Orange Chicken or Tofu!
This is a serious staple in our house. We love the heat and sweet together with the crunch of the tofu. This is a make every week kinda dish. It’s not super challenging but there are a few steps if you deep fry. If you choose to pan fry your protein, it’s slightly less daunting.
I usually make the sauce and let it simmer while I do everything else. Once it’s all done, it kinda comes together at the same time.
We like to eat this as a meal, so I’ll usually lightly sauté some white onion, broccoli and red bell pepper then add them into the sauce at the end to coat.
Rice is always a must. I made this once with quinoa and let’s just say I’ll never do that again.
When I make rice for this I sauté in the instant pot, 2-3 green onions and some garlic then add a cup of rice and 1.5 cups of broth. If I have seasoned broth on hand I’ll use that for extra flavor. And don’t forget to salt it!
Here is how you make my dreamy orange tofu!
Sauce:
Orange juice 1 Cup
Honey 1/3 Cup
Garlic 3 Cloves (grated)
Ginger 1/2 Teaspoon (grated)
Rice vinegar 2 Tablespoons
Tamari 2 Tablespoons
Chili flakes 1/2 Teaspoon
Salt a Pinch
1/2 teaspoon tapioca flour
2 teaspoons water
Coating:
Tapioca flour 1/3 Cup
Rice flour 1/3 Cup
Salt Big Pinch
Pepper Pinch
1/3 cup eggless mayo like Sir Kensingtons (you might need more, its just to coat the chicken or tofu).
Frying:
I used Algae oil and coconut oil.
Make sure when melted that it fills 1/3 of the small sauce pan so you don’t need to use too much.
Protein:
2 Chicken breasts or 1 package tofu.
There are two different ways to do this. You can fry your protein or you can pan fry it.
In a large pan add all sauce ingredients except for the tapioca flour and water and let simmer to meld all the flavors.
Prepare your chicken breasts or tofu. Cut chicken/tofu into small 1” cubes. If you want to pan fry it, I suggest adding 1/4 cup of oil in a pan and add your seasoned tofu. Fry them on high heat until they’re crispy on all sides.
If you want to deep fry heres how you do it. Add your frying oil into a smallish pot. I use a 2 quart sauce pan so that I don’t have to use too much oil filling up a big pot. Turn the oil on medium.
Put mayo in a bowl big enough to coat all the protein (you don’t have to do it all at once). In another bowl whisk together the flours, salt and pepper. Coat everything in the mayo and then in the flour mix.
Start frying. Turn the heat up under the oil to medium high- more medium than high. I like to test with one piece, I’ll place it in the hot oil and see how it does. I don’t have a time or a temp for these.
Hot oil can be scary. Be careful as you’re doing this. You can absolutely do it, just be cautious.
Cook the first piece for a few minutes until golden brown. When you know the oil is hot enough and that piece is nice and golden, take it out and add more pieces. I usually add 5-6 at a time. Be careful as the oil can start to bubble up as you add. Do not be scared, if you’ve filled your pot 1/3- 1/2 full you should be okay. As you add more pieces, the fry oil temp goes down so don’t add too many at a time.
At this point the sauce should have cooked down a little., turn the heat off. Combine the tapioca flour and water in a small bowl and whisk. Add the slurry to the sauce and whisk until all combined. This will help thicken it.
Once each piece is done in the fryer, put them into the sauce. Once they’re all done, turn the sauce on low and mix it up. You should see the same thickening.
It’s really easy for the sauce to thicken once the slurry is in there so make sure you’re not too thick until everything is in the pan.
Top with green onions and sprouts!
Serve and enjoy!