What To Serve With General Tso Chicken: 15 BEST Sides!
Are you searching for the tastiest choices for what to serve with General Tso chicken?
Grab a seat, because you’ve landed in the right place!
We’re going to dive into 15 of the very best side dishes for your next Chinese dinner, from quick and easy accompaniments using pantry staples, to more advanced choices to challenge and satisfy passionate home cooks.
What to serve with General Tso chicken
The best sides for General Tso chicken include eggy fried rice with colourful veggies, Chinese crispy noodles, vibrant Asian chopped salad, veggie stuffed spring rolls, tempura prawns, lettuce wraps, Chinese steamed buns, and prawn toast.
Keep reading for more ideas, plus grab tried and tested, easy to follow recipes…
1. Eggy fried rice with colourful veggies
Egg fried rice is the perfect accompaniment for saucy takeaway style meals, and learning the process of getting it just right at home is a kitchen skill that will serve you for many years to come.
It’s simple, but it does require a little bit of practice!
Some Chinese restaurant style main courses, such as sweet and sour chicken for example, typically come with veggies included as part of the dish.
This isn’t the case with General Tso’s chicken, so I like to make sure that I include vegetables in my sides.
Adding chopped peppers, carrots, and onions to your fried rice is a great way to make some progress towards your 5-a-day, as well as adding satisfying crunch and extra flavour!
This veggie fried rice recipe creates perfect results every time, and it takes just 15 minutes to make.
2. Chinese crispy noodles
If you’re not a big rice lover, you might prefer noodles instead! Chinese crispy noodles always go down super well with a crowd, and they’re something a little bit different to bring to the table to expand your side dish repertoire.
They’re essentially deep fried egg noodles, and they’re golden brown, crunchy, and unbelievably moreish.
Often served in little bowls in restaurants as an appetiser, they can be eaten on their own as part of a multiple course meal, and they work so well as a side dish for General Tso chicken.
They’re also fantastic for garnishing Asian salads and soups, so once you try this recipe, you’ll definitely want to make it again!
3. Vibrant Asian chopped salad
Chinese takeaway style dishes can often be quite rich, so it’s a good idea to ensure you have something on the table that brings balance and vibrancy.
A great choice here is my favourite colourful Asian chopped salad.
It’s so much better than the ready prepared varieties you’ll find in the supermarket, and it’s really easy to make!
You’ll chop up carrots, cabbage, and sugar peas, before sprinkling the salad with fresh coriander and sesame seeds, and then pouring over a zesty, punchy dressing.
4. Chinese lettuce wraps
Lettuce wraps are a fun, informal way to serve up lots of different main course dishes, including General Tso chicken!
Iceberg and little gems are the ideal lettuces to choose, as they’re sturdy, crunchy, and each leaf is sturdy enough to hold the filling without wilting or falling apart.
Be sure to add some extra toppings to the middle of the table so everyone can add a little of what they fancy to customise their wraps.
Good choices here include chopped spring onion, grated carrot, sesame seeds, and if you like a little heat, fresh chillis or dried red pepper flakes.
Just spoon on your General Tso chicken, add your garnishes, and dig in with your hands. It’s a fun and informal way to enjoy a meal with your family.
5. Baozi (Chinese steamed buns)
Baozi literally translates to ‘little package’, and these stuffed buns are a fantastic staple to keep in the freezer if you like to serve up Asian inspired main courses and you want to have some easy but satisfying sides to hand.
The beauty of making your own is that you get to decide on the fillings! Minced pork, chicken, and beef are all delicious, though you can keep things lighter if you prefer and stick to your favourite veggies.
If you plan to make these regularly, or you’re serious about your Chinese cookery, it’s worth investing in a bamboo steamer.
They’re ideal for achieving the perfect texture every time, and they can also be used for serving at the dinner table!
6. Crispy crab rangoon
Crab rangoon are also known as crab puffs, and they’re popular in American Chinese restaurants and takeaways.
They may not be authentic, but they are totally delicious, and they’re an ideal accompaniment when you’re trying to recreate the takeaway experience from the comfort of your own home.
They’re stuffed with cream cheese and crab meat, and they’re typically served with some sweet chilli dipping sauce on the side.
Don’t worry about making your own pastry, because you can pick up super handy ready made wonton wrappers at your local Asian supermarket!
With a few savvy kitchen hacks like this, you can create a restaurant style meal at home without too much fuss or hassle.
Your guests will only know about your shortcuts if you tell them!
7. Veggie stuffed spring rolls
Veggie spring rolls are definitely deserving of a mention when it comes to what to serve with General Tso chicken.
Again, you can skip making your own wrappers are pick up the ready made variety at the grocery store.
They’re fun to make, and make a delicious starter or side dish when added to a serving platter with some green leaves for decoration, and your favourite Chinese dips and sauces.
8. Stir fried Asian mushrooms
These stir fried Asian mushrooms are low fat, low carb, but most importantly, they make for a really delicious side for General Tso chicken!
You can use any type of mushroom you like, though I like to go for button mushrooms to keep things simple.
They’re readily available in supermarkets and grocery stores, they’re super affordable, and they have a wonderfully earthy taste.
I like to make an extra serving of this side dish and keep it in the fridge for a quick lunch the next day.
They’re great served as part of a buddha style bowl with rice and any other leftover veggies you might have.
Cook smarter, not harder!
9. Crunchy prawn toast
Prawn toast is a side dish with origins in Hong Kong, and it’s popular as a starter or accompaniment for Western Chinese cuisine.
It’s made from bitesized triangles of bread, spread with a paste made from minced prawns, coated in sesame seeds, and deep fried until crunchy and golden brown.
Though prawn toast will rarely appear on the menu in more authentic Chinese restaurants, it’s a tasty side dish that’s always enjoyable when served alongside some dipping sauce.
For more ideas to add to the table, check out my guide to what to serve with prawn toast.
10. Chinese broccoli stir fry
If you’re always trying to get some extra greens into your diet, you can’t go wrong with this Chinese broccoli stir fry recipe!
You’ll use plenty of ginger and garlic for flavour that packs a real punch, and cook in a very hot wok to amplify the beautiful natural flavour of your green veggies.
If you’re a lover of deeply savoury flavours, try drizzling over some oyster sauce just before serving.
This side dish is perfect with General Tso chicken, but it’s so simple yet delicious that you’ll likely want to make it time and time again.
It also pairs beautifully with grilled steak, chicken, and prawn fried rice.
(For more Asian side dish ideas, check out wonton soup sides).
11. Prawn crackers
I always keep a packet of readymade prawn crackers in my kitchen cupboard, and they’re a super quick way to offer up an appetiser or side dish for any Asian meal that you might have on your meal plan!
Just add them to a serving bowl with your favourite dips – sweet chilli sauce is always a good idea – and you’ve got one of the easiest sides that you’ll ever make.
If you have a little more time available and fancy learning a new skill, you could try making your own prawn crackers from scratch.
12. Juicy tempura prawns
Seafood lovers will love a side dish of tempura prawns alongside their General Tso chicken! Though strictly speaking this recipe has origins in Japan, it’s a wonderful accompaniment for such a wide variety of Asian and takeaway style home cooked meals.
The secret ingredient that creates the very best batter is actually soda water. Some recipes use beer, which also works really well! The carbonation makes the batter light, fluffy, and satisfyingly crispy.
13. Asian garlic tofu
Tofu is popular amongst vegetarians, but when it’s prepared with a little care and attention (plus a whole lot of flavour), meat eaters are likely to be pleasantly surprised by just how delicious it can be!
This Asian garlic tofu recipe is salty, sweet, and spicy, not to mention satisfyingly crispy.
The key to achieving the very best crisp texture is to select a really firm tofu when you’re picking up your ingredients, and then wrapping in paper towels before putting it under something heavy for a little while – a cast iron pan will come in mega handy here, and also happens to be one of my essential pieces of kitchen equipment.
14. Flakey scallion pancakes
Chinese scallion pancakes are a dim sum favourite, and they have a crispy, flaky exterior and a delicious, slightly chewy interior.
They might seem a little daunting to make at first glance, but they’re worth the effort and you can’t go too far wrong if you carefully follow the step by step process.
If you’re having friends or family over and you’re aiming for an authentic restaurant style dinner, these are just the ticket and they’re sure to impress your guests.
15. Kung Pao Brussel sprouts
To make these Kung Pao Brussel sprouts, you’ll roast your sprouts and toss them in a spicy soy and honey glaze, with green onions and peanuts for extra crunch and texture.
They’re a great alternative to Kung Pao chicken if you want to offer a vegetable based side dish for General Tso, and they’re sure to tempt even those who are adamant that they don’t like sprouts!
If you can’t find sprouts in your grocery store, they could be substituted for broccoli instead, and the result will be just as delicious.
The best side dishes for General Tso chicken
There are plenty of delicious sides to serve with General Tso chicken, and you can easily create your own restaurant style experience from the comfort of your own home!
Just a few options that you might want to consider include:
- Eggy fried rice with colourful veggies
- Chinese noodles
- Veggie stuffed spring rolls
- Juicy tempura prawns
- Prawn crackers
- Asian garlic tofu
- Flakey scallion pancakes
Which of these sides will you be trying?
For more mealtime ideas, take a look at side dishes for lemon pepper chicken.
