General Tso's Chicken Stir Fry
The Chinese takeout made healthier and with 48g of protein for 494 calories
Is it just me or is everything continuously getting expensive?
From Netflix to groceries and even flights to nearby destinations, prices seem to have a higher price tag than they did just 2-3 years ago.
It’s one thing for luxuries to get pricier, but you know things are getting bad when prices are nearly doubling at Chinese food places too.
Remember when 10 dollars could get you a long list of lunch specials?
Those days are long gone.
Now it seems, the trend is you pay more for less.
A perfect example is from a few weeks ago when I treated myself to General Tso’s chicken.
The majority of it was breading while the chicken amount was so small, that I could barely quantify its percentage.
Seeing as it’s my go-to Chinese takeout order, I felt especially frustrated wasting my calories and money.
This frustration led me to ask myself:
How can I make high-protein General Tso’s at home without the guilt and the hassle of breading stations plus a messy kitchen afterward?
The answer ended up being this General Tso’s Chicken Stir-Fry.
Not only does it pack a similar flavor to the original, but it also offers significant nutritional benefits, including fewer calories and 48g of protein per serving.
But why stop at just dinner?
If you find yourself a little extra hungry, you’ll have the option to finish off your meal with two macro-friendly protein desserts:
Easy protein soft-serve ice cream
Protein cookie dough
Although I don’t think you’ll need either after trying out this stir-fry!
Enjoy the recipes and let me know how they turn out for you.
See you next weekend!
Here are some notes about this recipe:
This stir-fry is best made in a wok or a 12-inch pan.
If you have neither, cook the chicken & vegetables in 2 batches.
Make the sauce even lower in calories by substituting the honey with zero-calorie brown sugar. This will bring the total calories to 314.
Tenderize the chicken breast by tossing it in 1/8 tsp of baking soda and letting it sit for 10 minutes.
Calories include one 130-gram or 3/4 cup serving of cooked rice.
If you have garlic chili paste, I’d use that instead of sriracha.
Just reduce the garlic cloves by half if you use this condiment.
If you can afford the calories, boneless skinless chicken thighs would be even better in this recipe.
Control the salt by using a low-sodium soy sauce.
48G Protein Per Serving | 494 Calories | 30 Minutes | 4 Servings
RECIPE
Ingredient List
Stir-Fry
1 1/2 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
6 oz broccoli florets
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp ginger, minced
Salt & pepper
5 cups cooked jasmine rice
Sesame seeds (for serving)
Cooking spray
General Tso’s Sauce
1 cup chicken bone broth
6 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1-2 tbsp sriracha
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil
Cooking Instructions
Prep Stir-Fry Ingredients 🥦
Slice the chicken and vegetables. Season the sliced chicken lightly with salt & pepper.
Mix all the ingredients under General Tso’s sauce list together in a bowl adding the cornstarch last.
Cook The Stir-Fry 🥡
Preheat a pan to medium-high heat and coat lightly with cooking spray. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan.
Spray more cooking oil and toss in the bell peppers and onions. Cook for 3 minutes until soft but still crisp. Remove from the pan.
Add more cooking spray and toss in the broccoli. Cook for another 3 minutes then remove from the pan.
Spray the pan again and add the garlic and ginger to cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Give your sauce a final mix and pour it into the pan.
Let the sauce cook until it starts to bubble and thicken then add the chicken and vegetables back into the pan. Mix well until everything is coated in the sauce.
Plate the stir-fry and serve with 3/4 cup of cooked jasmine rice. Enjoy!
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Eat Well,
Marcus Matkins