Ready your rice and your slow cooker for this better-than-takeout slow cooker General Tso's chicken at home.
Ingredients
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
6 small, dried red chile peppers, such as Japones chiles
Cooked white rice
Thinly sliced scallions
Measuring cups and spoons
Knife and cutting board
Gallon zip-top bag
Large nonstick skillet
Tongs
6-quart slow cooker
Spoon
Microplane or rasp grater
Whisk
Mixing bowl
Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
Coat the chicken in seasoning and cornstarch. Mix the cornstarch, salt, and pepper together in a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Add the chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake until the chicken is well-coated.
Cook the chicken until the coating is crisp. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan, and cook about 2 minutes per side. The chicken might not brown, but the cornstarch coating will become crispy and dry. The chicken will not be completely cooked at this point, and that is OK. Transfer the chicken to a 6-quart slow cooker and repeat with any remaining chicken.
Make the sauce and pour over the chicken. Whisk the sugar, rice vinegar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, sesame oil, cornstarch, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes together in a small bowl. Pour over the chicken, then scatter the dried red chile peppers around the chicken.
Slow cook the chicken. Cover and cook until chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 1 1/2 to 2 hours on the LOW setting or 45 minutes on the HIGH setting. Toss the cooked chicken with the sauce.
Serve General Tso's chicken. Serve with steamed white rice and top with sliced scallions and additional red pepper flakes if desired.
