Slow Cooker General Tso's Chicken
Go ahead and put away the takeout menus and focus on this General Tso's Chicken recipe which is a healthy homemade version of the favorite Chinese dish.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 324kcal
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless and skinless chicken breasts chopped into bite-sized cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
- 1/2 cup arrowroot powder or tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour), plus an additional 2 tablespoons reserved
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Sauce
- 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce low-sodium
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar apple cider vinegar or white vinegar can substitute
- 1/2 cup pineapple juice unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons honey or coconut palm sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper add more if you prefer a spicier sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and sliced into strips
- 1/4 cup scallions chopped, only the white part (reserve the green for garnish)
To Serve
- 1/4 cup scallion greens chopped, about one small bunch
Instructions
- Combine all of the dry ingredients to coat the chicken in a shallow dish, mixing thoroughly. Dip the chicken pieces in until they are coated on all sides, and shake off any excess mixture.
- Over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chicken pieces, brown on one side for 30 seconds to one minute, and flip to brown on the other side.
- Add all of the sauce ingredients, besides the red pepper strips and white scallion pieces, to the slow cooker and mix well. Once mixed, stir in the bell pepper strips and chopped white scallions.
- Carefully add the chicken to the sauce. Cook on low heat setting for 4 hours.
- Check the chicken 25 minutes before serving. If the sauce has not thickened enough for serving, whisk together a slurry of two tablespoons starch with two tablespoons cold water and slowly stir it into the mix and allow it to cook for the remaining 25 minutes. Add chopped scallion greens to serve.
- Serving suggestions: Serve with a grain such as brown rice, quinoa or soba noodles, and a green such as steamed broccoli, spinach, or kale.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.25cups | Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 630mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 12g |
| SmartPoints (Freestyle): 10
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 10
SmartPoints (Freestyle): 10