Name: General Tso Ramen for Supper
Yield: 4

General Tso Ramen is a sweet and spicy dish with tender chicken, sautéed mushrooms, bok choy, ramen noodles, and a fragrant stir-fry sauce.

Try some other instant ramen noodle favorites, like Peanut Butter Ramen, Ground Beef Ramen, Egg Roll Noodles, or Chicken Ramen Noodles.

General Tso Ramen

These General Tso Chickpeas are one of a reliable meatless and filling stir-fry recipes. And luckily, my kiddos love it just as much! So I tweaked the sauce from that recipe a bit and transformed it all into a total comfort food favorite.

Instant ramen noodles, tender chicken, sautéed veggies, and a sweet-spicy stir-fry sauce come together in about 30 minutes or less (using the shortcut ideas I share in this post) to create a total crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients needed for General Tso Ramen

Spice Levels

General Tso Chicken has a kick, but you can adjust the spice level easily. For the spicy kick, we use chili garlic sauce. Start with less if you’re concerned about the heat; you can always add more. If you don’t have chili garlic sauce, red pepper flakes work—start with ½ teaspoon.

If you prefer less heat, use just 1 teaspoon of chili sauce. This will still give a slight kick with the sugar balancing the spice. For a medium burner, use 2 teaspoons, and 3 teaspoons for a hot General Tso.

If you reduce the chili sauce, you might also want to cut back on the sugar, as it balances the heat.

Shortcut Prep Ideas

My whole goal with this recipe is to ensure it’s fairly quick to make. Here are some ideas to shorten the prep even more.

Yellow onion: If you’re looking for as little chopping as possible, use pre-diced onions or frozen diced onions from the grocery store. You can also use a food processor to quickly chop down an onion. Cook frozen onions just until the water evaporates.
Garlic: Use jarred, minced garlic for quicker prep.
Ginger: Again, speed things along with ginger paste. If you don’t have fresh ginger or ginger paste, add 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger instead. (See “quick tip” below)
Sliced mushrooms: Save some cutting time by purchasing pre-sliced mushrooms.
Bok choy: Replace with equal amounts of packaged coleslaw (pre-chopped green cabbage) mix.
Make the sauce ahead of time: This isn’t really a shortcut per se, but if you prepare the sauce ahead of time and keep it in the fridge, this General Tso Ramen comes together that much quicker at dinner time.

Quick Tip

You can chop my own garlic and ginger for this General Tso Ramen because minced or jarred has a tendency to burn at the high stir-fry temperatures. That said, if you use the garlic/ginger shortcuts, just lower the heat and know the cooking will take a bit longer to avoid burning these aromatics.

Process shots: sautéeing veggies and chicken.

Sauce Ingredients

The sauce truly makes this dish outstanding, and it’s as straightforward as whisking everything together in a small bowl. There are a good number of ingredients in the sauce, but it comes together quickly– I promise! Below I’ve listed the individual ingredients and possible substitutions.

Soy sauce: Use regular (not lite/low-sodium) for extra saltiness.
Chicken broth/stock: Choose low-sodium as saltiness can vary.
Cornstarch: Thickens the sauce; here are substitutes if needed.
Sesame oil: For an authentic flavor, use toasted sesame oil from the Asian section.
Rice vinegar: Balances the sauce with a tangy taste; rice wine vinegar works too.
Chili paste: Adds heat; use a small amount for a spicy kick.
Brown sugar: Adds sweetness to balance the heat; adjust for spiciness.
Hoisin sauce: Adds a sweet, thick flavor; like Asian BBQ sauce.
Ground white pepper: Common spice; black pepper works but isn’t as authentic.

Process shots: adding sauce, bok choy and ramen to finish this recipe

General Tso Ramen Garnishes

This ramen is satisfying right out of the skillet, but it’s always better with a few garnishes. Add as many or few as you’d like; green onions are our “must-have” finish.

Sesame oil is a finishing oil that is great to drizzle on at the end. Even though there is some in the sauce, we occasionally like to add a little to individual dishes as well.
Red pepper flakes add additional heat to individual plates for those that like things a bit spicier.
Green onions add a bright, crisp, and fresh aspect to this General Tso Ramen.
Toasted sesame seeds add a subtly sweet taste and aroma with a nutty flavor.

Up close overhead image of the General Tso Ramen

General Tso Ramen Tips

Bok choy: It cooks down quickly and blends right into the ramen. Swap with napa cabbage or 4 cups finely diced broccoli if preferred. Boil broccoli with the ramen for 90 seconds before adding to the stir-fry.
Ramen: Use 9 ounces instant ramen and discard the seasoning packets so the dish doesn’t get too salty. Chow mein noodles also work. If you grab a bigger pack of ramen, use the extras to make my Ramen Noodle Salad!
Salt: Sauce brands vary, so start light on salt and add more at the end if needed to make the flavors pop.