With Memorial Day less than two weeks away, most folks are trying to eat lighter, healthier fare in attempts to have their bods summer ready when the big kick-off-to-summer weekend arrives.

Between work, social commitments, gym time, and if you have kids, after school activities, most people barely have time to sit down and eat, let alone eat something healthy – which is why I have the job that I do (I guess I can thank this none-stop society that we live in lol)! I love that I am able to make my clients’ lives easier, healthier and tastier, I love creating menus and cooking yummy meals. BUT there is something to be said for getting hands-on with the food you are about to put into your body. Not to get all hippie-dippy or earth-crunchy with you, ha ha, but preparing your own healthy meal, and then being able to sit down and enjoy it, is a wonderful experience that you should really try to make happen – even if only on rare occasions.

With that being said, I am going to share a recipe that I have been requested to make a few times recently, and that is generally verrrry unhealthy – General Tso Chicken, a.k.a American-Chinese take-out at its finest. I cut the fat and cooking/hands-on process down quite a bit by baking the chicken as opposed to frying it. Feel free to LOAD UP on the veggies and to use any veggies that you please.

I hope you will try this dish out for yourself and see how easy it is, and maybe the next time you have a hankering for Chinese take-out, you reach for this recipe instead of the to-go menu.

Figure Friendly General Tso’s Chicken

INGREDIENTS

Stir Fry Ingredients:

3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks/cubes. (See Note 1)

½ to ¾ cup cornstarch

Salt and pepper

3 cups veggies of choice (broccoli florets, sliced bell peppers, baby/shaved carrots, water chestnuts etc.) (See Note 2)

1 bunch scallions, sliced (for garnish)

Sauce ingredients:

½ cup cornstarch

¼ cup water

1 TBSP fresh grated ginger

1 TBSP minced garlic

1 TBSP garlic powder

1 TBSP onion powder

½ cup sugar (or Erythritol for sugar-free option)

½ cup soy sauce or tamari (gluten-free option)

¼ cup rice wine or white vinegar

¼ cup sherry

16 oz. orange juice

Pinch of salt

¾ tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees; line two 9×13 baking dishes with parchment paper so that the paper is hanging over the sides (hello easy clean up!).
2. Lightly coat the chicken in cornstarch, and place in a single layer the baking dishes, dividing the chicken between both pans. Bake the chicken for 15 minutes.
3. While chicken is baking, make the sauce by combining all ingredients together in a bowl, and whisking until nice and smooth.
4. Place the sauce in a pot on the stove, over med-low heat and cook, whisking occasionally until the mixture thickens, normally takes about 5 minutes, just be patient and keep mixing, it will get there, I promise! Take sauce off heat.
5. Once the 15 minutes are up, take the chicken out of the oven, and flip the chicken over and around. Pour the sauce over the chicken, dividing between the two pans, and toss all the pieces to coat with the sauce.
6. Return the chicken to the oven and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through/no longer pink, and is an internal temperature of 165. The total cooking time can vary, just depends on the thickness/size of cubed chicken and individual oven temps, so always go with the color and temperature.
7. While the chicken is in the final stage of cooking, I like to steam my veggies (minus the scallions, I save them for garnish upon serving) on the stove top. Once the chicken is done, I add the veggies to the two pans and toss to coat! Feel free to add a splash of water or more OJ to thin the sauce out a bit, to ensure the veggies get some of the goodness.
8. Serve with rice of choice or “riced” cauliflower

Note 1: I prefer chicken thighs as they are juicier and hold up well in the oven, but if you want to cut the fat in this dish even more feel free to use white meat/breast meat chicken, just keep an eye on it in the oven to make sure it doesn’t dry out – it cooks faster than thigh meat.

Note 2: Take the super easy way out and purchase Green Giant Stir Fry Blend Veggies https://www.amazon.com/Green-Giant-Stir-Blend-12oz/dp/B004ZGAMBW