Recreate your favorite Chinese takeout! Keto General Tso chicken is perfectly spicy with the best balance of flavor and texture.
Keto General Tso Chicken
Before I was on the keto diet, I used to really enjoy ordering Chinese takeout. And the one thing that I ordered the most was General Tsos chicken.
It has all my favorite things about Chinese food – tangy umami notes, hints of sweetness, and bold spice!
So it was a no-brainer to try and recreate this recipe at home. This keto recipe is a near-perfect copycat.
The chicken is coated in a crispy breading and covered in a spicy, sticky-sweet (and slightly spicy) sauce. Make this for your family, everyone will want some!
General Tso Chicken Recipe
There is so much to love about this keto General Tso chicken recipe. The breading is one of my favorite parts!
Instead of using all-purpose flour or breadcrumbs, I coated the chicken in almond flour. Remember to use almond flour, not almond meal.
The almond meal will make the chicken nuggets taste grainy.
Also, you should use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. The chicken breasts will dry out quicker, but the dark meat of the chicken thighs absorb the moisture and stay moist.
But the real secret of the juicy chicken is sparkling water. The carbonation helps to break down the chicken and make it extra tender.
Spicy General Tso Chicken
The General Tso sauce is my other favorite thing about this recipe. It’s both spicy and slightly sweet, with flavors that you can smell as it simmers.
All of these flavors come from the ginger paste, garlic chili sauce, sugar-free stir fry sauce, sesame oil, Swerve brown sugar substitute, and more.
Double the recipe and store the extras in your refrigerator. You can use this sauce as a dip for chicken, pork, or steak.
What makes General Tsos spicy? It’s the combination of dried red hot chilis and garlic chili sauce.
If you want to make it spicier, add more chili sauce. To cut back on how much bite it has, use fewer red chilis.
What To Eat With General Tso Chicken
Serve General Tsos chicken with your favorite keto-friendly Chinese side dishes. I like to eat it with a bowl of cauliflower rice.
If you love spicy foods, then serve the chicken on top of some Cajun cauliflower rice. For a veggie, make bacon and green beans.
The mild, savory flavors pair well with the bold breaded chicken bites. And if you want to make General Tso’s chicken with something besides cauliflower rice, prepare some keto Chinese noodles to serve on the side.
They have a lot of complementary ingredients, so they are perfect with cauliflower rice or in place of it.
Of course, you can never go wrong making some keto bok choy stir fry with soy sauce eggs. This has the same umami flavors with bright green bok choy.
Then, enjoy some keto crispy cinnamon cream cheese roll ups for a high-fat and low-carb dessert!
How To Store Chinese Chicken
Use General Tsos chicken in your meal prep. Keep it in an airtight food storage container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
When you reheat it in the microwave, the chicken will soften just a bit, so I suggest eating it within three days.
You should also make a little extra sauce so that if it dries out in the fridge, you can add a bit more sauce to freshen it back up.
Keto Spicy General Tso Chicken Recipe
Here are the ingredients and step-by-step photos showing you how to make delicious keto General Tso chicken. The exact measurements and instructions are in the printable recipe card, just a little below.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 6
Net Carbs: 2 net carbs per serving
Ingredients
For The Chicken:
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Almond Flour
- Eggs
- Sparkling Water
- Baking Powder
- Salt and Pepper
- Oil
- Green Onions and Sesame Seeds
For the Sauce:
- Sesame Oil
- Swerve Brown Sugar Substitute
- Sugar Free Stir Fry Sauce
- Soy Sauce
- Garlic Chili Sauce
- Rice Vinegar
- Chicken Broth
- Minced Garlic
- Ginger Paste
- Dried Red Hot Chilis
Directions
Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a pot or pan on the stove until it reaches 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sparkling water, baking powder, eggs and salt and pepper to taste.
Add the chicken to the bowl, and toss to coat well.
Place the chicken pieces in a single layer one at a time into the pot of hot oil. Fry evenly on both sides until golden brown and cooked through.
Remove, and drain on a paper towel lined plate. You may have to do this in batches to cook all of the chicken pieces.
Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl, and pour into a skillet over medium heat on the stove.
Simmer until the sauce thickens a bit. You can also add a sprinkle of xanthan gum to thicken it further if desired.
Toss the chicken in the sauce and serve.
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Keto General Tsos Chicken
Equipment
- Large skillet
Ingredients
Breaded Chicken
- 2 pounds Boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces
- 2/3 cup Almond Flour
- 2 large Eggs
- 1/4 cup Sparkling Water
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- Oil For Frying
- Green Onions For Garnish
- Sesame Seeds For Garnish
Keto General Tso Sauce
- 1 tsp Sesame Oil
- 3 tbsp Swerve Brown Sugar Substitute
- 1 tbsp Sugar-Free Stir Fry Sauce
- 3 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tsp Garlic Chili Sauce
- 3 tsp Rice Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Chicken Broth
- 2 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1 tsp Ginger Paste
- 4 Dried Red Hot Chili Peppers
Instructions
- Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a pot or pan on the stove until it reaches 350 degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sparkling water, baking powder, eggs and salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the chicken to the bowl, and toss to coat well.
- Place the chicken pieces in a single layer one at a time into the pot of hot oil.
- Fry evenly on both sides until golden brown and cooked through. Remove, and drain on a paper towel lined plate. You may have to do this in batches to cook all of the chicken pieces.
- Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl, and pour into a skillet over medium heat on the stove.
- Simmer until the sauce thickens a bit. You can also add a sprinkle of xanthan gum to thicken it further if desired.
- Toss the chicken in the sauce and serve.
Notes
Keto Chinese Recipes
If you enjoyed this keto spicy General Tso chicken recipe, here are some more low-carb Chinese recipes you can make. They are some of my favorites!
