With the world practically shut down, I’m sure many of us are finding ourselves cooking far more often than we used to. And dare I say want to? I really love cooking, but being a mom is exhausting and sometimes I wish I could just pull an “I dream of Jeannie” and dinner would magically appear on the table. While my family has chosen to stretch our food budget more than usual to be supportive of local restaurants, we definitely can’t afford to do that every night. So, it makes my heart (and tastebuds) super happy when I can whip up this takeout worthy General Tso’s chicken in just about 30 minutes.
Now one of the things I have been trying to do to take pressure off of those right before dinner hours (aka: when the kids go crazy and I have little energy or patience) is to prep all the ingredients in the morning. It feels like the prep work goes so much faster. Like I keep wondering if it’s just a mind thing, but I’m telling you….cutting veggies bright and early takes at least HALF the time. Then the other bonus is that when it comes time for dinner all the ingredients are ready to just be tossed in the pan. Bonus, if you have frozen cooked rice, it will come together that much quicker. I always kick myself when I don’t take the time to do this, because it seriously makes my life SO much easier.
One of the things I love about this meal, is that it actually gets my kids to eat their veggies. Normally it would be laughable to think they’d even take a bite of green beans, but when you slather them in this amazing sauce…they go crazy for it! I actually don’t really love green beans myself. I’ve always had this weird thing about how they squeak on my teeth? I know…it’s odd. But I make an exception here because these are just too good.
So if you’re stuck at home but craving takeout, this is the recipe for you! Craving more Chinese takeout favorites? Try our Sweet & Sour Chicken recipe, Homemade Chicken Lo Mein, Teriyaki Fried Rice or one of these 20 Chinese food Instant Pot recipes.
General Tso’s Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts diced
- 1 french green beans trimmed
- 2 tsp avocado oil
Sauce
- 2 tsp avocado oil
- 2 Tbsp minced ginger root
- 6 garlic cloves finely minced
- 4 Tbsp honey
- 4 Tbsp soy sauce
- 4 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup hoison sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, add 2 tsp avocado oil and cook chicken over medium heat.
- When chicken is mostly cooked, add green beans. Cook for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
- While chicken is cooking, in a small bowl or mason jar, add all the ingredients for the sauce and shake vigorously.
- Add the sauce to a small saucepan over medium heat until it boils and thickens. Set aside.
- Once chicken and beans are thoroughly cooked, add sauce and let simmer for a couple minutes.
- Serve over rice, and enjoy!
Jenny is a wife and stay at home mother of two. She loves good food, and enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. When she’s not busy chasing kids, you can find her digging into a good book, enjoying the great outdoors, and trying not to kill her houseplants.
