Takeout Makeover: General Tso's Chicken

General Tso's Chicken is a popular Americanized Chinese take out dish that is super delicious and also super terrible for you. Battered and fried chunks of chicken thighs are tossed with a spicy and sweet sauce and usually served over white rice. I have always loved this tasty dish, but avoided it because of the high calorie, fat and sodium content. It seemed this was the perfect recipe for my next takeout makeover. Instead of deep frying dark meat, I baked some lean chicken breast and topped it with my own sauce, which is light on the sugar and sodium, while packing quite a spicy punch. I put this dish together in 20 minutes, so it's fast and easy for a weeknight. I apologize for the lack of step by step photos - my camera battery died while I was cooking this. The best part, one serving of this dish has only 236 calories! Pair it with some steamed broccoli and brown rice and you have a healthy and filling dinner.

Read more for the full recipe!

Ingredients:
1lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" chunks
2 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch, divided
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth (or veggie broth)
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp chili oil (or sesame oil)
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp tomato paste
scallions, sliced
2 tbsp white sesame seeds
optional: 1 tbsp dried thai chilies

Step by Step Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Toss chunks of chicken with 2 tbsp corn starch
3. On a cookie sheet, spread chicken chunks into a single layer
4. Bake chicken for 12-15 minutes, until cooked through
5. In a medium saucepan, combine garlic, ginger and chili oil, saute for 2 minutes
6. Add soy sauce, broth, vinegar, honey, tomato paste and hoisin sauce
7. Simmer mixture on medium heat for 4-5 minutes
8. Dissolve 1 tsp of cornstarch in 1/4 cup of cold water
9. Add cornstarch to sauce mixture, stirring
10. Continue to simmer sauce for another 3-4 minutes, until it begins to thicken
11. Toss cooked chicken with sauce, coating thoroughly
12. Serve chicken with 1 tbsp sesame seeds and scallions



Nutrition Info: makes 4 servings
236 calories
28g Protein
7g Fat