Making super crispy chicken bites without deep frying is possible, with an air fryer. And I love making it this way at home. Which is why this air fryer General Tso chicken is so perfect to make the next time you find yourself craving some Chinese/American style food. And those perfectly crispy chicken bites are tossed in an easy to make General Tso sauce. Serve up your air fryer General Tso chicken with a side of rice and veggies for a flavour packed meal that's well balanced and so delicious.

Ingredients

Here's everything you'll need to make the crispy air fryer chicken bites and the General Tso sauce.

• chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
• buttermilk: see substitutions for other options.
• all purpose flour (use gluten-free all purpose if needed, I recommend Bob's Red Mill 1-1)
• potato starch (or cornstarch)
• garlic powder
• ground ginger
• avocado oil spray
• garlic cloves
• ginger
• rice vinegar
• hoisin sauce
• tamari (light), or light soy sauce
• chili crisp (or sriracha)
• brown sugar (light)
• sesame oil (toasted)
• arrowroot flour (or cornstarch)

How to Make Air Fryer General Tso Chicken

Lightly season the chicken with salt.

Preheat the air fryer.

In a large bowl pour in the buttermilk. In a second large bowl, add the flour, potato starch, garlic powder and ground ginger and mix well.

Add the chicken to the buttermilk and toss to coat.

Remove the chicken and place in the flour and coat on all sides.

Tap excess flour off and transfer to the air fryer.

Spray well with oil and bake for 12 to 13 minutes, until crispy and cooked through. There is no need to flip, but check halfway through to see if you need to spray more oil on any dry/floury spots.

Transfer the chicken to a large bowl and drizzle in some of the sauce (you will likely have more sauce than needed). Toss to coat.

Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion. Serve while hot and enjoy!

How to Make the General Tso Sauce

While the chicken is baking, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat and once hot, toss in the garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Increase the heat to medium and add the rice vinegar, hoisin, tamari, chili crisp (or sriracha), brown sugar and sesame oil and stir well to combine. Cook for two to three minutes, until just starting to thicken.

In a small bowl, whisk together the water and arrowroot (or cornstarch). Once combined, add to the sauce and continue whisking for a few minutes, until thickened and reduced, about three to five minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Tips

• Make the sauce ahead of time: the General Tso sauce can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge to save time.
• Don't be shy with the oil: whenever you are air frying, using a good spritz of avocado oil spray helps to ensure that your food can get crispy.
• Open the air fryer to check: just like the oven, keep an eye on the chicken around the halfway mark. I like to give it a bit of a spray of oil if there are any floury bits remaining on the chicken bites.
• Sauce right before serving: these crispy air fryer General Tso chicken bites will lose some of that crispiness when you toss it with the sauce (as is expected), so only toss it once you're ready to eat.
• Don't over do it with the sauce: the sauce is delicious so I understand the tendency to use a lot. Keep some extra on the side for dipping if you'd like, but don't overdo it.
• Serve with veggies: I love serving this with veggies such as broccoli, bok choy or cauliflower. I also love serving it with fluffy rice too.
• Spread out the chicken: don't try and layer the chicken in the air fryer. Be sure to space the chicken out somewhat so it can get crispy. Work in two batches if needed.

Substitutions

• Gluten-Free: this will work with a gluten-free all purpose flour, like this 1-1 flour from Bob's Red Mill. Be sure to buy a gluten-free hoisin sauce and use tamari, which is gluten-free.
• Chili crisp: use sriracha instead.
• Brown sugar: use another type of granulated sugar or coconut sugar.
• Arrowroot flour: use cornstarch instead.
• Potato starch: use cornstarch (or arrowroot) instead. Preference is for potato starch with this recipe.
• Dairy-free/Buttermilk: use a dairy free milk and mix with fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (about 1 tsp per cup).

How to Store & Prep

This air fryer General Tso chicken tastes best when served hot and fresh.

You can store the chicken and sauce separately and then re-crisp the chicken bites in the air fryer for a few minutes before tossing with the sauce.

To prep this recipe, you can easily make the General Tso sauce ahead to save time. Reheat on low heat before tossing on the chicken and serving.

Which Air Fryer Do I Use & Recommend

I've tried three different air fryers over the years, and my most recent is also my favourite.

It's the Wonder Oven from Our Place. I absolutely love it and highly recommend it, for several reasons.

• Aesthetically pleasing: as with all Our Place products, the design is unmatched. This means you can leave it out on your countertop and don't need to hide it away in a cluttered drawer.
• Non-toxic: the trays that come with the Wonder Oven are all non-toxic and made from stainless steel and aluminum with a toxin-free nonstick ceramic coating. This is SO hard to find with other types of air fryers and is the main reason I use it so much.
• Different cooking modes: this is not just an air fryer, it can air fry, bake, toast, roast, reheat and broil. I also love the steam function for bringing breads back to life.
• Compact size: I love how small and mighty it is. It won't take up much room on your countertops, something that was so important to me living in a condo with limited countertop space.

The only drawbacks I've noticed while using this is the timer function. It's not digital and can be hard to be precise when using it. So I prefer to just use the timer on my oven or microwave when using it to be sure it's exact. The knob also has to be turned off manually by turning it rather than having an on/off switch.

But honestly, other than those missing features, it's such a great appliance and I do recommend it.

You can check out Our Place Wonder Oven here!

More Air Fryer Recipes

Looking for more air fryer goodness, check these ones out!

• Air Fryer Calamari
• Chicken Katsu (air fryer)
• Air Fryer Mac & Cheese Balls
• Crispy & Easy Air Fryer Arancini
• Air Fryer Jalapeño Poppers
• Bang Bang Shrimp (air fryer)
• Crispy Brie & Fig Jam Stuffed Phyllo Bites
• Buffalo Chicken Strips (air fryer)
• Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos
• Breakfast Taquitos (air fryer)
• Thai Sweet Chili Chicken (air fryer)

Ready to make this? Let's get to it!

If you make this air fryer General Tso chicken please share with me, by tagging me on Instagram or leave a comment and/or review below. I truly love seeing and hearing form you!

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