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Home » Recipes » Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken

Instant Pot General Tso’s Chicken

2/25/21

Instant Pot
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This Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken is a delicious alternative to takeout – you still get all the flavours of Chinese food that you crave but it's made in one pot with ingredients found in your pantry for a healthier twist!

Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken

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This Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken is a delicious alternative to takeout - you still get all the flavours of Chinese food that you crave but it's made in one pot with ingredients found in your pantry for a healthier twist!
Get ready for a delicious takeout favourite made easy at home!

How to make this recipe

  1. In a large bowl, mix chicken and cornstarch together. Meanwhile, preheat Instant Pot on saute mode and cook rice according to package directions in a rice cooker.
  2. Mix hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil and garlic together in a small bowl.
  3. Add vegetable oil to Instant Pot and saute chicken until lightly browned, about 6-8 minutes. Add sauce and red peppers, then cook another 3-4 minutes until peppers are tender and chicken is heated through.
  4. Top rice with chicken and peppers, then garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and chili flakes. Serve and enjoy!

Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Cornstarch – Cornstarch is used to thicken the sauce. If cornstarch isn't available to you can always use potato starch or rice flour.
  • Chicken breasts – Chicken breasts are the leaner option but diced chicken thighs would be a great alternative.
  • Hoisin sauce – Sweet soy sauce, known as kecap manis, matches hoisin sauce closely in taste and texture but garlic teriyaki, oyster sauce or bean paste are other substitution options. Note: Oyster sauce will change the flavour palette slightly.
  • Soy sauce – Tamari, fish sauce or coconut aminos can be used in place of soy sauce.
  • Brown sugar – If you only have white sugar, add 2 tsps of molasses to every cup to create the same effect.
  • Rice vinegar – Apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar are good alternatives.
  • Sesame oil – Sesame oil will add a nutty taste to your dish, so any nut oil will work in replacement, but try to use sesame oil!
  • Garlic – Fresh garlic or jarred minced garlic.
  • Vegetable oil – Sunflower oil, olive oil, avocado oil are other options if you don't have vegetable oil on hand.
  • Red pepper – If you don't like red bell peppers, use whichever colour you like!
  • Green onion – If you aren't a fan of green onion you can leave this out.
  • Sesame seeds (to garnish) – This is used as a garnish, feel free to leave this out based on your preferences.
  • Chili flakes (to garnish) – This is used as a garnish, feel free to leave this out based on your preferences. If you would prefer to add heat a different way, Sriracha would pair nicely.
  • Jasmine Rice – Jasmine rice has a specific taste and aroma but any long grain rice like basmati rice can be used instead.

Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken

Is General Tso's chicken spicy?

General Tso's is the perfect trifecta of sour, sweet and spicy. The main point of difference from General Tso versus a sweeter dish like Orange Chicken is that General Tso's offers a spicier finish thanks to the chili flakes. To make the dish spicier it is sometimes cooked with with red chili peppers to engulf that heat into every bite, so if you're a fan of heat this is something you can try!

Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken

Why make this in the Instant Pot?

Now, you may be wondering why make this in an Instant Pot instead of on the stove? Well, it's a great alternative to the traditional stovetop method. Cooking in an instant pot also is typically quicker and because it's made in one pot there is less clean up involved – talk about a win-win situation!

Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken

Storing and reheating

If you want to turn this delicious dinner into the next day's lunch then keep reading! Store each individual serving into an airtight container after it has fully cooled down. Once you've refrigerated your servings, if they are stored correctly, they will last 3-4 days in the fridge, which turns these yummy leftovers to a delicious meal prep dish.

When you're ready to eat your General Tso's chicken, take your individual serving out of the fridge and microwave for 1-2 minutes until warm. Once warmed up, you're ready to enjoy your meal!

Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken

Meal prep tools for this recipe

  • Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing this Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken up for lunch!
  • The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60 is the version I use in this recipe.
  • Restock your freezer with free-range chicken from Butcher Box!

More Asian-Inspired Dishes 

  • Panda Express Kung Pao Chicken
  • Easy Beef Stir Fry
  • Panda Express Orange Chicken

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Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken

Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken

This Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken is a delicious alternative to takeout - you still get all the flavours of Chinese food that you crave but it's made in one pot with ingredients found in your pantry for a healthier twist!
4.3 from 10 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 511kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 4 medium-sized chicken breasts, diced (about 1 lb)
  • 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • Sesame seeds for garnish
  • chili flakes, for garnish
  • 2 cups cooked jasmine rice (about 1 cup dry, cooked according to package directions)

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, mix chicken and cornstarch together. Meanwhile, preheat Instant Pot on saute mode and cook rice according to package directions in a rice cooker.
  • Mix hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil and garlic together in a small bowl.
  • Add vegetable oil to Instant Pot and saute chicken until lightly browned, about 6-8 minutes. Add sauce and red peppers, then cook another 3-4 minutes until peppers are tender and chicken is heated through.
  • Top rice with chicken and peppers, then garnish with green onions, sesame seeds and chili flakes. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 511kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 834mg | Potassium: 361mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1400IU | Vitamin C: 83.3mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2.3mg

This Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken is a delicious alternative to takeout - you still get all the flavours of Chinese food that you crave but it's made in one pot with ingredients found in your pantry for a healthier twist! #generaltso #Instantpot This Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken is a delicious alternative to takeout - you still get all the flavours of Chinese food that you crave but it's made in one pot with ingredients found in your pantry for a healthier twist! #generaltso #Instantpot

This Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken is a delicious alternative to takeout - you still get all the flavours of Chinese food that you crave but it's made in one pot with ingredients found in your pantry for a healthier twist! #generaltso #Instantpot This Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken is a delicious alternative to takeout - you still get all the flavours of Chinese food that you crave but it's made in one pot with ingredients found in your pantry for a healthier twist! #generaltso #Instantpot

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About Taylor Stinson

Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!

Comments

  1. Nicole says

    January 17, 2019 at 01:02

    This was so delicious I don’t have an instant put so just cooked my chicken in the pan then poured the sauce over worked really well.

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      January 17, 2019 at 07:49

      Such a great idea Nicole glad you were able to adapt it to stovetop. So happy you enjoyed 🙂

      Reply
  2. karyn says

    January 20, 2019 at 13:21

    Excellent did it my my insta pot last night!

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      January 21, 2019 at 09:27

      So happy you liked it!!! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Kristel Doucet says

    January 22, 2019 at 16:25

    I’m confused. Why is an instant pot required for this recipe?

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      January 22, 2019 at 18:31

      It’s not required, you can make it on the stovetop too. This is an option for those wanting to make it in the Instant Pot. Some people travel with their Instant Pot and don’t have access to a stovetop or some people prefer to cook using their Instant Pot instead.

      Reply
  4. Stephanie says

    January 29, 2019 at 16:16

    Made this according to directions. My husband and I loved it!

    Reply
    • Taylor Stinson says

      January 29, 2019 at 16:37

      So happy to hear that Stephanie, so glad you enjoyed 🙂

      Reply
    • Leslie Ferrell says

      January 19, 2020 at 12:44

      When you say cook 3-4 more minutes after adding peppers is that pressure cook time with quick release?

      Reply
      • Taylor Stinson says

        January 19, 2020 at 19:24

        You just saute 3-4 more minutes!

        Reply
  5. Beth says

    January 26, 2020 at 19:04

    Loved the recipe but would never cook this in an instapot again. It would have much easier on the stovetop.

    Reply

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