General Tso’s Chicken Stir Fry
This General Tso’s Chicken Stir Fry makes for an easy and delicious weeknight dinner!
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I didn’t grow up eating stir fry. It wasn’t one of my family’s go-to meals when I was a kid. When I went to college, I remember the dining hall would occasionally do stir fry on their ‘featured’ line. Since I didn’t really know what stir fry was, I pretty much dodged the stir fry nights and opted for a bagel sandwich instead. But then a funny thing happened. I was living in Atlanta, and Laura and I had just started dating. As luck would have it, she lived in a high-rise apartment building…right above a stir fry restaurant.
Well, this stir fry restaurant loved to send out coupons to the folks above. And Laura loved stir fry. So I went along to figure out what this whole stir-fry thing was all about. This restaurant was similar to a buffet in that they had rows of prepped meats, veggies, sauces, etc. All you had to do was grab a bowl and go along building your stir fry masterpiece. The chefs would then take your bowl and stir fry it up on a huge stove in the back.
The very first time I went through the stir fry line, I’m pretty sure my bowl consisted of just beef, rice and cheese. It was delicious. But it wasn’t stir fry. After Laura got done laughing at me, she taught me how to combine flavors and create delicious combinations of stir fry. This restaurant ended up being one of our favorite places to go on a Friday night when we were tired from the week. And soon enough I became a huge fan of stir fry.
Fast forward a few years, and we’re now living in upstate New York. About 1,000 miles away from our favorite stir fry restaurant in Atlanta. Sure, there were other restaurants where we could order stir fry, but they just weren’t the same as our build-your-own restaurant from Atlanta. That’s when we decided to get a wok and learn how to stir fry at home.
The thing about stir fry meals is they are quick! Woks get incredibly hot (be careful!) which means that your own stir fry creation will be ready in just a couple of minutes. The hardest part is just prepping everything in advance. We tried several different stir fry sauces before we finally discovered House of Tsang. They make a number of different sauces, and we’ve tried most of them at this point. But one of our favorites that we always go back to is their General Tso Sauce. It’s a sweet and spicy blend of soy sauce, ginger, garlic and vinegar. And it’s delicious!
It’s been a while since we made stir fry for dinner, so this past week I decided to whip up something fun. I pulled out the wok and set out creating this General Tso’s Chicken Stir Fry. Since stir fry meals cook so quickly, this one could definitely work as a weeknight meal. One of the best things about stir fry is you can add whatever you’d like. I happen to really like broccoli in stir fry while Laura loves bell peppers. So this General Tso’s Chicken Stir Fry includes plenty of broccoli and peppers. Laura commented that snap peas would be a great addition to this one, too. Next time!
For this stir fry, I cooked up the chicken, broccoli and peppers. Once those were done, I added the General Tso Sauce from House of Tsang, and *boom* dinner done. I served this stir fry over rice, and it made for one epic meal. When it was time for dinner, Laura and I were wiped out from chasing Robbie around…so we really appreciated that we had an awesome, easy dinner waiting on us! I hope you enjoy this stir fry as much as we do!
General Tso’s Chicken Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the Chicken Marinade
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tsp rice wine vinegar
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
For the Stir Fry
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- 3 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil divided
- 4 dried red chiles halved (or ¾ tsp crushed red pepper flakes)
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- ½ ” piece of fresh ginger thinly sliced
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- ½ cup roasted peanuts
- ½ cup House of Tsang General Tso Stir Fry sauce
- 3 cups white rice cooked
- ¼ cup green onions chopped
Instructions
For the Chicken Marinade
- Using a large bowl, whisk all marinade ingredients together until well combined (soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and cornstarch.) Add chopped chicken and toss until well coated. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
For the Stir Fry
- Fill a medium saucepan with water; bring to a boil over high heat. Add broccoli florets and cook for 1½-2 minutes. Remove florets with a slotted spoon and immediately rinse in cold water or place in a bowl of ice water. Set broccoli aside.
- Place a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp of oil and swirl pan until well coated. Add chicken and stir fry for 4-5 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
- Add remaining 1 Tbsp of oil to pan. Add red chiles and sliced bell peppers. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until peppers have just begun to soften.
- Add garlic and ginger; continue cooking for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Return chicken to pan. Add peanuts, broccoli and General Tso Stir Fry sauce; continue cooking, stirring often, for 2-3 more minutes, or until heated through.
- Serve over white rice and garnish with green onions prior to serving.
This General Tso’s Chicken Stir Fry post was sponsored by House of Tsang, but the opinions are entirely my own.
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I made general tso chicken quite regularly in our home and LOVE it! Stir fry is definitely a great way to use up odds and ends in the fridge and still have something delicious for dinner. Practically anything goes, right? I definitely don’t use chop sticks, though, can’t get the hang of ’em, but hubby can pick up a piece of rice with his, lol 😀 Love the marinade for your chicken. Sesame oil is a must have. That stuff is awesome! I’m totally craving stir fry now by the way 😉
Stir fry is totally a great way to use up the odds and ends in the fridge! Actually, come to think of it, I have some random odds and ends in the fridge right now. Maybe it’ll be a stir-fry night tonight! 🙂 Oh, and as far as chopsticks…I can use ’em with larger pieces, but no way I can do the rice. Laura is a master of just picking up a piece of rice, but I don’t have the patience for that! Hah…thanks, Dawn!
Hey David!! I can just imagine Laura’s face at the stir fry restaurant the first time!! I have never made general tso chicken, I eat it regularly, but never made it. I agree with Dawn sesame oil is a must have. This dish is on top of my list!! lest’s see how it goes!
Oh, you should totally make it sometime, Gaila! It really is an easy recipe, and it’s packed with flavor…just how I like to roll! 🙂 And now I’m craving stir fry again. I’m thinking tonight needs to be another stir fry night!
Hi David! I do a stir fry probably once a month! The meat and vegetables change depending on what I have on hand. I have everything for beef and broccoli now, but I also like chicken or pork with bell peppers and sugar snap peas. Sweet sliced onion goes in all my stir fries. I will have to look for this sauce next trip to the store!
Yes! I totally hear ya on stir fry, Dorothy. It’s a great way to use up whatever happens to be hanging around in the fridge at the time. I personally love broccoli and sugar snap peas in my stir-fry dishes. Do give this sauce a look at the store…and they make a bunch of different flavors, too! Thanks so much, and I hope you guys are doing well!
I love a good stir-fry, especially when you play around with the veg and herbs. That said, I agree that the hardest part is finding the right sauce. Never want something too sweet or too bland. Looks delicious David!
You know, that’s the thing about stir fry. You can totally have fun with the add-ins and tailor it in all sorts of ways. For me, that means broccoli, and I do love snap peas. Oh man, now I’m craving stir fry for dinner tonight, too! Haha. Thanks, Matt!
Oh Wow – David, your stir fry has such a lovely burst of colors going on! And snap peas would indeed be a wonderful addition! Lil Shashi decided to go vegetarian while I’m doing the sugar free thing but I bet I could sub in tofu for the chicken and this would be fanfreakintastic! I’m willing to bet that this stir fry tastes way better than anything that might have come out of that Atl stir fry restaurant – but – just for giggles let’s pretend for a bit that it isn’t because that would be reason #599 for y’all to move back! 🙂
Snap peas are one of my favorite add-ins for stir fry, Shashi! But that’s the great thing about making stir fry. You can totally play with what you add in. So vegetarian, huh? You guys are impressive down there with the whole challenge-yourself thing. Kudos to that! And yes, I bet you could easily sub in tofu here. Fanfreakintastic! 🙂 Oh, and this would be reason #599 to move back…if that stir fry restaurant didn’t close its doors. Yup, I read it online. Sad.
I love stiryfry so much! It’s the best, most flavorful go-to meal 🙂 Loving the heat from the chiles, too!
Thanks so much, Medha! I have to agree with you. Stir fry is so easy…and I love how you can tailor it to whatever you happen to have around or whatever your favorite add-ins are. 🙂
It’s interesting how people can influence each other. I mean, if only Laura had been living near a lavender filed (I’m not sure you have lavender fields in the cities though), or at least in the building with a lavender store on the first floor, that might have been an interesting twist now, you know. But talking about stir fry, it’s always a good idea. Although I don’t have a wok, I cook chicken this way once in a while. My favorite combo is chicken and bell peppers or sweet peas so I’m 100% approving this dish, David!
You know, that’s true. I’ve never thought about it from that angle, Ben. If Laura lived in a lavender field when I met her, then I might love lavender these days. Of course, if Laura lived in a lavender field, I’d have to immediately question why…because that’s a little odd! Oooh…chicken, bell peppers and sweet peas. You’ve got me craving stir fry again! And you should check into getting a wok. They really aren’t expensive at all…in fact, the best woks are carbon steel and that’s incredible inexpensive. 🙂
That General Tso gets around! Load it up with these types of colorful and crunchy veggies and I’m in. I love a black bean sauce in the mix, too. Good stuff!
You’re right! That General Tso is a well-traveled man at this point. I’d love to take a look at his passport…or have his airline miles! 🙂 Thanks, Kevin!
This looks so delicious! Your post reminded me that I haven’t made a stir fry in quite a few weeks, so this is officially on my dinner plans for next week!
Yes! Do it! Stir fry really is one of our favorite dinners, too, because (1) it’s easy (2) it’s a great way to use up whatever random things happen to be hanging out in the fridge and (3) it’s easy. 🙂 Thanks so much, Chrissy…and enjoy that stir fry next week!
I love stir fry, but I’m also a pescetarian who eats mostly vegetables so to me stir fry is dinner a few times a week. I’m not surprised you were a little older when you first tried it, I was in college when I stumbled upon stir fry land and I’ve been there ever since. That sounds like an amazing stir fry restaurant Laura lived on top of, I’ve never experienced a restaurant like that, but I’ve seen them on TV.
You are totally right, Mary…stir fry is a super versatile meal. You could add in loads of veggies and just go straight vegetarian with it. In fact, the snap peas and broccoli are my favorite part of a stir fry, so maybe I should make one next week with only snap peas and broccoli! Yum! 🙂
I love stir fry, but I don’t eat often enough. Your chicken stir fry looks delicious!
Thanks so much, Dawn! Stir fry is awesome because it’s easy and you can add in whatever you like. Give this one a shot sometime for sure! 🙂
I am always on the lookout for delicious weeknight dinner recipes and this looks like a real winner. Love how you got introduced to stir fry – you must miss the stir fry restaurant in Atlanta. How convenient to have one in the same building! General Tso’s sauce sounds delicious – have to see whether I can find it here in London 🙂
Oh, this is definitely a weeknight dinner winner, Miriam! (I totally didn’t mean to rhyme that…but it happened. Hah.) Yeah, I don’t know if they distribute this sauce over in London, but definitely grab it if you see it! Stir fry is such a fun dinner, too…I’m thinking about it for dinner tonight again. 🙂
We grew up eating a lot of stir fry, so when I left home I totally avoided it, as I was so bored of it. But, I am not getting back in to it, as who doesn’t want a meal where you can get in loads of extra veggies?!
I can totally see that, Dannii. I get bored of eating the same thing after a while. But stir fry is too good to ignore for a long period of time! After all, as you pointed out, it’s a great way to load up on veggies. And it’s so darned delicious, too! 🙂
General Tsos is one of favorites for take out! I haven’t made it at home before…time to change that! I love how colorful this dish is and how quickly it all comes together! Thanks 🙂
Oh, you should definitely make it at home sometime, Kathy! Stir fry is super easy and super delicious…so it’s perfect for a good weeknight meal. Thanks! 🙂
I love stir fry and this one looks amazing. Love the colors 🙂
Thank you so much, Kushi! 🙂
I love stir fry, drooling over the broccoli and peppers in there, those are my favorite veggies!!
You sound like a mix of me and Laura, Manali! I love the broccoli and Laura loves the peppers. 🙂 I also love tossing snap peas into stir fry. Yum!!
Lovely chicken stir Fry… Looks so colourful 🙂
Thank you so much, Sharmila!
LOL! Mate, the stir fry night at college was our highlight- The (racist) college dining hall had it once a week and it was the best…and the opposite of anything remotely Asian! The joint in Atlanta was fate and I’m glad you got on board- In fact, you created my favorite take out from there!
Haha…I can only imagine that stir fry line at college. But I’m glad I now appreciate stir fry as it’s super easy and super tasty. In fact, I kinda want it for breakfast now. Admit it…you’d eat stir fry for breakfast, too, right? 🙂 Thanks, mate!
Even when I could eat Chinese Food, I never ever tried this dish! I need to give it a go- You make it look GOOOOOOOODDDD!
Why thank you, GiGi! This is indeed one tasty dish, and I’m sad you can’t eat it. More for me? 😉 You’re the best…hope you have an awesome Halloween weekend, my friend. Boo!