A staple of American Chinese restaurants, General Tso’s chicken is typically deep fried and then tossed with broccoli in a sweet and spicy sauce. This take features breaded and baked chicken, steamed broccoli, brown rice and a drizzle of sauce.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 50 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 35 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1- by 4-inch strips
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 ounces crispy rice cereal, such as Rice Chex, finely ground (rounded 1/2 cup)
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 2 cloves garlic, cracked
- 2 ginger coins, cracked
- 2 dried red chiles, broken in half
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 1/2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons agave syrup
- 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 4 cups broccoli florets (about 10 ounces)
- 4 cups cooked brown rice, for serving
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Toss the chicken in a bowl with the egg white and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Mix 2 teaspoons vegetable oil into the ground rice cereal, rubbing it in with your fingers. Dredge the chicken strips in the cereal. Place the coated strips in one layer on a rack set in a baking sheet and coat lightly with the nonstick cooking spray. Bake until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes, then cut into large bite-size pieces.
- Heat the remaining teaspoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger and dried chiles. Stir for a couple of minutes, then add the chicken broth, soy sauce, agave and vinegar. Mix the corn starch with 3 tablespoons water, and whisk into the sauce. Simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick, but pourable. Keep warm.
- Put the broccoli florets in a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons water. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
- Divide the chicken and broccoli evenly among four plates and drizzle the sauce over the top. Serve the rice on the side. Garnish with the sliced scallions.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 511 calorie |
| Total Fat | 9 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 2 grams |
| Cholesterol | 83 milligrams |
| Sodium | 739 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 73 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 grams |
| Protein | 36 grams |
| Sugar | 11 grams |
Reviews
Nothing like carry out.
For the sauce,I used Alton’s recipe for the sauce he makes for chicken wings.I found it tasted more authentic to the General Tsao’s I’m used to.You need hoison sauce.If you’re interested check out his other recipe.Next time I’m going to try General Tsao’s Shrimp.Iust don’t know if I should bread them or not
Delicious!!
Made this recipe last night. I had all the ingredients on hand except Rice
Chex and dried peppers. I did pick up the Rice Chex, but substituted red pepper flakes for the the chiles. The flavors were good, but the chicken didn’t have the traditional crispy texture because it was baked instead of deep fried. Definitely healthier than your typical takeout however.
Chex and dried peppers. I did pick up the Rice Chex, but substituted red pepper flakes for the the chiles. The flavors were good, but the chicken didn’t have the traditional crispy texture because it was baked instead of deep fried. Definitely healthier than your typical takeout however.
This sauce was spot on with my Chinese take-out. Had all the items on hand with very little extra to shop for (new ginger, scallions) . We used a standard hot pepper out of our garden. Use fresh ginger (need about 30 cents worth-diced up) . I would add some red pepper flakes to give a little more heat when I simmer the sauce. I agree with the chicken not being real crispy. My teenage son wanted take-out. We did this and he loved it. Definitely a come back go-to recipe
I think that all the ingredients should be listed with their common names. No one at any of my local Oriental markets has ever heard of ginger coins. I can’t make a recipe when I can’t get all the ingredients. Also, which kind of dried red chiles does the recipe need? There are many different kinds with varying heat and nothing is specified.
the sauce was good, I didn’t have any chiles on hand so I added about a quarter tsp of sriracha sauce instead. Any tips on how to keep the chicken crispy? it went soft as soon as I poured the sauce over it. Still tasted good though
The sauce is amazing! The only ingredients I didn’t have on hand were rice cereal (which my gf is excited to make rice crispie treats with the rest) and agave syrup(which is delicious), so overall a very functional and cheap recipe. Will definitely be making it again.