RecipeGeneral Joy’s Chicken

Nutrition Facts
Amount per Serving
  • Calories: 260
  • Protein: 36g
  • Total Fat: 6.5g
    • Saturated Fat: 1g
    • Unsaturated Fat: 5.5g
  • Cholesterol: 105mg
  • Total Carbohydrate: 15g
  • Dietary Fiber: 0.5g
  • Total Sugar: 8g
    • Natural Sugar: 8g
    • Added Sugar: 0g
  • Sodium: 790mg

Craving Chinese? You could order General Tso’s Chicken—battered and fried chicken drowning in a sweet and sour sauce for about 1,000 calories and nearly a day’s worth of sodium. Or you could whip up my slim-style version and dig in without any regret or guilt.

  • Prep time
  • Total Time
This recipe makes 4 Servings
Ingredients:

MARINATED CHICKEN:

  • • 1 egg white
  • • 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • • 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
  • • 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks

SAUCE:

  • • ¾ cup 100% no-sugar added pineapple juice
  • • 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • • 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
  • • 3 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
  • • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
  • • ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
  • • ¾ teaspoon ginger
  • • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • • 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot flour (see note)
  • • 6 scallions (green onions), white and light green parts thinly sliced
  • • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
Preparation:

To make the marinade, whisk the egg white with the soy sauce and rice wine in a medium bowl. Add the chicken and stir so the marinade evenly coats each piece. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or place in zip-top bag) and place it in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.

To make the sauce, heat the pineapple juice in a small pan over high heat until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the juice until it reduces to about ¼ cup and has thickened. This should take about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes.

After the pan and juice are completely cooled, mix in the soy sauce, rice wine, chicken broth, sesame oil, garlic powder, ginger, red pepper flakes, and cornstarch. (If pineapple juice is still hot, cornstarch may clump.) Whisk together so the cornstarch is incorporated. Set aside.

Spray a large skillet with nonstick oil spray. Remove the chicken from marinade (discard excess liquid) and place into the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until the chicken pieces are done, about 7 minutes. 

Pour prepared sauce into large skillet with chicken and sauté for a few minutes, until sauce starts to thicken. Garnish with the scallions and sesame seeds, if desired, and serve immediately.

Note: Arrowroot flour can go by many names, including arrowroot, arrowroot starch, arrowroot powder, and ground arrowroot. Don’t worry; they’re all the same.

Try my Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry.