The original recipe uses pork — General Tso’s Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos With Orange-Broccoli Slaw — but boneless, skinless chicken thighs are an easy substitution. That’s what I did. The chicken thighs only need to cook for about 4 hours on low in your Crock-Pot.
I omitted the cornstarch, and once the chicken was fully cooked I removed it in order to shred it fully. While I was doing that, I reduced the remaining sauce in a small pan on the stove, and found that I could get it to thicken slightly in a short amount of time. If you do use the cornstarch, you will likely get a much glossier, thicker sauce, so the choice is yours.
I used my own dressing for the broccoli slaw, which includes sriracha, honey, fresh lemon, and rice wine vinegar. The slaw is better if it sits for a few hours in the dressing, but its crisp and spicy flavor is a good compliment to the saucy chicken.
A. was happy to eat a couple of these chicken tortillas, and even asked for them again the next night. On the other hand, I could barely get G. to try a plain tortilla. So, a semi-success. I liked the flavor of this dish a lot, and think it performs well as a slow-cooker meal. It worth repeating a couple of times a year.
Tired of beef meatballs in marinara sauce? This is a delicious alternative that can still be served with spaghetti if you have picky kids like mine. The recipe for Scallion Meatballs with Soy-Ginger Glaze comes from Deb at Smitten Kitchen, and it is a keeper.
I followed the recipe exactly, except that I did use the full amount of fresh ginger and I bumped up the amount of cilantro (because I love it). The ground turkey mixture is extremely wet, but if you gently shape the meatballs as Deb explains — dampen your hands with cold water and move the mixture from hand to hand as you form it into a ball — they’ll turn out fine. I had to re-wet my hands a couple of times.
These meatballs are fantastic. The sauce, which reduces beautifully, is thick and glossy and just like you’d get at a good restaurant. The meatballs are tender and bursting with a light, fresh favor thanks to the herbs. Because the sauce is a salty and clings to the meatballs, it contrasts perfectly with the lighter, sweeter note of the turkey.
Unfortunately, I could not get either of my boys to try them. I think on another night, A. would have tried a meatball without the sauce — he loves cilantro too — but he was tired and not in the mood to be adventurous. I froze a good portion of the meatballs in their sauce, but did not care for the way they later defrosted and reheated. As reheated leftovers, the meatballs were slightly spongy and watery, and the sauce reduced a bit further and was too salty for my taste. So, if you make them, eat them fresh! I’m sure in most households, there won’t be any leftovers to worry about, anyway.
Last Wednesday, A. ate two homemade meatballs in sauce, whole wheat pasta, steamed green beans, and an apple for dinner. That may seem like any day of the week to you and your kids, but as the mom of picky eaters, it was a night to be remembered. Sure it was a well-rounded and healthy meal, but it was extraordinary in how simple it was for me to make, and how nonchalantly it was eaten by my eldest. (G. just ate the pasta.)
I’m repeating that meal again this week, though A. requested I cook the meatballs separately from the sauce. No problem, I can do that. In addition to the dinners below, I’m also making a batch of Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies for a meeting on Thursday.
Monday: Grilled steaks and sweet potatoes, salad, challah (meant to be served last night, but we ate out instead)
I got through last week — which started out with a three-day power failure — with a lot of plain pasta dinners. The kids were happy, but I was not. Still, it’s good to feel I can fall back on a week like that when a major storm derails our normal plans, and I struggled to get back on task.
This week is filled with “real” meals, as G. would say. This kid, who once thought it was the greatest thing on earth to be allowed to eat a cup of yogurt for dinner, has come to expect a home-cooked meal with multiple components. I love that this is his idea of normal, even though he still won’t eat most of what I cook. I did ask the boys to each contribute a suggestion for one dinner this week. G.’s choice is the calzones; A.’s is the lasagna roll-ups. They only suggested those meals after I shot down their first request: plain pasta.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more about me and CITK, and keep in touch:
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Cheesy Kale Crisps: We rarely eat kale now that our farm share is over, and I want to fix that. I've wanted to try using nutritional yeast, and this recipe looks like a tasty way to do it.
I'm Dara, the Chick in the Kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two school-aged boys and husband. Feeding my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Read more 
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