Chinese food is the one thing I know I like with vegetables. I love the sauces and will even eat what I consider “questionable” vegetables if they have enough delicious sauce on them. I have to be careful though because I don’t want to burn my family out on one type of food I am trying to keep things different day to day as we are exploring vegetarianism with my son.

I thought of all different sauces to try but kept coming back to General Tso’s Chicken. I had a chicken breast I could cut up to add to the dish for my meat eaters. So Faux General Tso’s it was.

One of the best parts of this dish is the fact that with some kitchen help chopping broccoli, pounding chicken and stirring the sauce the dinner was on the table in 30 minutes!

Verdict:

This was a good solid dish. We loved the sauce. The chickpeas will definitely take some getting used to but with a bit of chicken breast added for the meat eaters this was a great transition dish for us. My daughter LOVED the sauce. It wasn’t quite a General Tso’s sauce that they serve at our local Chinese food joint but had a bit of a sweet and sour taste. She loved the tang of the vinegar while my son thought it was sweet.

Everyone had two bowls and there was a bit leftover for lunch the next day.

I cut up one half of a chicken breast and pounded it to 1/2″ thick. Cut it into small cubes and fried it with a bit of butter. I served the meat on top of the dish to those that wished to add a bit to their meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 (29 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 TBSP canola oil
• 2 large heads of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 TBSP soy sauce
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• red pepper flakes
• 2 TBSP corn starch
• 2 TBSP cold water
• hot rice for serving

Directions:

1. In a bowl mix sugar, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. Stir until well mixed.
2. In a large skillet heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add chickpeas and saute’ 3-5 minutes until they start to turn crisp and brown on the outside.
3. While chickpeas are cooking steam broccoli for 5 minutes until it begins to slightly soften. Remove immediately from heat and drain to stop cooking process.
4. Once chickpeas are cooked add broccoli and stir for 2-3 minutes to combine.
5. Pour sauce over the dish. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small dish until cornstarch is dissolved.
6. Add cornstarch slurry to pan and stir until sauce thickens to desired consistency. Taste and adjust spices as needed.
7. Serve dish over hot rice if desired.