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It’s so hard sometimes to pick and choose what to post on certain days. Thankfully I have you all on Facebook to help me out :) You guys were clearly craving the take-out, fake-out over the cookies I had wanted to post! Ask and you shall receive! This lightened up version comes from the book I talked about last week, Comfort Food Makeovers by America’s Test Kitchen. The numbers on this dish before ATK’s makeover was crazy! 910 calories, 45 grams of fat, and 5 grams of saturated fat. After? 490 calories, 8 grams of fat, and 1.5 grams of saturated fat. What a difference, huh?!
So, speaking of my Facebook page..let’s just say, when it rains, it POURS. Did any of you follow along with what happened last night? I’m sure 95% of you received that Pinterest email about my Holy Yum Chicken. What a bunch of drama. I seriously have the best fans and readers. You all came up to bat for me with the negative comments and messages. I can’t thank you enough for understanding and realizing this was all beyond my control.
It really irks me that people jump to conclusions and have their own assumptions about everything without getting the facts first. Ever heard that quote, “be kind; for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” ? Well, so many people don’t really know what’s going on in my PERSONAL life and to add what happened yesterday on top of it, just really put me to the tipping point. Seriously, newsflash: this isn’t the end of the world. There are countless of tragedies going on in the world right now (re: OK tornadoes, wars, etc.) and for people to freak out at me over a recipe?! Really people, perspective…
Anyway, I hope you enjoy the recipe below. It’s become one of Jason & I’s favorite! :)
Lightened Up General Tso’s Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil spray
- ¼ cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 large egg whites
- 5 cups (140 g) Kellogg's Corn Flakes cereal, finely crushed
- 1 ½ pounds (680 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all visible fat, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 ⅔ cups (394 ml) water
- ⅓ cup (79 ml) low sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup (59 g) apricot jam
- 3 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoon canola oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 °F (246 °C). Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, top with wire rack, and spray rack with oil spray.
- Spread flour into shallow dish. Whisk egg whites until foamy in second shallow dish. Spread corn flakes crumbs into third shallow dish. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Working in batches, dredge chicken in flour, dip in egg whites, then coat with corn flakes, pressing gently to adhere. Lay on prepared wire rack.
- Spray chicken with oil spray. Bake until chicken registers 165 °F (74 °C) and coating is brown and crisp, about 12-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk water, soy sauce, apricot jam, hoisin, cornstarch, and vinegar together in a bowl. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in soy sauce mixture, bring to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.
- When chicken is cooked, return sauce to simmer over medium-low heat. Add cooked chicken and toss to coat. Serve with steamed white or brown rice.
Some people seriously need to get their heads checked – tornadoes versus not being able to pin a recipe? Seriously people. That being said – I’m going to pin this recipe and Holy yum chicken from here ’til TUESDAY!! And I’m now hungry.
Oh my…we’re big fans of General Tso’s in our house..I need to make this!
Delicious-looking meal!
Perfect-o!! Yum!!
That chicken looks so good and I like that is is baked and crispy! Pinned it successfully! :)
Thank You for everything you do and all your personal time spent on us :). I am curious since you have some of the nutritional info if by chance you would have a teeny bit more info like carb info more impt to me Thanx if you do would appreciate!! SMILE :) SMILE :) SMILE :) It’s a beautiful new day!
Wow, super impressed by the calorie slashing! Going to have to bookmark this one since I’m trying to be good again. Love it when you can still enjoy a meal and “be good!”
Illegitimi non carborundum (translation: don’t let the bastards grind you down)
Oh, and making this…this weekend!
Looks amazing Julie and love the fact that it’s lightened up! Sorry to hear about your fiasco on Pinterest last night and all the drama that happened with it. No one loves that, but seems like we all go through it :(
Well, I missed the Pinterest drama (don’t think I’m sorry about this), but it sounds like you have a killer attitude about it, so good for you girl! In the meantime, comfort food makeovers are one of my forever favorites. Next time Ben tries to drag me to Panada express, I’m whipping this out!