Vegan Orange Chicken

In my opinion, asian food has the greatest flavor combinations of any cuisine: sweet and sour, citrusy and umami, bitter and spicy – you name the flavor contrasts, and somewhere in asian cuisine it exists. And conveniently, most asian dishes are practically vegan already; often, you need only substitute the main protein. In this vegan orange chicken recipe, you’ll be using tofu.

And what a wondrous protein it is, tofu. There is a common misconception that it is tasteless, but it’s like any other protein: meant to be seasoned and marinaded. Tofu is a blank canvas; it can become any flavor you want, if prepared properly.

In this recipe, you ought to press the tofu for 30 minutes beforehand. This allows it to absorb maximum flavor from the marinade, which also doubles as the sauce you’ll be pouring over top the crispy vegan orange chicken at the end.

So get to pressing the tofu already, and buckle up for a schooling in how to painlessly prepare this delicious tofu dish.

Ingredients

1 (14-ounce) package of extra-firm tofu, pressed for 30 minutes

For the marinade/sauce

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Zest from one orange, about 1 tablespoon
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup tamari
1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
Dash of red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2 tablespoons warm water

For dredge, batter, and coating

All-purpose flour, about ½ cup or so

1/2 cup chickpea flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2/3 cup soda water, like Perrier or generic club soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 cups Panko bread crumbs

2 cups of neutral oil, like canola or safflower, for frying

Directions

1. Press the tofu for 30 minutes.

2. In the meanwhile, prepare the marinade by mixing the orange juice, zest, rice wine, tamari and brown sugar together.

3. Once your tofu is pressed, cut it into rectangular cutlets, about as wide, long and high as the middle three fingers of your hand, and then place them in a re-sealable quart-sized plastic bag or set in a baking dish. Pour your marinade mixture over the tofu and let sit for either overnight, for a couple hours, or minimum for 30 minutes. The longer, the more flavor.

4. After the tofu is done marinating, in a small sauce pan over medium heat, sauté the garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil for 2 minutes. Then, take what’s left of your marinade and add it to the saucepan. You can always add more of the liquids like orange juice, rice wine vinegar, or tamari if the tofu has absorbed the lion’s share of the
marinade – just be sure to balance out the flavors.

5. After the marinade has lightly boiled for a couple minutes, mix together the cornstarch and warm water in a small bowl first, and then incorporate it into the marinade. Let that reduce and thicken for 10 to 15 minutes or so, depending on the consistency you want of your sauce.

6. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, add about 1/4 to 1/2-inch of neutral oil (about 2 cups), like canola or safflower. Prepare three bowls: one for the all-purpose flour dredge; the next for your chickpea batter ingredients (chickpea flour, baking powder, salt, soda water, garlic powder black pepper – it should be the consistency of pancake or waffle batter); and lastly, for your coating of Panko. Line the bowls up one after another.

7. When the oil is hot and shimmering, dredge your marinated tofu first in all-purpose flour, then in your batter, then lastly in the Panko, and drop the battered tofu into the oil. Fry for a couple minutes in batches, until deep golden brown color. These cook fast, so be sure to watch them and fry them evenly all the way around.

7. Place your tofu-chicken over rice, and drizzle your reduced sauce over that. Serve with a green vegetable like broccoli or bok choy, some sriracha or sweet chili sauce, or other condiments.

Enjoy your vegan orange “chicken”!

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Let me know if you made this recipe, and how it went for you in the comments below.

Also, if you love everything tofu, check out these Tofu Ricotta Stuffed Medjool Dates!