When we have a craving for Chinese food, we have decided rather than getting takeout, we would start making it at home instead. I always loved sesame chicken and my husband has always loved General Tso. We wanted a healthier option that doesn’t have MSG or any additives. We finally settled on this recipe and it doesn’t disappoint. The meal can be made in steps and I love to have the chicken already prepared for the week and I can just warm the chicken up and make the sauce to go with it. Plus, it makes for great left overs the next day.
Chicken Bites
Ingredients:
2-3 pounds of boneless chicken breasts/chicken tenders cut into chunks
3-4 cups of flour (I use arrowroot, but you can use whichever flour suits you and your family best)
4-5 eggs
4 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
Avocado oil
Directions:
1. Using two bowls, place cracked eggs into one and the flour, salt, and pepper into the other bowl.
2. Dunk all the chicken into egg and flour mixture and place on plates or I use a cookie sheet.
3. Place avocado oil in a pan (I like avocado oil because it doesn’t burn and I use the All Clad Week night pan).
4. Heat the pan and place several chicken at a time and cook 2 minutes on each side for temperature of 165 degrees (we love using the Thermapen meat thermometer)
5. When removing the chicken bites when finished, I always put them onto a cookies sheet with cooling rack to properly cool (and I find they stay crispy)
General Tso Sauce
¼ cup + 2 Tbsp of coconut aminos
2 Tbsp of Honey (or you could use molasses)
2 Tbsp of coconut sugar (brown sugar or cane sugar also works too)
¼ cup of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp of Ketchup (or tomato paste)
1 tsp of crushed red pepper or more depending on how spicy you like it
2 tsp of avocado oil divided
4 cloves of garlic
1/8 tsp of ground ginger
½ cup of chicken broth
2 tsp arrowroot +2 tbsp broth to thicken sauce- Combine mixture and set aside
Instructions
1. Create sauce mix true: Add coconut aminos, honey, coconut sugars, rice vinegar, ketchup, crushed red pepper, and 1 tsp of avocado oil to a bowl and whisk together. Set aside.
2. Place 1 tsp of avocado oil in a saucepan on medium low heat. Add garlic cloves and ginger to pan and stir well.
3. Add chicken broth and sauce mixture to the pan. Bring to slow boil.
4. Once at slow simmer, add arrowroot mixture to thicken sauce. Whisk well. Continue to simmer until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.
For General Tso, we tend to combine some of the chicken and sauce in a bowl and stir to combine. We like to serve with broccoli or steamed veggies along rice/cauliflower rice. Enjoy!
