Growing up Chinese takeout was saved for special occasions like birthdays, good report cards or winning a big basketball game. For that reason, and the fact that it’s my favorite food on the planet, Chinese takeout has a special place in my heart. In fact, when I first met my husband I told him on our first date ‘if Chinese takeout isn’t your favorite this isn’t going to work!’…. luckily for me he loves it just as much as I do 🙂
No matter what combination of delicious Asian cuisine we order, we can’t go without one essential item: General Tso’s Chicken. Is there anything better than that crispy chicken coated in a sticky sweet and spicy sauce? I’m drooling just writing this description! Since it’s a staple in my house I set out to recreate the recipe that I could make at home, and maybe take out some of the guilt associated with eating the fried chicken. I didn’t want to make this a fully healthy version and lose the amazing crunch and taste, so after several trials and testings, I give you the BEST Healthy(ish) General Tso’s Chicken recipe!
Tips for making the sauce:
The base of this sauce is a caramel made with water, sugar, ginger and garlic. Below are a few tips to ensure you execute the sauce to perfection!
- If you’ve never made a caramel before I cannot stress this enough, do not walk away from the stove! Your sugar can quickly go from boiling to burnt and you’ll have to start over.
- Whisk continually until the caramel starts to turn an amber color. Use a large enough whisk (like this one) that will keep you far enough away from the mixture that you won’t get burnt!
- When the caramel starts to turn amber, quickly whisk the soy sauce mixture. This will ensure the corn starch is dissolved and not sitting at the bottom. If you don’t mix it before you add it to the caramel, the sauce will not thicken up.
- If you forget to mix in the cornstarch and it sits at the bottom, do not add dry cornstarch directly to the sauce. It will create little clumps that are unappetizing and won’t properly thicken your sauce. Don’t worry, there’s an easy fix! Mix 2 tablespoons of corn starch with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and then add to the sauce. It will thicken up in 2-3 minutes and no one will know the difference!
- Calling the base of this sauce a caramel might sound difficult, but it’s so easy and that caramelized flavor really takes this sauce to another level! Follow these tips and I’m telling you it’ll be a piece of cake 🙂
Tips for getting crunchy, delicious chicken:
- When you make the chicken, ensure that every piece is completely coated during each step. I find it easiest to make an assembly line, have your bowls prepped and ready, and work in batches of 5-6 pieces on chicken.
- This isn’t really a tip, but sometimes after I bake the chicken I only coat half in the General Tso’s sauce. The other half I will save for the next day, toss in buffalo or BBQ sauce and put it on salads. I love to pair that with my Blue Cheese Dressing recipe and get two different meals out of one!
This recipe only takes about 30 minutes to make and is easily paired with white rice, steamed veggies or noodles. I think it’s just as good, if not better, than Chinese takeout and comes with half the guilt 🙂
Healthy(ish) General Tso’s Chicken
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 ½ lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 8oz bag of Panko breadcrumbs Make sure they are plain and not seasoned!
For the sauce:
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp minced garlic 2-3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tbsp minced ginger
- ¼ cup + 1 tbsp lite soy sauce (5 tablespoons)
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp garlic chili sauce You can use Sriracha if you prefer, and add more if you like it spicy!
- 2 tbsp corn starch
Garnish:
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
Instructions
For the chicken:
- Preheat oven to 425° and cut chicken breasts into about 1 inch cubes.
- For the breading, you will need three separate bowls: 1 for the egg mixture, 1 for the flour mixture, and 1 for the Panko breadcrumbs. Combine flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and cayenne in medium sized bowl. In your second bowl, crack 3 eggs and beat until combined. In the third bowl add the Panko breadcrumbs.
- For this step it's easiest to make an assembly line with the chicken, flour mixture, egg mixture then breadcrumbs. Take the cubed chicken pieces and roll in the flour mixture making sure to completely cover all sides. Next add the floured chicken into the egg mixture. Finally, take that chicken and dredge in the Panko breadcrumbs. Make sure the entire chicken piece is coated in every step, and then place on jelly roll pan lined with parchment paper. Repeat until all pieces of chicken are done! Space on the pan so they aren't touching.
- Cook the chicken pieces in the 425° oven on the middle rack for 15 minutes. When the time is up, leave the chicken in the oven and set the heat to 500° for an additional 5-8 minutes, or until golden brown. This will ensure the chicken is crispy!
For the sauce:
- While the chicken is in the oven, prepare your sauce. In a medium bowl combine soy sauce, ¾ cup of water, rice wine vinegar, chili garlic sauce, and corn starch. Whisk until all of the ingredients are combined and set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan add the remaining ¼ cup of water, ¾ cup granulated sugar, minced ginger and garlic. Boil over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved and the caramel starts to turn an amber color, about 3-5 minutes. Whisk continually for this step to make sure your sugar doesn't burn!
- Once it begins to turn an amber color, stir the other ingredients in the soy sauce mixture to make sure the corn starch is dissolved and then add it to the hot caramel. The sauce will foam and steam so be careful not to burn yourself! Simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes or until it thickens to the desired consistency, whisking continuously.
- Once the chicken is done baking, toss in the sauce, top with sesame seeds and green onions and serve plain or with steamed or fried rice!
Recipe tip:
- If the sauce doesn't thicken up enough, no worries! In a small bowl mix together 1 tablespoon of water or soy sauce with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and stir until combined, about 15 seconds. Make sure there are no lumps! While continually whisking the sauce on the stove, slowly pour in the slurry you just made. After simmering for 2-3 minutes it will thicken up! Repeat until the sauce reaches your desired thickness.
Did you make this recipe? Tag @mymessykitchenn on Instagram and hashtag it #mymessykitchen, or leave a comment on this page!
A delicious healthy alternative to our usuals Chinese takeout order.
So easy to follow and turned out great!!
So glad you liked it!! 🙂