Low Fat General Tso’s Chicken Recipe

General Tso’s Chicken is one of my favorite dishes of all times, but it’s not the healthiest. That’s until I made a low fat recipe myself.

My husband and I are always trying to come up with healthy and tasty meals for our family. I remember how much I loved General Tso’s Chicken growing up, and wanted to recreate a healthier low fat version of the meal.

General Tso's Chicken Recipe Share on X

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup hoisin sauce

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

3 Tbsp raw cane sugar

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Your choice of oil. I like Virgin coconut oil, canola and olive oils. (I stick with USDA organic and Non-GMO brands).

2 green onions (scallions), cut in small pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbsp garlic powder)

2 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger

Directions

• Mix the hoisin sauce, low sodium soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, low sodium chicken broth, and cane sugar in a bowl.
• Add 1/4 cup hoisin sauce mixture to chicken and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Sometimes I prepare the marinade the night before and let sit in the fridge overnight to save time when it’s mealtime.
• Add a few drops of olive oil into a frying pan and heat for a minute over medium heat.
• Add some of the green onions, garlic, and ginger. Saute for about a couple of minutes. (If using garlic powder, combine with the hoisin mixture).
• Add the remaining hoisin sauce mixture to the pan and stir until the sauce thickens.
• Remove from heat and set aside.
• Whisk egg whites with a dash of black pepper.
• Drain marinade chicken to remove excess sauce. Optional: lightly pat dry with a paper towel.
• Dip pieces of chicken in egg whites.
• Coat coated chicken with cornstarch (you can use a bag for easier coating).
• Pour a couple of Tbsp of virgin coconut oil into a skillet and heat.
• Once hot, add coated chicken and cook on each side for about 5-10 minutes on each side.
• For a healthier low fat option, drizzle olive oil into a baking pan and add coated chicken.
• Set oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20-30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Also, be sure to turn chicken after 10-15 minutes.
• Note: I actually added a little bit of oil to the pan (about 1-2 tbs) and fried the chicken on stop top for about 12 minutes. Then removed chicken form the stove and placed it in the oven in a separate pan to avoid deep frying.
• Once chicken it cooked, add the hoisin sauce, top with remaining scallions, and pair with your favorite side dish.

I hope you give this dish a try. If so, please tell me how what you think.