Healthy General Tso’s Chicken

This dish was named after General Tso Tsung-tang. This is one of the popular chicken recipes available in the North American Chinese restaurants. It is a sweet, slightly spicy and deep-fried; however to make it healthy we are just going to use olive oil (or coconut oil) for frying. Sesame oil can be used to.

Personally, I love Chinese food and this is one the easiest recipe I have tasted so far. And if you like Chinese food, this is worth a try!  In this, the sauce is plenty sweet, hot, spicy, and tangy, just as you’d expect it to be. It comes in very ample amount, too, which I don’t hate at all. It could be a bit stickier maybe, but still, I say it’s extremely satisfying as it is.

For the Recipe - 

Note: I strongly recommend soaking your chicken breasts in a solution of salt and water for at least 12 to 24 hours prior to making this. You would not believe the difference that it makes. Another thing, normally this recipe is really spicy but balance the spice with sugar if you like sweet more. I like spicy in a balanced way!

This recipe can serve up to 3-4 servings

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients –

• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1 ½ -inch pieces
• 1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 large egg white
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• ¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot 
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon Chinese chile-garlic sauce
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil, plus more for frying
• 2 tablespoons very finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced

Method –

1. In a medium bowl, mix the toasted sesame oil with the egg white, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch. Add the chicken, stirring to coat. Let it stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the chicken broth with the chile-garlic sauce, sugar and the remaining ¼ cup of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
3. Now take a large saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the ginger and garlic and cook over high heat until fragrant, for about 1 minute. Stir in the broth mixture, add it to the pan and cook until thickened and glossy, about 3 minutes. Keep the sauce warm over low heat.
4. In a large, deep skillet, heat ½ inch of oil until shimmering. Carefully add the chicken, one piece at a time, and fry over high heat, turning once or twice, until very browned and crisp, about 4 minutes.
5. Drain the chicken on paper towels and immediately add to the sauce along with the scallions. Cook just until coated, about 30 seconds. Serve right away with rice sides and vegetable side dishes to complete the meal.

Source: http://www.thebittenword.com/thebittenword/2011/05/general-tsos-chicken.html

I hope you like the recipe. A typical restaurant serving of General Tso's chicken may include up to 1,300 calories, but with this home version it reduces up to 500-600 calories. Just try to use low sodium chicken broth, light soy and healthy oil version to make this recipe healthy as well as scrumptious. Stay healthy and Fit.

Love

Sylvia