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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Hi there! My first question was how to keep the cornstarch from clumping? I tried making this and as soon as I added it, it all clumped immediately.
My second question is what brand/kind of hoisin sauce is recommended? I made this dish and to be honest it tasted nothing like general tso’s, and I think it could have been the type of hoisin. The only kind my grocery store had was a “sweet and spicy stir fry” kind. What do you reccomend? Could that be the issue?
Thanks!
Jackie, you can try mixing the cornstarch separately with a little bit of the soy sauce to prevent clumping. As for the hoisin, if you used a “sweet and spicy stir fry” sauce, it’s not surprising that this didn’t taste like General Tso’s. It is best to use authentic hoisin sauce like Lee Kum Kee.
This came out sour for me. My son said his tongue hurt after. I did ingredients exactly as stated. Overall this dish has potential but I may cut back on or cut out the rice vinegar as hoisin sauce has vinegar in it already. A little room for play there I guess. We added red pepper flakes for a little spice. The chicken with the corn flakes was perfect! I’m definitely doing that for other dishes like this. Thanks!
Kristaj, I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well.
However, recipes are a base and can be adjusted to your preferences – so yes, if the mixture is too sour for your little one, try reducing the amount of hoisin sauce.
I really do hope you get a chance to try this again with a more successful outcome!
KristaJ – I made this tonight and totally agree with you – it’s way too sour!! General Tso’s has a sweet sauce. If I tried this again, I would cut out the rice vinegar and either increase the brown sugar or add some honey. Unfortunately, I was unable to eat it and either was my son. My husband ate it only because he was starving. We both read the other comments and had to chuckle wondering if these folks made the same recipe – i was happy to see KristaJ’s honest post!!
My husband, son and I are all trying to eat lighter so I try to look for different things to prepare for dinner so we don’t get bored. We all really loved this and were delighted that it tasted so close to the real thing. We spiced things up a bit with some Siracha. We can’t wait to try the crispy chicken nuggets with other sauces as well because they turned out so crispy with the Corn Flake crust.
Thank you for the great site and recipes!
I usually like your dishes but I had to add sambal oelek and a ton more vinegar since it pretty much tasted just like nothing but hoisin and soy sauce so was a little disappointed. This didn’t taste anything like general tsos to me.
Danielle, I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out the way you had imagined. I only post recipes that have been successfully tested in my own kitchen, and as you can see from the comments here, many of these readers have had great outcomes in the final dish as well. But we all have different taste preferences, and if you are not a fan of hoisin sauce, then I just don’t think this recipe was meant for you. I hope you get a chance to try out the other Asian inspired recipes here with better results!
I have always considered myself to be an absolute hopeless cook. However, the last few nights I tried this recipe and the sweet-and-sour chicken. Both turned out fabulously despite me cooking. They are both worth the try. The sweet-and-sour is my favorite by a little bit, but both are wonderful.
when you say to coat with cooking spray, do you mean the chicken, or the baking sheet? (sorry if that’s a daft question.)
also, I’ve never seen hoison sauce — is it at most grocery stores? thank you!
You want to coat both the chicken and the baking sheet. As for hoisin sauce – yes, it is at most grocery stores in the Asian food section next to the soy sauce, sweet and sour sauce, etc.
Yummy is all I got to say to about this! 😀 Made some rice and cut up some broccoli and ate it up like it was going out of style. Not only that but I don’t have to feel guilty about eating it or giving up my Chinese take out. Your recipes are awesome dudet =3
Oh, and how do you get perfect rice. (I have a pressure cooker, but not a rice cooker in my home). Thank you!
It really depends on how you prefer to have your rice cooked. I personally like rice made in a rice cooker or basmati rice made on the stovetop.
Is there a substitute for cornflakes. They are sweetened and I have seen recipes for unsweetened cornflake crumbs, but can’t find them. Would pinko bread crumbs work?
Panko bread crumbs would definitely work, although they just won’t be as tasty and/or crunchy as the cornflakes!
I have corn flake crumbs in my cupboard. Can I use in lieu of crushed cornflakes? And how much do you think (if you are crushing 2 cups corn flakes).
I do not recommend using cornflakes as it may bring in unwanted sweetness to the dish. It is always best to use the ingredients listed in the recipe to obtain the best results possible.
Made this tonight! Everyone loved it and sadly for me, no leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Awesome blog, thanks for sharing!
This is the first time I’ve ever bothered to leave a comment on a blog, and it’s for a good reason. Most every recipe I make and thoroughly enjoy enough to make again and again comes from your blog, and not only do you have ballin’ recipes, you are also entertaining and fun to read. Bravo, my friend! Thanks for the dank food!
Oh my. Lawd, I need this.
We tried this tonight, with some alterations. I used boneless/skinless thighs (it was what we had), panko instead of cornflakes (it was what we had), chopped basil + slivered red pepper instead of green onions for a garnish (it was what we had). I also added some dried red pepper flakes and some sambal oelek, as we wanted it spicy. Delicious, and we will definitely make it again.
My 13 year old daughter loves General Tsos chicken. Her and I made this tonight for our family Sunday dinner, all I can say is it was a tremendous hit. As I try and teach her how to cook, it’s nice to be able to try something new and healthy. My husband even cleaned the kitchen since we worked so hard. Thank you Damn Delicious for all you recipes, keep them coming there are already asking what’s for dinner tomorrow.
Iris Nelson
Do you know what the total calorie count is?
Unfortunately, as I am not a registered dietician, I am not comfortable sharing nutritional information of my recipes. Please use online resources at your own discretion to obtain such information.
I’m really interested in making this, but I’m not the least bit fan of hoisin sauce. Any recommendations on what I could sub for it?
Unfortunately, hoisin sauce is a crucial ingredient in this dish so I do not recommend using any kind of substitute as it may completely alter the taste/texture of the dish. If you are not a fan of hoisin sauce, this may not be an appropriate dish for your taste buds.
I made this today and it it’s very good the recipe was simple to follow I will defiinitlymake this again.
This was a great change up for dinner during the week, however, it took longer than 15 minutes to prep. It definitely took longer to prep than it did to actually cook. I finally gave up and tossed everything in a large zip lock bag to save time.
Made this Toni get and it is delish!! As a personal preference, I would cut back on the sugar and add a little more Japanese vinegar or lemon…just a little to cut the sweetness.
Love your photography and food!!
Just made this, so good and healthy. I steamed some broccoli with it, excellent. Just found your blog all your recipes look awesome!