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General Tso’s Baked Chicken Wings are crispy baked chicken wings tossed in a sweet and spicy General Tso’s sauce. Serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and chopped scallions.
General Tso’s Sauce is Great on Chicken Wings!
Just about every Chinese-American restaurant near us has General Tso’s Chicken on the menu – a hugely popular dish that’s typically made with breaded and deep-fried boneless chicken nuggets tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce.
We’re happy to report that the same General Tso’s sauce is fantastic on chicken wings too! We swapped out the deep-fried chicken pieces for crispy baked chicken wings – and the results are fantastic!
You can make the homemade General Gao’s sauce as spicy as you’d like. As written in our recipe below, these easy chicken wings have a gentle kick of heat – but feel free to add more chili paste or even chili peppers if you want a lot of heat in your sauce.
Why you’ll love General Tso’s Baked Chicken Wings
- This dish has all the same flavors as the popular General Tso’s Chicken from your favorite Asian restaurant.
- The chicken wings are baked until crispy – so no messy frying involved.
- These wings are a great party appetizer as well as a delicious option for dinner with rice and vegetables on the side.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Chicken Wings – We always recommend buying fresh chicken wings as they are plumper and juicier than frozen chicken wings. To save some time, you could buy the wings already cut into wingettes and drumettes, sometimes called “party wings” on the package in the meat case. Buying whole wings is less expensive and easy to prepare – first, cut off the tips (freeze the tips and add to the pot the next time you make homemade chicken stock). Then, separate the wingette and drumette by cutting through the joint.
- Canola Oil
- Olive Oil
- Unsalted Butter
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- General Tso’s Sauce – Make your own in five minutes on the stove by combining soy sauce, rice vinegar, Hoisin sauce, garlic chili paste, sesame oil, fresh grated ginger, butter, sugar, honey, and corn starch to thicken. If you like it extra spicy, go heavy on the garlic chili paste, or buy Thai chilies, chop and add to the sauce.
- Garnish – Sesame Seeds and Chopped Scallions
Special Tools Needed
- Two Sheet Trays – Lined with foil and wire racks that fit inside the sheet trays. See this tray/rack set here.
- Large Bowl – To toss the wings.
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
- Medium Saucepan – To make the sauce.
- Long-Handled Tongs
- Basting Brush
- Rubber Spatula
- Small Ladle or a Large Spoon
- Serving Platter
How do I make General Tso’s Baked Chicken Wings?
- Separate the drumettes from the wingettes and place into a large bowl.
- Coat the chicken with canola oil, olive oil, salt and pepper and lay out on prepared sheet pans. Clean the bowl now, for tossing the cooked wings once they are cooked.
- Bake wings in a 450 degree F oven for 20 minutes. Flip pieces and brush with melted butter, then bake 15 minutes more. Flip again, brush on remaining butter, then bake five more minutes until browned. (Wings may need a minute or so under the broiler if they aren’t easily browning.)
- While chicken cooks, place all sauce ingredients – except the cornstarch and water – into a saucepan and simmer for five minutes. Make a slurry with the corn starch and water, then whisk it into the hot sauce liquid. Simmer for one more minute, then remove from heat.
- Once the chicken is cooked and crispy, toss half of the wings in the large (clean) bowl with half the sauce. Pour out onto a serving platter. Repeat for the rest of the chicken and sauce.
- Sprinkle with sliced scallions and sesame seeds and serve.
Tips & Tricks
This recipe can easily be cut in half for fewer portions.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make General Tso’s Baked Chicken Wings ahead of time? The sauce can be made in advance, but the chicken will be best hot and crispy out of the oven, then tossed in the sauce. (You should warm the sauce up in a saucepan if made in advance and chilled.)
- How do I store leftovers? Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat the wings on a foil-lined tray in the oven, or microwave individual portions.
You might like these other Chicken Wing Recipes:
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General Tso’s Baked Chicken Wings
General Tso’s Baked Chicken Wings are crispy baked chicken wings tossed in a sweet and spicy General Tso’s sauce. Serve with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and chopped scallions.
Ingredients
4 pounds fresh chicken wings, 6-7 per pound (about 26 whole wings or 52 cut pieces)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
Sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup Hoisin sauce
1 stick butter (8 tablespoons)
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated fine
1 teaspoon garlic chili paste (more or less depending on your heat tolerance)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Optional Thai chili peppers if you like it hot. A few go a long way
2 tablespoons corn starch
1–2 tablespoons water
Garnish
2 scallions, sliced
1–2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and place two oven racks in the two top positions.
- Line two sheet trays with foil, place a wire rack in each then spray the cooling rack with kitchen pan spray.
- Using a sharp knife, separate the wingette from the drumette by holding the drum part straight up and the whole wing in the shape of a V, and cut straight down through the joint. Nip off the wing tip and freeze for stock.
- Place all pieces into a large bowl and toss with the kosher salt and black pepper by flipping the bowl in a rocking motion towards you. Or use two wooden spoons to toss.
- Pour on the canola and olive oil and toss again.
- Lay the pieces out onto the two prepared sheet trays and place in the oven for 20 minutes. Clean the large bowl to be used later to toss the cooked wings.
- After 20 minutes, remove pans and flip each piece over. Brush with half the butter and place back in the oven, rotating racks, for 15 minutes longer. Remove, flip again, and brush the other side with the remaining butter and bake for five more minutes.
- May need to place under the broiler for a bit to brown. (In our oven, the wings browned nicely at the high baking temperature and we did not need to broil, but ovens vary)
- Place half the cooked wings into a large clean bowl and toss with half the sauce and pour out onto a platter. Repeat with remaining wings and sauce and add to the platter.
- Sprinkle chopped scallions and sesame seeds over platter and serve.
- An optional serving method would be to serve with carrot sticks, celery sticks and blue cheese or ranch dressing.
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Notes
Make sure you wash the large bowl after tossing the uncooked chicken before you reuse it to toss the cooked chicken. Uncooked meats should never come in contact with cooked meats or other foods that will not be cooked before being consumed. This is called cross contamination.
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