thicken it (not boiling).

If you can’t do cornstarch, substitute with arrowroot powder.

Serve over rice, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onion.

A close up shot of General Tso chicken in the Instant Pot, garnished with sesame seeds

Serving Ideas

Serve general tso’s chicken over steamed white rice. I love making rice in the Instant Pot, and this is the method that I use for jasmine and basmati rice. Perfect rice every time!

You can also serve this over noodles, or cauliflower rice.

Glazed chicken served over steamed rice in white bowls, and chop sticks on the side

Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken is healthier than the regular stovetop version, as no deep frying is involved here. This means that you will cut down on the calories when you make this version, and it will still taste as good!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe
5 from 14 votes
(Click stars to rate!)

Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins
Instant Pot to come to pressure: 10 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Author: Diana
Print Rate Recipe Email Recipe
This homemade Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken is better than takeout! It's so quick and easy to make, requires simple ingredients, cheaper, and definitely healthier than takeout!
4 servings
This homemade Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken is better than takeout! It's so quick and easy to make, requires simple ingredients, cheaper, and definitely healthier than takeout!

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds (900 grams) chicken thighs cubed into bite-size or 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons ginger grated
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes optional
  • 1 cup general tso's sauce (recipe follows)

To Thicken the Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon water

For Serving

  • cooked rice for serving
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds toasted
  • ¼ cup green onion chopped

For General Tso's Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 4 tablespoons  sugar

Equipment

  • Instant Pot

Instructions

  • If you're going for the dump and start method, then add all of the ingredients to the pot (except for the cornstarch) and skip to step 5. If you decide to do the saute steps, then in a bowl, mix the chicken with cornstarch until it's well coated.
  • On the Instant Pot press on SAUTE (on low) and heat the oil. Add the chicken, and brown it until lightly browned. Remove the chicken from the pot onto a plate and set aside. Work in batches.
  • Deglaze the pot by adding ¼ cup of water, and with a wooden spoon or a heat resistant spatula scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. I recommend discarding the liquid and the chicken cornstarch bits that were stuck to the pot to get a smooth sauce.
  • On the SAUTE setting, cook the garlic, ginger, and chili flakes for 30 seconds. Then add 1 cup of the General Tso's Sauce, put the chicken back in and give everything a mix.
  • Secure the lid and set the vent to SEALING. Select the PRESSURE COOK/MANUAL setting and set the cooking time for 4 minutes at high pressure. The Instant Pot will take around 4 minutes to come to pressure and start cooking. When the cooking program ends, quickly release the steam and carefully remove the lid.

To Thicken the Sauce

  • Immediately after removing the lid, add the cornstarch mixed with water (just mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water – add more if needed). Whisk until the sauce is thickened (it thickens very quickly).
    If the sauce is no longer hot, just press the SAUTE button so it simmers gently as you thicken it (not boiling).
  • Serve over rice, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onion.

Notes:

  • If you don’t have fresh ginger available, you can substitute it with ground ginger (½ teaspoon of ground ginger).
  • This dish is mild-spicy, feel free to omit the chili flakes if you don’t like any heat (I strongly recommend that you add them though).
  • It’s important that you deglaze the pot after the saute to avoid getting a BURN message.
  • The reason why I like to deglaze and discard the liquid with the stuck bits then wipe the pot clean is to get a smooth sauce.
  • Serve over jasmine rice, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
  • Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
  • Freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 664kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 39g, Fat: 46g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Cholesterol: 223mg, Sodium: 1313mg, Potassium: 544mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 14g, Vitamin A: 239IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 36mg, Iron: 2mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

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  1. Kristin says

    Posted on 1/16/22 at 00:51

    2 tablespoons of ginger? Was this a typo? Way too much. I couldn’t eat this when my husband made it. I would try this recipe again maybe with a fraction of the ginger since all the recipes I look at had maybe a teaspoon tops.
    I really wanted to like this and the consistency of the sauce was awesome but just way too much ginger.

    Reply
    • Cindy says

      Posted on 5/1/22 at 23:22

      Did he use fresh ginger or ground? It says 2 TBSP of fresh but only 1/2 Teaspoon of ground ginger.

      Reply
  2. Melody Canterberry says

    Posted on 12/1/21 at 23:42

    5 stars
    The sauce is delicious! I didn’t toss the pot scrapings ’cause there’s lots of flavor there. I’m thinking next time to make the sauce and rice the day before, then cook some crispy chicken strips or nuggets, toss them in the warmed-up sauce, and maybe make fried rice and some garlic-ginger bok choy as a side. Thanks for posting this!

    Reply
    • Melody Canterberry says

      Posted on 12/1/21 at 23:43

      5 stars
      Oh, and I doubled the sauce. Yum!

      Reply
  3. Susana says

    Posted on 5/27/21 at 23:09

    I’d love to make this recipe but I have an 8 qt instant pot. How can I adjust the recipe for an 8 qt to avoid burning? I know I generally need 2 cups of liquid but this recipe only has 1 cup of sauce.

    Reply
  4. Carla says

    Posted on 4/25/21 at 22:52

    Hi, when you say brown the chicken, are you saying to cook all the way to a brown color or just until the chicken loses the pink color?

    Reply
    • Diana says

      Posted on 4/25/21 at 23:41

      Hi Carla, just sear/brown the chicken a little.

      Reply
      • Carla says

        Posted on 5/6/21 at 17:59

        5 stars
        Thank you! We enjoyed it, great flavor! Will make again, may try the dump and and start method this time!

        Reply
      • Carla says

        Posted on 5/7/21 at 03:40

        If you’re using the dump and start method, do you increase the pressure cooking time since you’re starting with raw chicken?.

        Reply
        • Diana says

          Posted on 5/9/21 at 09:01

          I’d still cook for 4 minutes, but I find that searing the chicken results in a better texture. I’m glad that you enjoyed this!

          Reply
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