Skinny General Tso’s Chicken

Hi, favourite dish!!!

Have you two been acquainted? I present to you a healthy (-er) version of your favourite Chinese dish.

I have been looking for something healthier to make at home after coming back from vacation. Is it just me, or is it that every time I go somewhere new I only eat junk?

I absolutely, capital L, Love this Skinny General Tso’s Chicken because you don’t need to fry the chicken. You see, for me, frying things is just one of my many irrational fears.

No, scratch that. It is totally rational. Do I want the risk of spits of extremely hot oil flying at me from every direction? Um.. no thank you! I usually just tell myself that it is just because I want to be healthier, but you don’t even know how much I want to make a fried doughnut. Hot oil is my only barrier.

This was brought to a potluck dinner a couple of days ago, and it was a huge hit! My biggest mistake was to allow people at the potluck to take as much as they want home with them. Which left me with nothing.

Just a note on the prep work: yes. Breading the chicken for a lot of people takes time. It definitely took me FAR longer than it needed to. My advice is to put on a good podcast, and just enjoy the motions. It is very relaxing and soo worth it in the end!

I have tried this recipe both using chicken breasts and chicken thighs. Personally, I prefer the taste with the chicken thighs, but if you truly want a healthier version, stick with the chicken breasts. Whatever you choose, you will never want to buy it at a restaurant again.

Skinny General Tso's Chicken

Skinny General Tso's Chicken that tastes way better than takeout! Baked, not fried.

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Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Marinade/Sauce

• 2 large chicken breasts (or chicken thighs), cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil
• 3 Tbsp chilli paste
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
• dash ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch (reserve for sauce)

Flour Breading

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 2 Tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp onion powder

Egg wash

• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp water

Caramel sauce

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Topping

• green onions or scallions for garnish

Instructions

• Place the chicken in a large freezer bag. In a medium bowl, mix together all of the marinade ingredients, except for the cornstarch. Pour 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons of the marinade in the freezer bag with the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Refrigerate the bowl of remaining marinade as well.
• When you are ready to cook the chicken, line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Lightly spray the aluminium foil with cooking spray. 
• Dump all of the flour breading ingredients into a large freezer bag. Shake around until fully mixed. 
• In a small bowl, beat together the egg wash until fully combined. Take the chicken from the marinade bag, and dip into the egg wash then place into the flour breading bag. Repeat with all of the chicken. Shake the flour breading bag until all the chicken is coated.
• Place the breaded chicken onto the baking sheet. Bake at 375˚F for 10 minutes. Then, broil on high for one side for 2-3 minutes, flip, then broil on the other side for another 2-3 minutes.
• While the chicken is baking, mix in the cornstarch to the remaining bowl of marinade. Set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt the caramel sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1 minute. Mix in the bowl of marinade, and allow to simmer until the sauce thickens, around 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a bit.
• When the chicken is done, mix it into the sauce. Serve with rice, and garnish with green onions or scallions.

Notes

Total time does not include time marinating.