KETO GENERAL TSO’S CHICKEN
I love Chinese takeout, specifically General Tso’s Chicken. Yum.
We didn’t grow up eating Chinese food that I can remember. It wasn’t until I was visiting my (at the time) boyfriend’s parents (who are now my in-loves) that I started even eating the cuisine. That was nearly 20 years ago!
We’d go out for Chinese buffet sometimes on Sunday after church, or get Chinese takeout together on a weeknight when my father-in-love was craving it.
Once I was introduced to General Tso’s Chicken, that’s all I ever wanted to get!
We couldn’t really afford to get takeout regularly. So it was always quite the treat to hear “you want Chinese?” That was until I sent us down the keto lifestyle path…
Changing my diet to a keto way of life really adjusted what I would eat in the beginning.
I wasn’t allowed to use flour and sugar any more… but not just that, potatoes were out, pasta was out, and rice was definitely out. Chinese takeout was no longer an option for me.
But time progressed and so did my comfort level with using new alternative ingredients in my kitchen. As I grew in confidence with my refreshed pantry full of keto friendly items, I began to recreate past time faves in a way that wouldn’t keep me inflamed, tired, and feeling like a sausage stuffed in a too small casing.
I knew I had to figure out a Keto General Tso’s Chicken recipe.
Getting the sauce just right was challenging. There are loads of homemade General Tso’s recipes on the internet, but the vast majority of them use different premade sauces and condiments to create that distinctive flavor.
I couldn’t do that…
Too many of them were completely sugar laden and I didn’t want to bring back that inflammation I had worked so hard to get rid of!
After much trial and error, I found what tasted most like my memories, and my hubby confirmed it. We had a winner!
I’ve found Chinese food to be a labor of love and this Keto General Tso’s Chicken is no different.
After much trial and error, I’ve found a rhythm that works well for creating this delicious and well worth the effort dish.
When making this, I like to double or even quadruple the recipe. We’ll eat one recipe worth for dinner and then I’ll freeze the rest (sauce separate from the un-sauced chicken) to make a takeout night that’s quick!
Sauce is the first piece I get going. There is usually hoisin sauce in the General Tso’s sauce, but that’s loaded with sugar. I use a combination of peanut flour, keto friendly sweeteners, and seasonings to get a similar flavor without all the carbs.
Coconut aminos are a little higher in carbs, so you can certainly swap them for some of the Bragg’s Liquid Aminos if you’d rather.
Spice is a matter of personal preference. If you’d like your sauce a little more mild, reduce the red pepper flakes to control that heat.
The chicken portion of this recipe makes fantastic chicken nuggets that can be air fried and dipped in your favorite low carb sauces (ranch, ketchup, sriracha mayo, etc) and great to have in the freezer for those busy nights.
I use my low carb Baking Blend as part of the breading and it always turns out so well.
You can easily use the air fryer for this recipe, but when I’m making large batches, I like to use my convection setting on my oven. If you have a conventional oven, put your chicken nuggets on a greased rack over a baking sheet so they can get a nice little crisp on all sides!
KETO GENERAL TSO'S CHICKEN
Equipment
- Airfryer
- Food Processor
Ingredients
GENERAL TSO'S SAUCE
- 4 TBSP Chicken Stock
- 3 TBSP White Wine (or Rice) Vinegar
- 2.5 TBSP Coconut Aminos
- 1 - 2 TBSP Granular Erythritol
- 2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1/2 TBSP Peanut Flour
- 1/2 TBSP Worchestershire
- 1/2 tsp Sriracha
- 1/4 tsp Spicy Brown Mustard
- 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/2 tsp Ginger Powder
- 1/4 tsp Glucomannan Powder
CHICKEN
- 2-3 lbs Chicken Breasts semi-frozen for easier cutting
- 2 Eggs
- 2 cups Pork Rinds
- 1/2 cup DIY Baking Blend divided
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
GENERAL TSO'S SAUCE
- In a sauce pan, combine all sauce ingredients and whisk together well.
- Set burner to a med-low temperature and bring sauce to a gentle boil.
- Stir sauce, reduce temperature to low, and allow sauce to simmer and reduce. The goal is a sauce that's about as thick as a vinegrette style dressing.
CHICKEN
- Cut chicken breasts into "2-bite" chunks. Salt & pepper the chunks lightly in a bowl.
- In a food processor, pulse the pork rinds and baking blend together for the breading.
- Whisk the eggs and pour over the chicken chunks. Toss to coat well with the eggs.
- Pour the breading into a plastic bag.
- Preheat your airfryer now.
- Take a few (5-6) pieces of chicken and place them in the bag. Leaving some air in the bag, cinch the top with your hand and shake the bag to coat the chicken well.
- Place the breaded chicken chunks into the airfryer. Repeat the process until you have a single layer of chicken in the bottom of your fryer basket.
- Airfry the chicken at 350F for 15 minutes. Be sure to check your chicken every 5 minutes and give the basket a shake.
- When done, place the fried chicken chunks in a dish to the side and repeat the breading process with remaining chicken chunks.
BRING IT ALL TOGETHER
- In a clean bowl, place your fried chicken chunks.
- Pour about 1/3 of the sauce over the chicken and toss to coat well.
- Put saucey chicken into airfryer, in a single layer, and airfry a 2nd time at 350F for about 6-8 minutes. Repeat for remaining chicken.
- When all of the chicken is finished frying, pour a little more sauce onto the chunks, toss to coat, and serve hot.
Notes
