General Tso’s Chicken
with broccoli / farro
This was a popular meal in 2018, but we've used our community members' feedback to make it even better! A thicker sauce and added color / flavor from red bell peppers make this quick meal a delicious (and much healthier) variation on the take-out classic.
Smarts: If you cooked farro earlier in the week, this meal is great served over that hearty grain. It can, of course, also be served over rice.
Ingredients
- Farro, semi-pearled / husked and uncooked - 3/4 cup
- Broccoli - 12 oz , chopped
- Bell peppers, red - 1 , diced
- Garlic - 2 cloves , chopped
- Ginger (opt) - 1 tsp , grated
- Stock, any type - 1/2 cup
- Soy sauce, low-sodium - 1/4 cup
- Brown sugar - 2 Tbsp
- Vinegar, rice - 2 Tbsp
- Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp (use less if you prefer less spice)
- Oil, toasted sesame - 1 tsp
- Chicken breasts, boneless and skinless - 1 lb , cubed
- Cornstarch - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
- Water - 2 Tbsp
- Oil, cooking - 2 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
Prep
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Cook farro - (Skip if made ahead for Tuesday.) Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Give it a generous sprinkle of salt and add farro. If you bought semi-pearled or husked farro, it should take about 25 minutes to cook until al dente, tender but not soggy. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Broccoli / Bell peppers / Garlic / Ginger - Combine broccoli and bell peppers in one container. Store garlic and ginger in another container. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Make sauce - Combine stock, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, vinegar, red pepper flakes, and sesame oil. (Note: Use more or less red pepper flakes depending on how much spice you’d like.) (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Chicken - Cube chicken. Tenderize with a fork and season with some salt and pepper. Toss with first part of cornstarch. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
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Make slurry - Whisk together second part of cornstarch and water.
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Make
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Heat a wok or skillet with first part of cooking oil over medium heat. Add chicken and saute until chicken is nearly cooked through (it will finish cooking in the sauce), 4 to 5 minutes. Set chicken aside.
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Add second part of cooking oil to pan and increase heat to medium-high. Add broccoli and bell peppers. Saute until nearly tender, 3 to 4 minutes (at this point, the vegetables will still have a bit of crunch; if you’d like them more tender, add a splash of water and continue to saute until cooked to your liking).
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Add chicken back to pan and pour sauce over top.
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When sauce begins to simmer, give cornstarch slurry a stir and add it to sauce.
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Cook everything together, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and coats chicken and vegetables, ~2 minutes more.
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If farro was made ahead, reheat in the microwave.
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Serve chicken and vegetables over farro. Enjoy!
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