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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.Vegetable 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.1/4 cup (31 g) all-purpose flour, 3 large egg whites, 5 cups (140 g) Kellogg's Corn Flakes cereal, 1 1/2 pounds (680 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 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.1 2/3 cups (394 ml) water, 1/3 cup (79 ml) low sodium soy sauce, 1/4 cup (59 g) apricot jam, 3 tablespoon hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 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.2 teaspoon canola oil, 4 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 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.
General Tso’s is Paul’s favorite. I can’t wait to make this one!
I’m sorry about the Pinterest debacle and hope it resolves soon. I’d take this fakeout over a takeout any single day!!
so sorry about the pinterest thing..we all love you dearly :) and I always happen to check blogs around lunch time and these super zoomed yummy food makes me super hungry and not like my lunch :(
whew! I just got the email and was not sure what was going on. It may not be the publicity you wanted but it sure did remind me that I need to get on this and try it out!!!!! Keep in mind that there is always good to be found in everything, unfortunately, there are some people that would rather look for the worse.
Looks so good, going to have to try this.
Julie you are lovely and generous and talented. you just keep doing what you do and we all have your back. I love this recipe and can’t wait to make it for my family!
I haven’t made this in forever! I’ve got to try your version too, those cornflakes, great idea!
Oh heck yes! This looks AMAZING, Julie! Who needs takeout when you can whip this up? Yum!
This looks SO yummy, Julie! I totally want a giant plate for my midnight snack ;)
Bobbie Robertson- if you are using WW online, you can use the recipe builder and enter each ingredient. You’ll just have to know how many servings the recipe will yield. (or you can enter 1 serving and get the points for the whole dish)