General Tso's Chicken

Greenkat57
Greenkat57 Posts: 24 Member
edited November 18 in Food and Nutrition
Hi Everyone!

I treated myself to General Tso's chicken tonite, but trying to get an accurate calorie count for take-out seems impossible. I'd be happy to take the higher end of a close range for a 1 cup serving, but I went to several places & they vary from 300 to 1000 calories for a cup.

Anyone here have reliable knowledge of the approximate caloric intake? I thought of asking the restaurant, but there is VERY strong language barrier.

Thanks for any input!

Kathy

Replies

  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    We can't really tell without seeing the portion you ate. Did you have rice? How much? If you were to weigh the chicken, do you think it would be 4 oz, 8 oz, 10?
  • sixxpoint
    sixxpoint Posts: 3,529 Member
    edited May 2015
    South China General Tso's seems to be fairly accurate. 1 cup = 400 calories plus

    It will be high in sodium, but the sugar rating is N/A. There is more sugar in the sauce than you think. That will boost the calories closer to 500 for the chicken, breading, and sauce alone.
  • Greenkat57
    Greenkat57 Posts: 24 Member
    I don't have a food scale yet so I use measuring cups. ..I am no good with estimating weight... :(

    Yes, I also had the rice, but I have no problem with getting such a wide range of calories with the rice...

    I know the sodium and sugar content are high...and I hope 500 calories are accurate give or take 100. I planned for that, but some of the places said 750-1000 calories plus even more elevated sodium & sugar contents. (Sigh)

    This is the one food I want to be able to eat once/month for a treat yet it seems difficult to pin down the calories.

    Thanks for your help...
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    edited May 2015
    I always assume 1000-1200 for anything like that. At least if I eat the whole portion given.
  • vik70
    vik70 Posts: 1 Member
    I have a cook book by Ching- he huang. Called Chings fast food. The recipes in there. Make your own. It's delicious and takes minutes to make ( quicker than take out) x
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Greenkat57 wrote: »
    Hi Everyone!

    I treated myself to General Tso's chicken tonite, but trying to get an accurate calorie count for take-out seems impossible.

    It is. Here's how to deal with it...

    1. Pick a big number that is likely too high
    2. Add a zero.
    3. Remember to order anything-but next time.
  • d1664256
    d1664256 Posts: 18 Member
    There's no accurate way. I estimate the chicken and record that as fried chicken. Then I estimate the sauce, which is really sugar syrup.
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