Lighter General Tso’s Chicken
A completely lightened-up, baked version made with half the calories. And it tastes even better than the original!
I love playing around with “lightened-up” recipes. You save on so many calories, and if it tastes half as good as the original, I’m a happy camper. But this general tso’s chicken tastes nothing like a skinny version. If anything, I think it tastes even better than the original!
So how is this version lightened-up? Well, for starters, nothing is deep fried. Everything gets baked right in the oven. And if you’re worried about losing that amazing crispness, well, have no fear. With the use of crushed up Corn Flakes, the chicken comes out amazingly crunchy and crisp! You’d be amazed that this was actually baked in the oven.
So there you have it – a Chinese take-out favorite completely lightened up and baked to absolute perfection. It’s so good, no one would believe it’s a homemade “skinny” version!
Lighter General Tso's Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunk
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cups crushed Corn Flakes
For the sauce
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a cooling rack with nonstick spray and place on a baking sheet; set aside.
- Working in batches, dredge chicken in flour, dip into eggs, then dredge in crushed Corn Flakes, pressing to coat.
- Place onto prepared baking sheet and coat with nonstick spray. Place into oven and bake until golden brown and crisp, about 13-15 minutes.
- In a large saucepan over medium high heat, combine chicken broth, hoisin, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar and cornstarch until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in chicken and gently toss to combine.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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Fantastic! I’m one to read the reviews, and I can be nervous of trying new recipes, but I’m so glad I tried this! I did add a little sesame oil, minced garlic, and powdered ginger, and it turned out delicious. 100% will make again!
This was pretty good! Easy to make and tasty, although I agree with other commenters that the hoisin sauce might’ve added a weird flavor and I would leave it out next time. The corn flakes idea is interesting and gave the chicken a reasonably interesting texture, but did not make it crispy or crunchy at all. Still good, would make something similar again!
Would it be possible to make this with tofu instead of chicken? Any advice on adjustments?
This recipe is great! I am still learning how to cook but this recipe is very easy and delicious. I strongly recommend it 🙂
Too much rice vinegar IMO.
I love your recipes! Question though, could I use shrimp in place of chicken and make the shrimp in the same manor?
I made the order general Tso’s for a family get-together and it turned out to be a big hit. Even my 15 year old niece, who is a very picky and selective on what she eats went back for seconds. This is definitely one of my favorite recipes… Thank you damn Delicious.
This was unbelievably delicious! Will surely make it again. Made it exactly as directed and it was perfect. Whole family loved it
Although the sauce didn’t taste like any General Tso’s I’ve ever eaten in a Chinese restaurant, it still tasted good and had a great consistency. After tasting it, I made some additions (~2 tsp minced garlic, ~3-4 drops sesame oil and ~1/2 tsp each ground ginger and ground cayenne pepper) to add some extra spice and familiarity. I’d consider leaving out the hoisin sauce next time as it didn’t contribute much heat and I believe it was the source of the dish’s unfamiliar flavor. With an extra touch of corn starch I think you could replicate the thickness of the sauce.
The chicken was perfect. It did not stick to the pan and maintained its crunch after adding the sauce. The corn flake coating is a great idea!
Thanks for your feedback, Ryan!
I am happy to see your comment, Ryan. I was wondering about the hoisin sauce? I seemed odd to have it in this recipe. But I haven’t tried it yet. The extra garlic, ginger, and cayenne pepper sound like good additions for those of us who like the more spicy things. I always doctor these recipes, anyhow. How about adding a bit of chili paste? Also, could black bean sauce replace the hoisin sauce? Thanks,
Fred
It was really good I did end up adding some stevia to it because my boyfriend like his sweet but I was wondering if you have nutrition facts on this recipe.
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. But if it is not available for a specific recipe, you can always use free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”). Hope that helps!
I have calculated the nutrition info:
Sauce: 100g
Protein 1.58g
Carbohydrates 15.43g
Fiber .37g
Fat .43
Calories 75.4
Cornflake breaded chicken, baked in oven: 100g
Protein 24.81
Carbohydrates 15.82
Fiber .61
Fat 3.96
Calories 199.82
Rice, google for the type of rice you use.
This is following this recipe exactly using common conversion from imperial to metric
I am making this today for our meal prep company
This was great! Made it just now but used panko instead and the chicken stayed super juicy through the baking. We also added maybe a tablespoon of chili garlic sauce and a teaspoon of red chili flakes to the sauce while it was on the stove. Really great flavours and textures!
I made this and it was delicious. I never had in a restaurant but was told by my guests that it tasted like the real thing. So thank you very much. I do however have a question: if I prepare the chicken ahead and freeze it raw, will it still be crispy when I bake it later on?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Absolutely addictive!!! first time making it, so flour-egg-flakes part took me 25 minutes ;))))) other than that – a very easy recipe.
Made it tonight, we both really enjoyed it.
Im not sure what happened, but this didnt taste at all like general tso’s and just didnt taste good at all. Disappointed.
Could you let me know how many calories this lightened up version of General Tso’s chicken is, and how many calories saved?
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
I had high hopes for this, but it didn’t taste anything like the General Tso from my local Chinese restaurants. I was also disappointed that the chicken lost its crunchiness after mixing it with the sauce. I did learn one thing though, I’m not a fan of hoisin sauce!
What are the nutrition facts for this?
Nutritional information is provided only for select and new recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, I recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
I’ve tried a few recipes from your site now and must say they’re a huge hit! We enjoyed this recipe as well, but found it to be quite sweet (not what we’re used to when eating General Tso). Do you have any recommendations for making it less sweet? Perhaps less of the brown sugar or hoisin sauce?
Yes!
I have not yet made but will soon. What are the white dots on top of chicken in picture. Are they sesame seeds.
Yes!