Recipe: General Tso Chicken

I know what you're thinking... there's no way that you can make something like Chinese takeout into a Whole30 meal and it taste the same. I was skeptical too, but this one is a really great version that gives you that something different in your life when you've had one too many roasted veggies and two too many pieces of fish or chicken breast this week.

The recipe I based this from was one I found on Pinterest by Katrina Runs For Food. Her version included a bed of rice or cauliflower rice, but to be honest, I felt that was one too many laborious steps at the time, so I went without.  I also adjusted the ratios of broccoli, chicken and some spices to better suit my tastes.

General Tso Chicken

Total Time:  30 minutes                     Serves:   3

Ingredients:                                                                 

  3/4 lb of chicken tenderloins, cubed                     3 Tablespoons of coconut aminos

  1/2 cup of diced onion                                          1 tsp. Arrowroot Powder

  2 Tablespoons of olive oil                                    4 cups of broccoli florets

  3 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes             2 green onions/scallions sliced

  5 cloves of garlic

  1/4 cup of Orange juice

1.  Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil, red pepper flakes, and cloves of crushed garlic. Swirl to combine. 
2. Add cubed chicken and onion, cook through about 7-8 minutes. Do NOT let the heat get about medium setting or garlic and pepper flakes will scorch, so be sure to stir occasionally as well. Once cooked through, remove everything from the pan and set aside. 
3. Add broccoli and 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Place a lid on and let cook until crisp yet tender. While the broccoli cooks, measure the arrowroot powder and place in a small bowl to the side. 
4. Remove broccoli from heat and divide among the serving bowls.
5. Return chicken to the pan. Add orange juice, coconut aminos, and half of the green onions. 
6. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then scoop a few tablespoons of the hot liquid into the bowl of arrowroot powder. Whisk until no clumps remain, then stir into the pot. This helps the sauce thicken. 
7. Remove from the heat and serve over broccoli. Top with remaining green onions.

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