This paleo General Tso’s Chicken is made in the Instant Pot in under 30 minutes! Way better than takeout and just as fast, too, it’s gluten-free, grain free, and free of refined sugar and soy. Spicy and sweet, it’s great served over cauliflower rice or with your favorite stir fried veggies!
Be still my heart…the Instant Pot has done it again! How did I ever live without this thing? The options feel endless now that I can make “elaborate” meals that once intimidated me in 30 minutes or less.
This paleo version of general tso’s chicken is a big milestone for me. To start, it’s my first time using the Instant Pot to sear “breaded” chicken (or dredged chicken) and it did a fabulous job. No mess or sticking to the bottom at all – score!
Second, it got me over my “fear” of general tso’s chicken. Trust me – you have no idea what I’m about to say.
You see, when I was little, like possibly 2 or 3 years old little, my parents were obsessed with General Tso’s Chicken and I was obsessed with Superman. I watched all the Superman movies, but, I was particularly obsessed with Superman II, which happens to feature the villain “general Zod”.
Does anyone see where this is going yet? Like, to a 3 year old, how many “generals” even exist in the world? I naturally assumed that general Tso was general Zod, and, naturally, I was very, very afraid of this chicken my parents insisted on eating at least once per week.
Perhaps the spice level instilled fear in me as well – this I cannot remember. All I know is that the bad guy from Superman was making chicken at our local Chinese place and my parents flipping LOVED it. First real existential crisis of my life.
Fast forward a good long time (to adulthood, really) and I still never ate general tso’s chicken. The association apparently ran really deep. It took me 30 years to actually try the dang chicken, I’m not kidding.
The thing is, once you try it, how can you NOT love it?! Sweet, sticky, spicy perfection. Deepest darkest questions from childhood, answered. Well, maybe not entirely (though that would be nice) but at least it left me with a funny anecdote to go with my blog post for this favorite takeout fake-out recipe 🙂
Back to the actual chicken recipe! I decided after making my sweet and sour chicken that general tso’s needed to be next on my list! With the first bite, any “fear” I had for it was of course erased for good.
Just a heads up, I didn’t make this one Whole30 compliant, since I wanted to go for a really sticky sauce as close to the original as possible, that I didn’t think dates could accomplish (however, if you want to test it out, go for it!)
Instead, I used coconut sugar and molasses to sweeten, although you can sub honey for the molasses if you happen to have it on hand, or you’re not a fan of molasses.
The steps are similar to my sweet and sour chicken, with the exception of the additional step of dredging the chicken in egg and arrowroot starch prior to searing.
You can also use tapioca starch in place of arrowroot, and I believe potato starch would work as well if you prefer.
The sauce ingredients are straightforward and similar to other Asian inspired sauces I’ve made – coconut aminos, rice vinegar, a bit of sesame oil, crushed red pepper, garlic, ginger. Also, a bit of arrowroot mixed with broth or water at the end to thicken the sauce to your preference.
As written, the recipe has the perfect spicy/sweet balance in my opinion, but you can always adjust the spice level to suit your preference by adjusting the amount of crushed red pepper. I served mine over fried cauliflower rice, but when I had leftovers I served it over sautéed greens and it was delicious that way too!
You can’t go wrong with some stir fried veggies on the side and extra toasted sesame seeds and scallions on top either.
I’m so excited for you to try this one – I know you’re going to love it – let’s get started!
General Tso’s Chicken in the Instant Pot {Paleo}
General Tso's Chicken in the Instant Pot {Paleo}
This paleo general tso's chicken is made in the Instant Pot in under 30 minutes! Way better than takeout and just as fast, too, it's gluten-free, grain free, and free of refined sugar and soy. Spicy and sweet, it's great served over cauliflower rice or with your favorite stir fried veggies!
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp blackstrap molasses or raw honey
- 2 Tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper more or less to suit spice preference
- 1 tsp sesame oil
Chicken
- 1.5 lbs chicken thighs or breasts cut into 2” pieces
- 1/3 cup arrowroot starch or tapioca
- 1 egg whisked
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1.5 inches ginger minced
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup chicken bone broth
- Thinly sliced scallions for garnish
- Additional sesame seeds for garnish
- 2 tsp arrowroot + 2 Tbsp broth to thicken sauce after chicken cooks
Instructions
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Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
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Coat chicken pieces in whisked egg lightly, then toss in arrowroot starch, shaking off excess.
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Turn on “sauté” wait until Instant Pot reads "hot", then add coconut oil.
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Add dredged chicken pieces in 2 batches to sear on both sides - about 1 minute per side, set chicken aside on a plate.
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If any of the chicken/batter stuck, clean out the pot to remove. Now, add sesame oil and sauté sesame seeds, garlic and ginger in sesame oil.
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Add chicken broth and sauce mixture and whisk to combine, continue to cook on saute for 1 minute until simmering, then press cancel.
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Add browned chicken back to pot, give the sauce a whisk, and coat chicken with sauce. Cover and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
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Quick release the pressure, open instant pot and with tongs, carefully remove just the chicken to a plate.
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Whisk together the 2 tsp arrowroot with 2 tbsp broth and add to sauce. Return pot to “saute” and cook, stirring, until sauce is thickened to preference - about 3 minutes for me.
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Return chicken back to sauce, turn off instant pot and add sliced scallions and extra sesame seeds., let everything sit to cool down.
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Serve over cauliflower rice or with your favorite veggies. Enjoy!
Nutrition
What I Used To Make My General Tso’s Chicken:
Want More Takeout Inspired Paleo Recipes? Try One of These!
Pork Lo Mein With Sweet Potato Noodles {Whole30}
Breakfast Egg Roll in a Bowl {Whole30}
Chicken and Bacon Fried Cauliflower Rice {Whole30}
Instant Pot Sweet and Sour Chicken {Whole30}
Chicken Stir Fry with Veggies and Garlic Sauce {Whole30}
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry {Whole30}
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Can this be made stove top?? I’m super excited about this recipe. Thank you?
Yes it can be – I would sear the chicken and then add the sauce to the pan and cook the chicken in the sauce that way, until cooked through, then thicken at the end if you need to.
Hi Michelle,
I have IBS as well and I am concerned about a lot of these recipes that have garlic etc., alot of the fodmop foods to avoid.
Do you have any recommendations?
Hi! If you’re currently low FODMAP you will have to modify many recipes, or just save them for after you begin to reintroduce FODMAP foods. I currently am able to eat many of them that used to bother me.
Can this be made in a slow cooker??? Haha
How long you think should I cook it on ‘high’?
My husband loooooves General Tso, it would be a great weekend dinner…
I made this tonight and it was definitely a dinner I will make again and again, my husband added pineapple and it was delicious over cauliflower rice yum, thank you!
That sounds perfect! happy you enjoyed it 🙂
Made this tonight for the family and it was AMAZING!! I can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch today, I did find coating the chicken to be a little frustrating. So I ended up just dumping the arrowroot starch in a gallon ziplock bag and sticking the egg coated chicken in there and then shaking it up. Seemed to work well. You are my favorite food blogger. All your recipes have been huge hits! Thank you!
Great idea on coating the chicken. The recipe took me a lot longer with the process outlined. Will try your idea next time!
So thrilled you liked it! And I’m not sure why I forgot to include that in the instructions, but that’s exactly what I did with the arrowroot and yes it’s the fastest way. Thanks for bringing that up and so happy you’re enjoying the recipes 🙂
I did the same thing!! It was taking so long to coat the chicken that I just dumped the arrowroot on it just like you did. Turned out fabulous ??
This meal was absolutely amazing. My husband and I ate 1.45 lbs of chicken ourselves with no leftovers unfortunately! I like Tara’s idea of coating the chicken in a plastic bag as it was a bit tedious and very time consuming.
So happy you enjoyed! And yes the plastic bag idea is very fast!
We made this last night and it was delicious.
I I think this is the best thing I’ve ever made!! thank you❤❤
Oh that’s so great to hear!
Totally fantastic. Could I ask that you start telling us it can be frozen.
Can this be made in a crockpot? If so, how long do you think it would be cooked on high?
We loved this recipe! Definitely a new favorite!
Hi there, in Australia we dont have the coconut aminos as stated in your recipe…..what do you suggest instead? I am excited to try the recipe but unsure what to use instead?
Thanks!
You can use gluten-free soy sauce – not technically paleo but will work the same way 🙂
Hiii MICHELE,
I like your article and i like chicken too much…and After read your article i decided i will eat chicken 2 times in 1 week.. such a informative post for me and now i will be share with my friends.. thank you so much for sharing this article.. keep sharing with us..
Can this be made in a crockpot?
This one’s a keeper! Thanks.
My husband also came up with the idea to just make this sauce when we order steamed chinese take out. Then he’s not left out and feeling jealous of the others.
Love that idea! I’ll have to try it myself 🙂 So happy you liked it!
This was so delicious! I only had liquid aminos on hand so I used that vs coconut aminos and it was still so good! Thanks for sharing the recipe ?
Sounds great, glad you enjoyed!
Made this last night and it was delicious! I paired mine with sauteed bok choy and some shiritaki noodles. Next time I’ll try the ziploc bag trick (I should have read the comments). I must add that I’ve tried quite a few of your recipes and they have all been excellent. You’ve quickly moved up to the top of my favorite food bloggers, right next to Danielle Walker, Michelle Tam and Juli Bauer. Next on my list is the strawberry banana bread…just waiting on my bananas to brown!
Sounds delicious, so happy it worked out so well for you, and wow – what a compliment!
This recipe is AMAZING; so delicious. Better than the restaurant version. I served it with Cauliflower Fried “Rice”. YUM!!!
I’m so thrilled you loved it!
I made this last week and it was AMAZING!! I roasted broccoli with some oil and sesame seeds for the side. My husband even loved it enough to have left overs (he never eats left overs!). I love the recipes here. Thanks!!!!
That sounds incredible, I’m so happy you liked it!
How many dates would you recommend in place of the molasses? I can’t wait to try this.
If you’re using medjool I’d day maybe 2? Otherwise a couple more since they’re smaller. It won’t make a huge difference generally speaking!
Can I adapt this for Whole30 somehow? Or do I have to include the molasses/honey/coconut sugar to make the sauce right?
This was delicious! I will definitely be making this dish again. I’ll double up on it though, because the serving size for the recipe says five but I only managed to get three.
I got the burn notice when I tried to make this. Any suggestions?
So delicious!! Seriously, I don’t think I’ve made one recipe from you that hasn’t been amazing! We love all of your recipes! Thank you! 🙂