Make this Better than Takeout Instant Pot General Tso Chicken! Tender juicy pressure cooker chicken soaked in sweet and sour General Tso Sauce with a tad spicy kick. Super easy to make & so deliciously addictive to eat! 😀

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Is General Tso Chicken one of your favorite Chinese takeout dishes? 🙂

What is General Tso Chicken?

The lightly battered, sweet-sour and spicy bite-size deep-fried chicken has become an iconic favorite American-Chinese dish.

We created this General Tso Chicken inspired shredded chicken in memory of Chef Peng Chang-kuei 彭長貴 (September 26, 1918 – November 30, 2016), credited as the creator of the legendary General Tso’s Chicken.

Chef Peng began his culinary training under a famous Hunan chef at the age of 13. He later became the head chef, running the Chinese Nationalist government’s banquets.

In 1952, during a banquet for a visiting US Admiral, the admiral was so impressed with this chicken dish that he asked for the name.

On the spur of the moment, Chef Peng named it after “General Tso” Zuo Zongtang 左宗棠 – an acclaimed Hunanese military general.

Yes, General Tso was is known for war, not the chicken… 😉

Chef Peng continued his culinary journey in America when he migrated to New York in the 1970s.

That’s when his Hunanese food received rave reviews from American Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who helped popularize his food.

Chef Peng, thank you for all your creations and contributions to the culinary world!

Since we couldn’t deep-fry in the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker, we gave the original dish a creative twist by using shredded chicken cooked in yummy General Tso Sauce, plus the added crunch by serving it as a lettuce wrap! 🙂

You can pair the shredded chicken with lettuce to make low carb chicken wrap; or you can pair it with rice, noodles, or your favorite side dishes. It’s perfect for dinner parties, entertaining guests, potlucks, picnics…

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Time to make Instant Pot General Tso Chicken!