Joanna Cismaru — the Canadian-born food blogger and recipe developer behind the beloved Jo Cooks brand — has spent years proving that bold, restaurant-worthy flavors don't require a culinary degree or an entire afternoon in the kitchen. With millions of devoted followers across her blog and YouTube channel, she has become one of the most trusted voices in accessible home cooking. Her Instant Pot General Tso's Chicken is a prime example of why: it takes a dish that most of us only order from a takeout menu and brings it fully, deliciously within reach on a Tuesday night.
Why This Recipe Stands Out
General Tso's Chicken has a reputation — sticky, glossy, hit-you-in-the-face flavor that feels like it must require some kind of sorcery to pull off at home. Joanna dismantles that myth entirely. The dish gets its signature character from a balance of soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin, and a touch of sesame oil, all woven together with garlic, ginger, and dried chilies. The Instant Pot locks these flavors into the chicken in a way that stovetop cooking simply can't replicate in the same timeframe. The result is chicken that's tender through and through, coated in a sauce that clings beautifully rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl.
What makes the Instant Pot especially suited to this recipe is the combination of pressure cooking and a quick thickening step after the cook. You get the deep, developed flavor of a long braise in a fraction of the time, and the sauce reduces to that perfect lacquered consistency that makes General Tso's so irresistible.
Key Highlights from the Technique
- Build the sauce before you seal the lid. Joanna combines the sauce ingredients with a bit of cornstarch slurry right in the pot before pressure cooking. This gives the sauce a head start on thickening and ensures every piece of chicken is coated from the very beginning of the cook.
- Don't skip the sauté step first. A quick browning of the chicken pieces before pressure cooking adds a subtle depth of flavor that you'd miss if you tossed everything in raw. It's a few extra minutes that make a real difference in the final dish.
- Use thigh meat over breast. Chicken thighs hold up beautifully under pressure and stay moist. Breast meat tends to dry out under the same conditions — this is one instance where leaner is not better.
- Adjust the heat to your preference. The dried red chilies are flexible — add more for a bold kick, or pull some out if you're cooking for a crowd with mixed spice tolerances. The underlying sauce is rich and satisfying even on the milder end.
- Finish with a garnish. Sliced green onions and a handful of sesame seeds aren't optional here — they add freshness and a gentle crunch that the dish genuinely needs to feel complete.
Watch Joanna Make It
Joanna walks through the entire recipe in her clear, approachable style — timing each step, explaining the why behind each ingredient, and making even the sauce-thickening moment look effortless.
A Natural Fit for Your Instant Pot Setup
If you're cooking a recipe like this — where you want to serve the General Tso's alongside steamed rice or a simple vegetable — the Artisan Cookware Co. Stackable Insert Pans are your best friend. They let you steam rice or bok choy in the same pot at the same time, using the Instant Pot's heat efficiently so everything finishes together without a second appliance. The stainless steel construction means no flavors transfer between compartments, so your perfectly sticky sauce stays exactly as Joanna intended — bold, glossy, and all your own.
There's something genuinely satisfying about a meal like this one: a dish that used to feel like a special occasion, now completely in your hands on any weeknight. Give Joanna's recipe a try, and let the Instant Pot do what it does best.
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