General Tso's Chickpeas & Veggies
Ingredients
General Tso's Sauce (adapted from Pinch of Yum)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 knob of ginger, grated
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- ½ cup gluten-free tamari or soy sauce
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar Note: Lately we have been cutting back to 3 tablespoons but cutting back more changes the flavor.
- 2 tablespoons gluten-free plain tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1-2 tablespoons of cold water (for a thinner sauce, use 1 tablespoon corn starch)
Stir fry Veggies (for cauliflower, snow pea and bok choy option, see above - below the photo, for quantities)
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 -3 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 head of broccoli, cut into bite sized florets
- 2 small red bell peppers, cored and sliced or diced
- 2-3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts divided
- Toasted sesame seeds optional for serving
- Optional: chicken breast cut into 1-2 inch pieces
Prepared brown rice, white rice or quinoa for serving
Instructions
General Tso's Sauce
- In a small saucepan, heat the sesame oil over medium low heat.
- Add the ginger and garlic and stir fry for a minute or two, until fragrant
- Add remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Set aside.
- Note: Sauce will thicken when it cools, then thin up again when heated.
Veggie Stir Fry
- In a large skillet, over medium high heat, add 2-3 tbsp oil and heat until shimmering but not burning. Add white parts of onions and some of the green parts, and saute a minute or two until just tender. Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add peppers and saute 3-4 minutes until starting to get tender. Add broccoli, cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Cook longer for softer vegetables.
- Add a few spoonfuls of General Tso's sauce to the sauteed vegetables and stir to combine. Heat 2-3 minutes until warm if the sauce isn't already warm.
- Spoon vegetables into a bowl and set aside.
- Add chickpeas to the same saute pan and over medium heat, saute 2-3 minutes to warm. Spoon General Tso's Sauce onto the chickpeas, stir to combine, let simmer a few minutes and serve. The longer the chickpeas simmer with the sauce, the more they absorb the flavor.
- Serve chickpeas and veggies over rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and additional green parts of onion if desired.
OPTION: In place of chickpeas you could saute chicken but cook the chicken first, then add in the peppers and broccoli.
Notes
I absolutely loved this! The flavors are so good!
Great! So glad you loved it too! It is one of our favorite stir fry meals!
I made this and it was fantastic. Thank you so much!!
Great! It is a regular in our rotation — so happy you love it too!
This was excellent, thank you! I was out of tomato paste, so I used three tablespoons of plain tomato sauce, and used the two tablespoons of corn starch to accommodate the thinner texture of sauce vs. paste. Worked great!
Happy you loved it! Thanks for sharing your substitutions!
This was really excellent, thank you! I was out of tomato paste, so I used three tablespoons of plain tomato sauce, and used the two tablespoons of corn starch to accommodate the thinner texture of sauce vs. paste. Worked great!
Great! Love your creative thinking! So happy you loved it!
I’ve made this twice now, with tempeh as the protein. Super, super good. I’ll try with the chickpeas sometime 🙂
So happy you love it as much as we do! Adding Tempeh is a great idea!
I had this recipe saved for a month or so, had the ingredients and still didn’t make. Finally, tonight I made it and Omg this was great! My picky 9 year old wanted to know when and where I heard about this recipe lol. The only part I didn’t follow was adding 3 more tablespoons of sesame oil as it is an extremely strong taste and I also wanted to cut back on calories ( I used vegetable broth). My only regret was not doubling up the recipe. We will definitely eat this one again!
Aw, you just made my day! So happy you finally made it and loved it! Thanks for sharing!
Do you know calorie count on this for a serving?
Great question Sarah! At this time, I don’t have a calorie counter for recipes.
This was amazing! The best dish I have ever made! I added some red pepper flakes because I like the heat, and I put over quinoa for more protein. I will definitely make again! Anyone ever freeze it?
Thank you!!! So happy you love it so much!
Yes, I have frozen the sauce..,works great!
Made this for dinner. I had the chickpeas and my family had chicken. All loved it!
Great! So happy you all loved it and adapted it to everyone’s tastes! Thanks for sharing!
This was delicious. I can’t believe that I made this too! I used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce which made me nervous but it came out perfect! so happy to be getting some meatless meals in!
Thank you! Great substitution! I’m going to have to try it with coconut aminos to switch it up one day! Thanks for sharing!
It sounds so good:)! Do you think I could use maple syrup instead of sugar?
It is soooo good! Thanks! Maple syrup wouldn’t be my first choice… it has a flavor that I’m not sure will work with this dish…
We added some maple syrup at the end and it was great!
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
I love this recipe so much. I am in quarantine as I write this and during this time nothing gives me comfort more than a bowl of this yummy food full of veggies and goodness. Simple and nourishing!
This recipe was incredible! The sauce was so delish and I made a double batch and froze half – Karen will let you know how it goes. Used what I had in the house which was peppers, yellow squash, roasted asparagus and the chickpeas. SO SO delish! If you like some heat, Sriracha sauce or Sambal Oelek would be great added in the sauce!
Thanks so much Lisa! Happy you love it so much! And definitely let me know how it freezes! And love your suggestions for a little heat! Some in my house would love that!
Made this for dinner tonight. Tastes great! My hubby walked into the kitchen saying “Wow, that smells great”!
Yay! Happy you loved it! Thank you!
This sounds delicious, just one question, is the sesame oil plain sesame oil or Toasted sesame oil. Can’t wait to try this.
Great question! It’s plain sesame oil. Hope you love it!
Husband loved this!
Happy he loved it! Thank you!
This recipe is BOMB! It was ALOT of sauce for my taste so I used 2 cans of 15oz beans and I’m excited for leftovers:) Thank you!!!
So happy you love it! And yes, the sauce can lasts more than one meal! Thank you!!
This was very delicious.
Thank you!
Looks delicious. Has anyone tried honey instead of sugar? If so, how much?