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Week of 8/5/19

General Tso’s Chicken
with broccoli / farro

Active: 30 min Total: 30 min
Original GF Paleo Vegetarian
General Tso’s Chicken
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.
Tags
Freezer Friendly, Quick and Easy
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57

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
General Tso’s Chicken with Farro:
  • 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

Nutrition Facts

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Prep

  1. 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)
  2. 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)
  3. 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)
  4. 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)
  5. Make slurry - Whisk together second part of cornstarch and water.

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Make

  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. Add chicken back to pan and pour sauce over top.
  4. When sauce begins to simmer, give cornstarch slurry a stir and add it to sauce.
  5. Cook everything together, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and coats chicken and vegetables, ~2 minutes more.
  6. If farro was made ahead, reheat in the microwave.
  7. Serve chicken and vegetables over farro. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving
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Reviews

Ratings

Original (32)
Gluten-free (4)
Paleo (6)
Vegetarian (15)

29 reviews

Okay -- but double the sauce.

By: Elizabeth
Posted: Oct 09, 2019
Diet: Original
0 Helpful

We made this recipe both in the original and vegetarian versions. Everyone like it. Our tweak would be to omit the bell pepper, we are not fans of cooked bell peppers.

By: Richard
Posted: Sep 28, 2019
Diet: Original
0 Helpful

Did one and a half times the sauce and ginger. Also added carrots and peanuts. Easy and delicious!

By: Aileen
Posted: Sep 18, 2019
Diet: Gluten-free
0 Helpful

Nice and quick. Didn’t wow anyone though. Would make again, but maybe with a few tweaks.

By: Jenn
Posted: Sep 08, 2019
Diet: Paleo
0 Helpful

Sauce was flavorful and the dish came together quickly since I had leftover cooked chicken on hand.

By: Marisa
Posted: Sep 07, 2019
Diet: Original
0 Helpful

It was just ok

By: Grace
Posted: Sep 04, 2019
Diet: Vegetarian
0 Helpful