General Tso vs Orange Chicken - Nutrition & Health impact comparison
Summary
General Tso’s and Chinese orange chicken are popular Chinese American dishes with high amounts of carbs and sodium. However, they are rich in vitamins, minerals, and protein. Consuming these foods in moderation is essential since they increase metabolic and cardiovascular disease mortality risks.
Table of contents
Introduction
This article is a comparison between 2 American Chinese dishes, General Tso's chicken and Chinese orange chicken.
General Tso’s chicken is a dish that originated in Taiwan and was later brought to the US. In comparison, Chinese orange chicken is also an American Chinese dish, which is claimed to be a variation of General Tso’s chicken recipe.
Ingredient differences
It is essential to understand the main ingredients in each dish. The base is chicken. However, there exists a difference in the preparation of the chicken.
General Tso’s chicken is made from chicken thigh cuts, breaded, and fried. In comparison, orange chicken is chicken breast fried till golden crispy.
The other main difference is the sauce in that the chicken gets drizzled.
General Tso’s chicken tangy sauce contains rice vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili flakes, pepper, and cornstarch. It is usually served with rice, vegetables, Chinese noodles, and salads.
In comparison, orange chicken contains orange juice, sugar, orange peel, cornstarch, soy sauce, spices, garlic, and ginger. It is best served with rice, egg, egg noodles, and steamed broccoli.
From the ingredients of the sauce, we can differentiate the taste also. The orange chicken will have a sweet and savory flavor, whereas General Tso’s chicken will give a milder, spicier, and more savory flavor.
Nutritional content comparison
In this section, we will be considering 100g servings of each. In the infographic below, you can see that both of them contain nearly the same amounts of water. However, General Tso's chicken is slightly higher in carbs and fats.
Macronutrient Comparison
Contains
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FatsFats
+29%
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ProteinProtein
+12.1%
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OtherOther
+23.1%
Carbs
They contain high amounts of carbs. Their carb content is nearly similar, 24g for General Tso’s chicken and 23g for orange chicken. Both contain nearly the same amount of dietary fiber.
General Tso's chicken is higher in starch due to additional cornstarch used in its preparation. Orange chicken is richer in sucrose.
Carbohydrate type comparison
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StarchStarch
+12.7%
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SucroseSucrose
+17.6%
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FructoseFructose
+31.4%
Calories
General Tso's chicken and Orange chicken are high in calories. General Tso’s chicken contains nearly 300 calories. In comparison, orange chicken is lower in calories: it contains about 260 calories.
Proteins
Orange chicken contains higher amounts of proteins than General Tso’s chicken, at 15g for orange chicken and 13g for General Tso’s chicken. Orange chicken has a leaner cut which is chicken breast.
Fats
General Tso’s chicken contains higher amounts of fats compared to orange chicken. General Tso’s chicken contains 16g of fat, whereas orange chicken has 12g.
General Tso's chicken is comparably richer in unsaturated fats. Orange chicken contains 8mg more cholesterol.
Fat Type Comparison
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Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat
+11.7%
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Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat
+23.3%
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Sat. FatSaturated Fat
-12.2%
Minerals
Both these dishes are very high in sodium. In comparison, orange chicken contains higher amounts of sodium than general Tso’s chicken.
General Tso’s chicken is richer in iron. In contrast, Chinese orange chicken is richer in selenium and phosphorus.
Below we can visualize their mineral profiles.
Mineral Comparison
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IronIron
+23.4%
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ZincZinc
+15%
Contains
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SodiumSodium
-21.3%
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MagnesiumMagnesium
+11.1%
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CalciumCalcium
+16.7%
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ManganeseManganese
+16%
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SeleniumSelenium
+18.8%
Vitamins
General Tso’s chicken is richer in vitamins K and E. Chinese orange chicken is richer in vitamins B2, B3, B5, and B6.
Below we can visualize their vitamin profiles.
Vitamin Comparison
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Vitamin CVitamin C
+77.8%
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Vitamin EVitamin E
+13.1%
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Vitamin DVitamin D
+100%
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Vitamin KVitamin K
+56.6%
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Vitamin AVitamin A
+180.9%
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Vitamin B1Vitamin B1
+59.3%
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Vitamin B2Vitamin B2
+86.4%
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Vitamin B3Vitamin B3
+25.8%
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Vitamin B5Vitamin B5
+62.1%
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Vitamin B6Vitamin B6
+13.9%
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CholineCholine
+59.3%
Health impacts
Cardiovascular diseases
High-sodium foods increase the risk of hypertension and mortality rates from cardiovascular diseases. One of these foods' major significant health impacts is their high sodium intake. In this case, Chinese orange chicken poses a higher risk since it contains higher amounts of sodium.
Consume these foods in moderation and at lower frequencies. (1)
Metabolic diseases
Since these foods are high in carbs, consuming high-carb foods increases the risks of several metabolic diseases, including obesity and diabetes. It is also important to remember that these foods are primarily associated with white rice, which increases carbohydrate intake. (2)
Infographic
Comparison summary table
Rich in minerals | |||
Lower in Saturated Fat | |||
Lower in Cholesterol | |||
Lower in Sugar | |||
Lower in Sodium | |||
Lower in Glycemic Index | Equal | ||
Lower in price | Equal | ||
Rich in vitamins | Equal |
All nutrients comparison - raw data values
Nutrient | Opinion | ||
Calories | 295kcal | 262kcal | |
Protein | 12.9g | 14.46g | |
Fats | 16.36g | 12.68g | |
Vitamin C | 1.6mg | 0.9mg | |
Net carbs | 23.09g | 21.66g | |
Carbs | 23.99g | 22.46g | |
Cholesterol | 53mg | 61mg | |
Vitamin D | 6IU | 5IU | |
Magnesium | 18mg | 20mg | |
Calcium | 12mg | 14mg | |
Potassium | 201mg | 209mg | |
Iron | 1.16mg | 0.94mg | |
Sugar | 11.6g | 13.6g | |
Fiber | 0.9g | 0.8g | |
Copper | 0.046mg | 0.042mg | |
Zinc | 1.3mg | 1.13mg | |
Starch | 11.83g | 10.5g | |
Phosphorus | 127mg | 130mg | |
Sodium | 435mg | 553mg | |
Vitamin A | 94IU | 264IU | |
Vitamin A | 11µg | 75µg | |
Vitamin E | 1.21mg | 1.07mg | |
Vitamin D | 0.2µg | 0.1µg | |
Manganese | 0.075mg | 0.087mg | |
Selenium | 14.4µg | 17.1µg | |
Vitamin B1 | 0.027mg | 0.043mg | |
Vitamin B2 | 0.118mg | 0.22mg | |
Vitamin B3 | 2.853mg | 3.59mg | |
Vitamin B5 | 0.617mg | 1mg | |
Vitamin B6 | 0.202mg | 0.23mg | |
Vitamin B12 | 0.22µg | 0.2µg | |
Vitamin K | 38.2µg | 24.4µg | |
Folate | 11µg | 10µg | |
Trans Fat | 0.09g | 0.053g | |
Choline | 41.5mg | 66.1mg | |
Saturated Fat | 2.76g | 2.422g | |
Monounsaturated Fat | 3.879g | 3.474g | |
Polyunsaturated fat | 7.501g | 6.086g | |
Tryptophan | 0.142mg | 0.113mg | |
Threonine | 0.552mg | 0.576mg | |
Isoleucine | 0.564mg | 0.576mg | |
Leucine | 1.026mg | 1.001mg | |
Lysine | 1.089mg | 1.058mg | |
Methionine | 0.332mg | 0.34mg | |
Phenylalanine | 0.563mg | 0.51mg | |
Valine | 0.607mg | 0.614mg | |
Histidine | 0.333mg | 0.359mg | |
Fructose | 0.51g | 0.67g | |
Omega-3 - EPA | 0.005g | 0.001g | |
Omega-3 - DHA | 0.005g | 0.005g | |
Omega-3 - ALA | 0.84g | 0.619g | |
Omega-3 - DPA | 0.006g | 0.003g | |
Omega-3 - Eicosatrienoic acid | 0.001g | 0g | |
Omega-6 - Gamma-linoleic acid | 0.005g | 0.028g | |
Omega-6 - Dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid | 0.01g | 0.01g | |
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid | 0.011g | 0.008g | |
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid | 6.47g | 5.284g |
Which food is preferable for your diet?
Low Calories diet | ||
Low Fats diet | ||
Low Carbs diet | ||
Low Glycemic Index diet | Equal |
People also compare
Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
Comparison summary
References
All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.
- General tso's chicken - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/167675/nutrients
- Orange chicken - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/167679/nutrients
All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.