Name: Reduced-Fat General Tso's Chicken
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: Vegetable oil spray; 5 cups (5 ounces) cornflakes; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 3 large egg whites; 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces; 1 2/3 cups water; 1/3 cup soy sauce; 1/4 cup apricot jam; 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce; 2 tablespoons cornstarch; 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar; 2 teaspoons canola oil; 4 garlic cloves , minced; 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger; 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Why This Recipe Works

General Tso’s chicken is delicious, but after being battered, deep-fried, and coated in a sugary sauce, it can be heavy. To make a satisfying but lower-fat version, we start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Crushed cornflakes give the coating a crunchy texture that can stand up to the sauce, and baking instead of frying further lightens things up. We replace most of the hoisin sauce with doctored-up, cornstarch-thickened soy sauce, adding balsamic vinegar and apricot jam for controlled sweetness and garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes for a final hit of flavor.

Before You Begin

Serve over rice.

Instructions

for the chicken

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 475 degrees. Set wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet and spray with oil spray. Process cornflakes in food processor until finely ground, about 10 seconds. Place flour in shallow dish. Whisk egg whites in second shallow dish until foamy. Place cornflake crumbs in third shallow dish.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Dredge chicken in flour; dunk in egg whites; then coat with cornflake crumbs, pressing to adhere. Transfer to prepared wire rack. Spray chicken lightly with oil spray. Bake until chicken is cooked through and coating is brown and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes.

for the sauce

While chicken cooks, whisk water, soy sauce, jam, hoisin, cornstarch, and vinegar together in bowl. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in soy 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.