General Tso Chicken Crispy Healthy Wellplated Com

General Tso chicken is a popular Chinese-American dish. It was invented in America (not China) and consists of pieces of deep fry chicken that are battered, fried, and tossed in a thick, sticky, spicy sauce, served over steamed rice. Whenever Ben picked up crispy General Tso chicken (usually an indicator he’d had a rough day at the office), I was always tempted by its smell, but I never could get past how greasy the chicken was or the cloying amount of excess sugar made my stomach feel icky 10 minutes later. Through the years, I’ve worked on perfecting my General Tso’s recipe to make it more nutritious, with little prep time, while still satisfying that sweet and savory takeout fix.

The General Tso sauce calls for a more reasonable amount of sugar and easy ingredients you likely already have on hand, especially if you regularly cook stir fry recipes.To create that quintessential breaded outside, I toss the chicken in corn starch and lightly pan fry it to create a “crust.” No deep fried chicken here!The crust also helps the sauce thickly adhere to the outsides of the chicken pieces (one of the yummiest reasons to eat General Tso’s).

Up until today, I’d only used my “Tso sauce” for meatless variations (General Tso Chickpeas; General Tso Tofu), but there is something about those breaded bites of chicken that reminds me of my days spent cruising the shopping mall and stopping in the food court for takeout.

How to Make General Tso Chicken

Traditional General Tso’s sauce is made of soy sauce, hoisin, sugar, rice vinegar, and cornstarch to thicken it. Since hoisin already contains sugar, it can quickly become too sweet. Instead, I make my healthy General Tso chicken recipe (and my takeout Bourbon Chicken and Sesame Chicken recipes) without sugar, using a moderate amount of honey or maple syrup instead. To give the sauce more nuance, I add a little bit of sesame oil for nuttiness and chili garlic sauce for heat.

The Ingredients

Chicken. The sauce deliciously clings to each bite-sized piece of the chicken. Chicken is a protein-packed crowd-pleaser, making it a fantastic base for this healthy recipe.

Tso Marinade. A combination of soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, a tsp sesame oil, a tbsp honey or maple syrup, and baking soda. It’s salty, sweet, nutty, and a little spicy. The baking soda is a trick restaurants use to tenderize the chicken. Soy Sauce. Bursting with umami goodness, soy sauce adds crucial flavor to the sauce. I used low-sodium (low salt) soy sauce to keep the sauce from becoming too salty. Hoisin Sauce. Hoisin sauce is key to the General Tso sauce’s scrumptious, thick, and slightly sweet flavor. Think of it as Asian barbecue sauce.Water. Just adds more liquid to the sauce. Sometimes chicken broth can be used.Ginger. With mild peppery and sweet notes, ginger adds zippy freshness.Chili Garlic Sauce. A little sweet and a little spicy.

Rice Vinegar. A light, mild way to add critical acidity. Cornstarch. Helps make the sauce addictively luscious and thick and the outsides of the chicken crispy. I prefer this over using flour.Sesame Oil. Adds a touch of nuttiness to the sauce. This ingredient will make your cooking better!Vegetables. To make this a complete meal, serve your General Tso chicken with stir fry veggies. I use a frozen mixture, which makes things quick and easy.

The Directions

Storage Tips

To Store. Refrigerate leftover chicken stir fry in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.To Reheat. Rewarm leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.To Freeze. Freeze chicken and vegetables in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Wok. Perfect for making General Tso chicken at home. Mixing Bowls. Great for mixing sauce ingredients and marinating the chicken. Measuring Spoons. For recipes with lots of ingredients to measure, these double-sided spoons are the best.

This healthy General Tso chicken recipe is all of the pleasure and none of the guilt!

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