Can I tell you a secret? You can make your favorite Chinese takeout meal without leaving your house OR paying for delivery. You can totally make it in your own kitchen with ingredients you probably have right now!
The best meal preps are the ones that mimic what we’d normally eat when ordering takeout. That’s why this General Tso’s meal is more than just delicious, it’s satisfying to the soul as well.
Here’s what you need to know about customizing this recipe:
- You can easily swap out chicken or tofu for shrimp, beef, tempeh and even chickpeas (I’ve tried it, it’s awesome). And if you’re plant-based but don’t like legumes or soy, try it with chopped cauliflower. No, cauliflower isn’t necessarily a protein element BUT it’s a filling vegetable that offers a nice texture to this dish.
- You can easily swap white rice out for a grain of your choice. Note that white rice has a better texture for meal preps than brown rice, but it totally works. Quinoa or cauliflower rice would work too!
- Want to get fancier than frozen mixed veggies? broccoli, snap peas, bok choy, baby corn, bell peppers, zucchini, chopped green beans and white mushrooms would all work well in this dish.
Let’s talk about the sauce.
The sauce is the star of the dish! Typically, General Tso’s is on the spicier side. If you don’t like spicy food or can’t handle a lot of heat, keep reading 🙂
For the sauce, you’re looking for a thick texture, but thin enough to toss your protein in. The easiest way to make the sauce is cooking it in a smaller saucepan (as the recipe is written) but if you’re feeling more confident you can pour the sauce into the pan with your cooked protein (after it’s cooked) and let it thicken in that pan to avoid dirtying another dish.
If your sauce isn’t getting thick, add more cornstarch.
If your sauce is too thick, add more water.
If you don’t love heat, add more sugar! (see the note next to sugar in the recipe for how much to add if you don’t like heat).
You’re going to love this recipe – I can’t wait for you to try it!
How to add more volume or double this recipe:
To double this recipe, simply double the ingredients.
To add more volume, start with the veggies. My go-to would be broccoli or snap peas, OR just add 1-2 extra cups of veggies in the recipe as it’s written. Then, consider increasing the rice or grain portion. Increasing the veg/rice portions to add more volume is easier and more cost-effective than increasing the protein, but that’s always an option too.
Storage & reheating notes:
This meal lasts for up to 4 days in the fridge. I don’t think it’s freezer-friendly. You can also save any extra sauce in the fridge for up to 6 days.
Reheat this General Tso’s meal in the microwave OR on the stove.
Happy prepping!
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Chicken
Better-Than-Takeout General Tso's Chicken/Tofu
Ingredients
- 16 oz chicken breast cut into small chunks
- 14 oz package of firm tofu drained and cut into cubes
- 1 TBSP cornstarch
for the sauce
- 3 tsp sriracha add more if you like spicy
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 TBSP granulated sugar
- 2 TBSP rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup water (to thin)
- 1 TBSP cornstarch
- 1 TBSP water (for mixing with cornstarch)
for the veggies and rice
- 2 TBSP olive oil divided
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tsp ginger minced
- 3 cups mixed frozen veggies
- 3/4 cup rice of your choice
- salt and pepper to taste
for garnishes
- sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
- 1 cup green onion chopped, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Toss the chicken or tofu in 1 TBSP of cornstarch in a bowl or zip top bag. Set aside.
- To a small bowl, add the sriracha, soy sauce, sugar, water and rice vinegar. Whisk well and taste it - adjust the sauce as needed (add more sugar to make it less spicy, add more sriracha to make it spicier) and set aside. In a separate small bowl, mix 1 TBSP water and cornstarch and set aside.
- Add 1 TBSP oil to a skillet over medium heat, followed by the garlic and ginger. After a minute, add the frozen veggies with salt and pepper to taste and cook uncovered until heated through, stirring occasionally - about 7-10 minutes (depending on how long they've been out of the freezer). Then remove the veggies from the pan and set them aside.
- Add 1 TBSP olive oil to the same skillet over medium heat. Then add the chicken or tofu. Add salt and pepper to taste and cook on each side for about 5-7 minutes, until the edges of the chicken/tofu look crispy. For tofu, you can flip/turn more often. For chicken, just flip once or twice. When finished, turn off the heat, but keep the chicken/tofu in the pan for now.
- While the chicken/tofu cooks, cook the rice according to the package.
- Last but not least, the sauce. Pour the soy sauce and sriracha mixture in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook until it reaches a gentle boil. Give the cornstarch and water a quick stir, then slowly add it to the saucepan while whisking. Cook until the sauce has thickened (about a minute) Then, turn off the heat and pour it over the cooked chicken/tofu and toss the pieces to coat them in the sauce.
- Assemble: Divide the cooked rice between three meal prep containers, followed by the veggies. (I mixed my rice and veggies together). Then add the chicken/tofu on top. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onion if desired.
Grace Harmon
February 18, 2019 at 2:09 amThis recipe is SOOO GOOD. I’ve made (meal prepped) it twice in two weeks!
The second time around I made about a 1/4-1/2 size batch of the sauce and marinaded the tofu for ~an hour and it was a lot better. Not that the recipe is at all flawed, it’s so damn delicious, tofu is just way better when marinaded in general.
I also didn’t have sesame seeds but I put a little sesame oil in the sauce. If you have some I’d put a little splash in, yumm.