Vegan General Tso's Chick'n

I adapted ChefDaddy's chicken recipe to make it vegan using store-bought plant-based nuggets. Make it kid-friendly by omitting the chiles and serving crushed red pepper on the side.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 30 mins
• Calories: 516 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• ¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds, or to taste
• 2 stalks green onions, chopped, white and green parts separated
• 6 whole dried red chiles
• 1 orange zest
• 3 tablespoons low-sodium vegetable broth
• 3 cups hot cooked brown rice
• 3 cups steamed broccoli

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place frozen nuggets on a baking sheet.

Step 2

Bake in the preheated oven for 7 minutes. Flip nuggets and continue to bake until heated through and crispy, 7 to 9 more minutes. Remove from the oven and keep warm.

Step 3

While the nuggets are cooking, heat peanut oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Stir in white parts of green onions, red chiles, garlic, and orange zest. Cook, stirring, until chiles and garlic are fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.

Step 4

Add sugar, soy sauce, broth, vinegar, sesame oil, and ginger to the wok. Bring to a boil and cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

Step 5

Whisk together water and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir into the sauce. Return to a boil and cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove and discard orange zest.

Step 6

Stir nuggets into sauce to coat. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring frequently, until nuggets are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Step 7

Serve nugget mixture over rice with broccoli. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green parts of green onions.