General Tso’s chicken was our number one takeout meal, but it doesn’t work well with a healthy eating plan. I developed this lite General Tso chicken as a low carb version (lean and green). And it’s baked, not fried!
You will need a food processor or immersion blender chopper, measuring cup and spoons, digital food scale, small pans or bowls for dredging, saucepan, cooking thermometer, foil, and a baking pan.
Use a food processor or small chopper to chop the almonds into a coarse flour (or use almond flour). Place in a dredging pan. You may wish to add 1/8 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/16 tsp salt to the almonds, just be sure to subtract 1 tbsp of sauce later.
Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil, shiny side down. Spray with cooking spray.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Line up dredging pans near the baking pan. Place a small amount of liquid egg in the first and almond mixture in the second. Dredge the chicken in egg and almond mixture and place on baking pan.
Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and use tongs to flip chicken pieces. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Check for doneness (175 degrees) and add additional oven minutes if needed.
Cook the vegetables. I made the snow peas in the microwave. I sliced the mushrooms in the food processor and sautéed in a pan sprayed with oil spray. 
Stir the sauce over medium heat until warm. Add the cooked chicken to the sauce and heat on low until warm.
Serve with vegetables. Makes 2 servings. The American General Tso tradition is broccoli (not a Chinese vegetable). I like to serve this with snow peas and mushrooms. You can serve with 3 cups of broccoli if desired.
Lite General Tso chicken
Notes
Do you need Lean and Green? I made this meal for two with: 18 oz. raw skinless chicken tenders (1 leaner), 3 tbsp ground almonds (1 healthy fat), 1 ½ cups snow peas (3.30 oz, 1.5 green), 1 ½ cups mushrooms (3.69 oz, 1.5 green), 6 tbsp G. Hughes sugar free orange ginger marinade (3 condiments).
Ingredients
- 18 oz. raw skinless chicken tenders
- 3 tbsp ground almonds
- 1 ½ cups snow peas
- 1 ½ cups mushrooms
- 6 tbsp G. Hughes sugar free orange ginger marinade
- (optional) 1/8 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/16 tsp salt
- (optional) liquid egg (2-3 tbsp)
Instructions
- You will need a food processor or immersion blender chopper, measuring cup and spoons, digital food scale, small pans or bowls for dredging, saucepan, cooking thermometer, foil, and a baking pan.
- Use a food processor or small chopper to chop the almonds into a coarse flour (or use almond flour).Place in a dredging pan. You may wish to add 1/8 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp cayenne, 1/8 tsp pepper, 1/16 tsp salt to the almonds, just be sure to subtract 1 tbsp of sauce later.
- Cover the baking pan with aluminum foil, shiny side down. Spray with cooking spray.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Line up dredging pans near the baking pan. Place a small amount of liquid egg in the first and almond mixture in the second. Dredge the chicken in egg and almond mixture and place on baking pan.
- Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and use tongs to flip chicken pieces. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Check for doneness (175 degrees) and add additional oven minutes if needed.
- Cook the vegetables.
- Stir the sauce over medium heat until warm. Add the cooked chicken to the sauce and heat on low until warm.
- Serve with vegetables. Makes 2 servings. The American General Tso tradition is broccoli (not a Chinese vegetable). I like to serve this with snow peas and mushrooms. You can serve with 3 cups of broccoli if desired.
Nutrition Facts
Lite General Tso chicken
Serves: 2
| Amount Per Serving: | ||
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 893 whole recipe | |
| % Daily Value* | ||
| Total Fat 21 g | 32.3% | |
| Saturated Fat 3 g | 15% | |
| Trans Fat 0 | ||
| Cholesterol 292 mg | 97.3% | |
| Sodium 2361 | 98.4% | |
| Total Carbohydrate 36 | 12% | |
| Dietary Fiber 12 | 48% | |
| Sugars 15 | ||
| Protein 135 | ||
| Vitamin A | Vitamin C | |
| Calcium | Iron | |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Casa Bouquet
Nutrition facts for Lite General Tso chicken
One recipe of 18 oz. chicken with snow peas and mushrooms is approximately 893 calories. Makes 2 servings for approximately 447 calories. Calorie count will depend on exact products you use. Nutrition facts are approximations.
Do you need Lean and Green? I made this meal for two with: 18 oz. raw skinless chicken tenders (1 leaner), 3 tbsp ground almonds (1 healthy fat), 1 ½ cups snow peas (3.30 oz, 1.5 green), 1 ½ cups mushrooms (3.69 oz, 1.5 green), 6 tbsp G. Hughes sugar free orange ginger marinade (3 condiments).
Resource links
- https://damndelicious.net/2014/05/23/lighter-general-tsos-chicken/
- Lighter General Tso’s chicken from Damn Delicious
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/general-tsos-chicken-got-its-start-fine-dining-180956795/
- History of General Tso’s chicken from Smithsonian
I’ll be looking for comments below, or contact me at lisa [at] casabouquet[dot]com.
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