Air Fryer General Tso Chicken

One of my specialties is takeout dishes and one of my favorite dishes is this air fryer general tso chicken made with a delicious, gluten free sauce.

General Tso Chicken is probably one of my most popular recipes. There’s no excuse to get takeout when we have AMAZING dishes like this one! I have been making this dish SO SO much recently and I don’t care! It’s insanely delicious, low on points and tastes just like the real thing! And don't worry, I always build in some extra sauce if you want to serve it over rice or veggies.

Takeout is my absolute favorite cuisine (yes, it is totally a cuisine). Nothing even compares. But when your favorite dishes are a million points (not an over exaggeration), what do you do!? Well, I made my own. And lemme tell you, I haven't had takeout in years and I don't even miss it. My General Tso chicken is in my top two favorite recipes of mine (right behind sweet and sour). It is a fan favorite and probably better than takeout!

The recipe can be easily doubled, tripled, quadrupled, etc. It also makes great lunch leftovers! And don’t worry, I always build in extra sauce in my recipes to pour over your rice!

FAQs -

Do I have to make this recipe gluten free? I made my air fryer General Tso chicken with a gluten free sauce; however, you do not have to. Just swap out the gluten free item - soy sauce - for gluten filled alternatives.

Can I make this recipe another way? If you do not have an air fryer, you can make this chicken in the oven. It will not be as crispy; however, it will still be really good!

What You Need for General Tso Chicken

First off, you will need an air fryer, you can use a basket type air fryer; but, I really like a rack type air fryer as well. If you do not have an air fryer, you can bake the General Tso chicken nuggets in the oven; however, it does not come out as crispy.

For the ingredients, it kind of seems like a lot of things, but it really is quite simple to make. I will give you all the tips and tricks how to make the gluten free General Tso chicken sauce to make this recipe a breeze.

for the battered chicken:

• Chicken
• Corn Starch
• Seasonings

Chicken Tenderloins

I  typically use chicken tenderloins when I need nuggets sized chicken, but you can use other cuts of chicken. Chicken tenderloins are already thin, so minimal cutting is required, which is why I like them. However, chicken breasts or chicken thighs can work well too. But, you can use beef, pork or even tofu if you are vegetarian. Any kind of protein will work great in this recipe. Remember to cut the chicken, or your preferable substitution, in the same size, so they are all cooked simultaneously.

Corn Starch

Corn starch is really great in this recipe, but there are other ways to coat chicken. If you have flour, that works great here as well. Alternatively, a mixture of flour and breadcrumbs can work as well. If you do not want to make battered General Tso chicken, you can skip coating the chicken and just cook it to your preference.

for the yummy sauce

• Chicken broth
• Sugar free BBQ sauce 
• Rice vinegar
• Soy sauce 
• Brown sugar replacement 
• Cornstarch

brown sugar 

Brown sugar replacement is a staple in my household, it is great on so many dishes. I use the Swerve brand; however, Splenda has a brown sugar blend, and, alternatively, you can use regular brown sugar.

Soy Sauce

For the soy sauce, this is a gluten free General Tso chicken sauce; therefore, I use the gluten free substitutes. I also use the low sodium version as well. However, you are welcome to use whatever kind that you like.

BBQ Sauce

My favorite BBQ sauce is the G Hughes sugar free version. That is what I typically use; however, you can use your favorite brand of sauce.

for the slurry

What is a slurry? It is a liquid-y mixture that makes the sauce thick! It just combines corn starch with some water. Add that into the sauce, after it is made, until you reach your desired thickness.

how to make General Tso chicken

Add sauce, slurry and coating ingredients to three separate bowls. Stir each to combine.

how to make Air fryer General Tso chicken nuggets

Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees and grease it with cooking spray. Cut chicken tenderloins up into bite size pieces, about 1 inch by 1 inch. One by one, add chicken pieces to the cornstarch mixture and roll chicken nuggets around the corn starch until evenly coated.

Once all the chicken nuggets are coated, place in the greased air fryer and air fry for 1 minute. Spray chicken with cooking spray (this will emulate actual frying, while keeping this orange chicken healthy) then air fry for another 3 minutes. Flip/shake the chicken and spray with cooking spray again. Air fry for another 4-6 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.

how to make the gluten free General Tso chicken sauce

Then, let's go over how to make the gluten free General Tso chicken sauce. As mentioned, it does seem like a lot of ingredients but I promise it is so easy to make, and most importantly, so worth it. 

While the chicken cooks, heat a medium sized pan over medium heat on the stove. Add the sauce and stir until it comes to a boil. Turn down the heat to low/medium and let the sauce simmer for about 5-6 minutes, until thickening. Slowly stir the slurry into the sauce until desired thickness is reached.

Once the chicken is cooked and the sauce is thickened, toss it all together!

There will be enough sauce to have some rice, you can either make my instant pot rice or my stovetop rice.

other ways to cook the chicken

If you do not have an air fryer, you can still make General Tso Chicken. Just bake these in the oven at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Be sure to follow the same instructions for spraying and flipping the chicken.

Low carb ideas

If you want to make this recipe lower carb, you can skip the breading part. This air fryer General Tso chicken is amazing without breading too! Also, instead of rice, try some riced cauliflower. It is delicious with this sauce.

More Takeout Takeout Recipes

Try one of these recipes for your next Takeout Tuesday!

• Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Orange Chicken
• Honey Sesame Chicken
• Honey Soy Chicken
• Sesame Chicken

So, what do you think? Skipping the takeout and trying my recipe?

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Air Fryer General Tso Chicken

One of my specialties is takeout dishes and one of my favorite dishes is this air fryer general tso chicken made with a delicious, gluten free sauce.

How many WW points is this now?! Click on the link and it will take you to the recipe I made within your own WW app. Your specific points will be calculated, and you can track that.

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