General Tso's Chicken at Home

In what sometimes seems like a lifetime ago, we were takeout junkies.  Especially when it came to Chinese food.  I love fried rice and hubby alternates between Sesame Chicken and General Tso's as his favorites.  But, then one day, we learned all about the evils of take out.  Okay, so we still eat take out but very, very rarely is it ever Chinese food.  It's usually at the burrito place or the Italian place were everything is made fresh and we know what's what.  Enough said!

So, we miss Chinese food and it's one of those cuisines that is a bit more particular than others to make.  Steps are involved, and must really be followed pretty closely to get good results. I'm getting there and I think the results are good considering the hubby is cleaning his plate. One problem though, it's just not that healthy.  Even when homemade, there are oils and heavy sauces...so what's a wife to do?  Keep looking.  Keep searching until you find a recipe that will not undo a workout but still be tasty.  So, when I came across a recipe for lighter version of General Tso's, I thought we might have a winner.  And I was right!

I did a bit of tweaking here and there but it's pretty close to the original which you can find here.

My version of General Tso's Chicken:

• 1 1/2 c cooked rice, brown or white.  I happened to have some cooked white rice on hand from the rice pudding I made earlier


• 1/4 c cornstarch


• 2 egg whites


• 1/2 c water


• 12 oz frozen organic Thai vegetable blend from Cascadian Farms


• 2 t minced garlic


• 1/4 t ground ginger


• 2 T soy sauce


• 1/2 t red pepper flakes


• 2 chicken breasts cut into 1" cubes


• Sesame oil for frying


• Salt and pepper

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the water, 1 T of the cornstarch, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and red pepper flakes.  Mix well and add veggie blend (doesn't have to be thawed) into the mixture.  Set aside.


2. In a separate bowl, mix egg whites and remaining cornstarch together and toss chicken to coat.


3. Heat large skillet or wok and add add about 1-2T of oil.  Cook chicken through and remove from pan and set aside.


4. Using same pan, add veggie mixture and sauce to the pan and cook until the sauce starts to reduce down.


5. Add chicken and drippings back into pan and mix with veggies and sauce and heat for a few more minutes.


6. Serve over rice.

It really was delicious and it didn't take very long at all.  As is usually the case with Chinese food, the prep work seems to take longer than the actual cooking. :)  But it's worth it!!