Satisfy your takeout cravings without the unnecessary carbs! You’ll love the sweet flavors and crispy texture of this low-carb General Tso’s chicken.
Who doesn’t love General Tso’s chicken? This sweet and crispy dish is a westernized version of Chinese food, but it’s one of the most popular carry-out dishes.
Unfortunately, it’s not very heart-healthy or diabetic-friendly. The chicken is usually deep-fried and then coated in a sticky-sweet sauce. This means that it’s packed with calories, carbs, sugar, and sodium.
So when I saw this low-carb General Tso’s chicken in Ching’s Everyday Easy Chinese by Ching-He Huang, I knew I had to try it!
Ching’s recipe is quick and easy to make, and the result is absolutely delicious. It’s less sweet than restaurant versions, which I liked. It allowed some of the other flavors to shine.
It’s also a bit spicy, but not overpowering. Just make sure you don’t eat the chiles!
Her recipe does call for yellow bean sauce, which I couldn’t find at any local markets. But the glossary in the back of her book says yellow bean sauce is “made from fermented yellow soy beans, dark brown sugar and rice wine.” Once I read that, I decided hoisin sauce would be a decent substitute.
If you’ve been missing Chinese carryout, definitely give this healthier General Tso’s chicken a try!
How to make low-carb General Tso’s chicken
This dish comes together with just a bit of prep. Then, simply add everything to your pan and cook!
You can see how I make the recipe in this short video or follow the step-by-step instructions below.
Step 1: In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce. Mix well and set aside.
Step 2: Place the cubed chicken in a medium bowl and season with salt and white pepper. Add the cornstarch, mix well, then set aside.
Step 3: Heat a wok or large pan over high heat. Once hot, add the peanut oil.
Step 4: Add the garlic and red chiles, stirring for a few seconds, then add the chicken and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
Step 5: When the chicken starts to turn opaque, add the sherry and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
Step 6: Add the sauce and bring the mixture to a boil.
Step 7: Reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, another minute or two.
Step 8: Turn off the heat, discard the red chiles, and stir in the scallions to serve.
You can choose to leave the red chiles if you want a pop of color on your plate, just be sure not to eat them!
Nutrition in healthy General Tso’s
Did you know that General Tso’s chicken in a typical Chinese restaurant has about 850 calories, 40g fat, and 60g carbs?!
This recipe, on the other hand, has about 275 calories, 9 grams of fat, and 18g carbs per serving. How much better is that?
The whole recipe is for 2 servings, so even if you ate the whole thing, you’d still be better off than ordering from a restaurant!
I do recommend using low-sodium tamari or soy sauce to minimize the sodium in this dish. I prefer tamari to traditional soy sauce because it seems less salty to me and it contains no wheat.
If you’re really trying to lower your sodium, you could also reduce or omit the salt used to season the chicken at the beginning.
What to eat with your chicken
Looking for some tasty sides to serve with your General Tso’s chicken?
You can never go wrong adding steamed veggies to your plate. I love eating this dish with a side of broccoli or edamame!
The broccoli is also great for sopping up any leftover sauce.
Storage
This tasty chicken dish is best served right away. However, if you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
If you know you won’t eat both servings, I would recommend leaving the scallions off the portion you plan to save.
Scallions are much better fresh, so if you can, don’t add them until right before you serve this dish!
Other healthy chicken recipes
Chicken breast is such a great protein. Not only is it super lean and healthy, but there are also so many ways to cook it! If you’re looking for a few more chicken breast recipes, here are some of my favorites:
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps with Homemade Hoisin Sauce
- Kung Pao Chicken with Cashews
- Asian Chicken and Kohlrabi-Cabbage Salad
When you’ve tried this dish, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Low-Carb General Tso’s Chicken
Ingredients
SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Thai chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
CHICKEN
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into ½-inch cubes
- Kosher salt
- Ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 4 dried red chiles
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry
- 4 scallions (chopped)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce. Mix well and set aside.
- Place the cubed chicken in a medium bowl and season with salt and white pepper. Add the cornstarch, mix well, then set aside.
- Heat a wok or large pan over high heat. Once hot, add the peanut oil.
- Add the garlic and red chiles, stirring for a few seconds, then add the chicken and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
- When the chicken starts to turn opaque, add the sherry and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add the sauce and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and continue to simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, another minute or two.
- Turn off the heat, discard the red chiles, and stir in the scallions to serve.
Hi this sounds pretty amazing. My question though, do you have to use sherry in it? Or can I substitute for it?
You can substitute it with vinegar or red wine vinegar. To substitute sherry in a recipe, use equal amounts of balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
So good! Thanks for the recipe, it gives me hope to find tasty meals that are okay to eat..
Lee – I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I totally agree, Wendy. Not only are restaurant versions too sweet, but they have that fried breading on them too. Control is good 🙂
Sounds great. I like that I can control the heat and sweetness of this dish. Usually the restaurant versions are too sweet for me. I’m glad you found a use for your newly found cookbook 🙂
EA – You won’t believe how good this is! A GF friend turned me on to Tamari and I like it so much better than regular soy sauce now. Let me know if you find GF hoisin sauce.
Yum! Now you have me craving Chinese food!!! I don’t eat much Chinese food out either because most dishes contain gluten from the soy sauce. This looks delicious-now I have to see if I can track down some gluten-free Hoisin sauce!