Best 6 Lighter General Tsos Chicken Recipes

BAKED GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• For the crispy chicken: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Set a rack on a sheet tray and spray with cooking spray.
• Place the flour in a wide shallow dish. Whisk together the soy sauce and eggs in another wide, shallow dish. Place the panko breadcrumbs in a third wide, shallow dish.
• Working in batches, dip the chicken pieces first in the flour, then in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs.
• Place the chicken pieces on the rack, leaving space between each piece. Spray with cooking spray. Bake until crispy and golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• For the sauce. Meanwhile, whisk together the chicken broth, hoisin, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sriracha and cornstarch; set aside.
• Place a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the sesame oil. Add the ginger, pepper flakes and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice wine mixture, bring to a simmer and allow to thicken. Add the crispy chicken and toss to coat. Serve immediately with rice and garnish with sliced scallions.

LIGHTER GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• Cook rice according to package instructions.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir together 1 T cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth.
• Add snow peas or sugar snap peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes; toss to combine and set aside.
• In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 T cornstarch, 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper.
• Add chicken and toss to coat.
• In large nonstick skillet, heat 1 T oil over medium-high heat.
• Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess) and add to skillet.
• Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6-8 minutes.
• Transfer to a plate, repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet).
• Add snow pea mixture to skillet.
• Cover and cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat.
• Serve with the rice.

LIGHTER GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, top with wire rack, and spray rack with oil spray. Spread flour into shallow dish. Whisk egg whites until foamy in second shallow dish. Spread Corn Flakes crumbs into third shallow dish. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Working in batches, dredge chicken in flour, dip in egg whites, then coat with Corn Flakes, pressing gently to adhere; lay on prepared wire rack.
• 2. Spray chicken with oil spray. Bake until chicken registers 160 degrees and coating is brown and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.
• 3. Meanwhile, whisk water, soy sauce, apricot jam, hoisin, cornstarch, and vinegar together in bowl. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in soy sauce mixture, bring to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.
• 4. When chicken is cooked, return sauce to simmer over medium-low heat. Add cooked chicken and toss to coat. Serve.

GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine the diced chicken with the eggs, and the light soy sauce and season with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken to a medium bowl and add enough cornstarch to coat the chicken; it should form a sticky-like paste around the chicken. Cover the bowl and let rest for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
• Combine all the sauce ingredients, except the cornstarch slurry, in a large saucepan over medium heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves.
• Heat the oil in a deep-fryer or heavy-bottomed pan to 350 to 360 degrees F.
• Carefully test the oil by dropping a single piece of chicken into it and cook for around 4 minutes. When the oil is hot enough, slowly add a few pieces of chicken at a time, until all the chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken from the oil to paper towels to drain.
• Add a little more oil to a clean wok or skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot add the chiles and green onions to saute for around 1 minute. Add the already cooked chicken to the wok and toss around with the chiles so that all the chicken gets great flavor. At this point add the warmed sauce mixture, a few spoonfuls at a time, until all the chicken is coated but not soaking wet.
• If the sauce is a little runny add the cornstarch slurry, a little at a time, to thicken the sauce. Remember you have to cook the sauce until bubbling after you have added the cornstarch. This normally takes a couple of minutes over low heat. Remove the chicken mixture from the wok to a serving bowl and serve immediately on fried or steamed rice. Garnish with whole cilantro leaves before serving.

GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine chicken, egg white, soy sauce, wine, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Whisk together cornstarch, flour, baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in another bowl. Let stand while making sauce.
• Make the sauce: Whisk soy sauce into cornstarch. Then whisk in wine, sugar, vinegar, and broth.
• Heat 1 1/2 inches oil in a deep pot (preferably cast-iron) to 350 degrees. Working in batches, remove chicken from marinade (do not worry about removing excess liquid) and toss in cornstarch mixture. Carefully add to oil and cook until crisp and light golden brown, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over medium. Add chiles, garlic, ginger, and scallion whites. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Add chicken and toss to coat in sauce. Remove from heat. Stir in sesame oil. Garnish with scallion greens and serve immediately with broccoli and rice.

GENERAL TSAO'S CHICKEN II

Steps:

• Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Beat the egg in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken cubes; sprinkle with salt, 1 teaspoon sugar, and white pepper; mix well. Mix in 1 cup of cornstarch a little bit at a time until the chicken cubes are well coated.
• In batches, carefully drop the chicken cubes into the hot oil one by one, cooking until they turns golden brown and begin to float, about 3 minutes. Remove the chicken and allow to cool as you fry the next batch. Once all of the chicken has been fried, refry the chicken, starting with the batch that was cooked first. Cook until the chicken turns deep golden brown, about 2 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in the green onion, garlic, whole chiles, and orange zest. Cook and stir a minute or two until the garlic has turned golden and the chiles brighten. Add 1/2 cup sugar, the ginger, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut oil; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.
• Dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch into the water, and stir into the boiling sauce. Return to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and is no longer cloudy from the cornstarch, about 1 minute. Stir the chicken into the boiling sauce. Reduce heat to low and cook for a few minutes until the chicken absorbs some of the sauce.