General Tso’s chicken is a sweet, fried chicken dish that is wildly popular across America as takeout and delivery food. With its crunchy exterior and sweet, sticky sauce, it’s easy to see why people love this dish. However, with its deep-fried chicken and high sugar content, some may wonder just how healthy General Tso’s chicken really is. In this article, we’ll take a detailed look at the nutritional breakdown of a typical order of General Tso’s chicken to see where it stands health-wise. We’ll look at calories, fat, protein, carbs, and other nutrients. We’ll also compare it to other popular takeout options. Read on to learn all about the healthfulness of this beloved Chinese food dish!
Calories in General Tso’s Chicken
When looking at the healthiness of any food, one of the first things to consider is the calorie count. Calories provide a general overview of how a food item may impact your overall dietary health.
According to the USDA, one cup of General Tso’s chicken with sauce contains approximately 510 calories. For the entire dish from a takeout restaurant, the calorie count may be between 700-1,200 calories or more depending on the portion size.
Compared to other popular takeout dishes, General Tso’s chicken is moderately high in calories:
| Takeout Dish | Calories (Per Serving) |
|---|---|
| General Tso’s Chicken | 700-1200 |
| Burger and fries | 1000-1500 |
| Chicken wings (10 wings) | 1500-2000 |
| Cheese pizza (2 slices) | 700-1100 |
As you can see, General Tso’s chicken has fewer calories than something like a burger and fries or chicken wings, but more calories than two slices of cheese pizza. Overall, while not extremely low or high in calories, it still packs a moderate calorie load into one meal.
Fat Content
In addition to calories, looking at the amount of fat in General Tso’s chicken can provide further insight into its nutritional value:
– Total fat: Around 13g per cup serving, primarily from frying the chicken.
– Saturated fat: Around 3g per serving. Saturated fats should be limited to avoid raising cholesterol.
– Trans fat: None, as most restaurants no longer use partially hydrogenated oil high in trans fats.
– Mono and polyunsaturated (healthier) fats: Around 8g per serving.
The relatively high total fat content comes from the chicken being deep fried during preparation. However, the type of fats are a blend, with some healthier unsaturated fats present. Compared to the high saturated fat content that would come from say, fried chicken wings, General Tso’s chicken is moderately high in fat overall.
Carbohydrates
General Tso’s chicken contains a high amount of carbohydrates, primarily from sugar added to the sauce:
– Total carbs: Around 33g per cup serving
– Fiber: Around 1g
– Sugar: Around 15g of added sugar
The added sugar accounts for the sticky, sweet taste of the sauce. 15g of added sugar is quite high for a single meal, exceeding the recommended limits for added sugar in a day. The fiber content is low. Therefore, both the quality and quantity of carbs in this dish are poor.
Protein
On a more positive note, General Tso’s chicken does provide a good amount of protein:
– Protein: Around 16g per cup serving
The majority of this comes from the chicken meat, which is lean protein. For comparison, an average chicken breast contains around 43g of protein. So while not extremely high in protein, General Tso’s chicken does provide a moderate amount of this important nutrient per serving.
Vitamins and Minerals
General Tso’s chicken is not a significant source of vitamins and minerals, since it is composed mainly of fried chicken and sauce. However, some micronutrients provided in a serving include:
– Vitamin A: 10% DV
– Vitamin C: 2% DV
– Calcium: 2% DV
– Iron: 10% DV
While not rich in vitamins and minerals, you do get small amounts of these nutrients from the fresh chilies, garlic, ginger, and other seasonings used to flavor the dish.
Sodium Content
Like many takeout dishes, General Tso’s chicken can be quite high in sodium:
– Sodium: Around 1200mg per serving
This represents over half of the recommended daily limit of 2300mg per day. The sodium mainly comes from soy sauce, added table salt, and potentially MSG used to season the food. The high sodium content should be taken into account for those monitoring their blood pressure.
Nutrition Summary
Looking at all the nutritional facts, here is an overview of the pros and cons of General Tso’s chicken:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
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Overall, while General Tso’s chicken does contain some positive nutrients, the high sugar, sodium, and calorie content along with low fiber make it hard to constitute this as a truly healthy meal choice.
How to Make it Healthier
If you want to still enjoy General Tso’s chicken while boosting the nutritional value, there are some easy ways to make it a little healthier:
– Request light sauce or on the side: This reduces excess calories, sugar, and sodium from the high-calorie sauce.
– Opt for steamed rice instead of fried rice: Simple steamed rice is lower in oil and calories than fried rice.
– Load up on vegetables: Request extra veggies like broccoli and ask for brown rice to increase fiber.
– Split or take half home: Eat only half to control portions and cut calories in half.
– Bake instead of frying: Make a healthier version at home using baked chicken for less fat and calories.
– Use reduced sodium soy sauce: Choose a low-sodium soy sauce to help lower the sodium content.
With small tweaks, it’s possible to still enjoy the flavors of General Tso’s chicken while limiting some of the less healthy nutritional components.
Healthier Takeout Options
If you want to choose a healthier takeout option, here are some alternatives to consider that are lower in calories, fat, and sodium:
– Vegetable or chicken stir fry with brown rice
– Veggie or shrimp lo mein
– Steamed fish or tofu and vegetables
– Chicken salad or wrap
– Veggie pizza with light cheese
– Burrito bowl with chicken or fish
Choosing takeout dishes centered around lean proteins like chicken or fish along with lots of veggies will provide more nutritional value than General Tso’s chicken.
Conclusion
General Tso’s chicken is a beloved Chinese takeout meal thanks to its crispy fried chicken and sweet, sticky sauce. However, taking a closer look at the nutrition facts reveals it is quite high in calories, sugar, sodium, and fat due to the cooking methods and sauce ingredients. While it does provide some protein, vitamins, and minerals, overall General Tso’s chicken would not be considered the healthiest takeout choice. There are ways to tweak the dish to make it slightly better for you, such as ordering light sauce, adding veggies, and choosing steamed rice. But for the healthiest takeout meal, dishes centered around lean protein, veggies, and whole grains would be lower in calories while providing more nutritional benefits. In moderation, General Tso’s can still be enjoyed as an occasional treat. But it may be best to avoid making it your go-to takeout choice if looking for truly healthy Chinese food options.