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General Tso’s Chicken
with broccoli / rice

Active: 30 Total: 30

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. 

Tags
Proteins
Cuisines

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
General Tso’s Chicken with Rice:
  • Rice, uncooked white or brown - 2/3 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
  • Tamari - 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

  1. Rice - (Skip if rice was made ahead for Tuesday.) For white rice, rinse until clear. Fill a saucepan or Dutch oven (or rice cooker) with rice, water (use 2:1 ratio for water to rice), and some salt. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Once water boils, stir, lower heat to a low-medium, and cover. Check white rice after ~20 min; brown at ~45 min. Rice is done when it's absorbed all the water. If it's not done, leave the cover on until all water has been absorbed. Take cover off to release steam and fluff with a wooden spoon after 5 minutes. (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, Tamari, 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 rice was made ahead, reheat in the microwave.

  7. Serve chicken and vegetables over rice. Enjoy!


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