Orange Tofu Chick'n with Homemade Glaze

There’s a lot of buzz about the new partnership with Beyond Meat and Panda Express’ Orange Chicken but down here in Central Florida we don’t have it yet…and my mouth has been watering for Orange Chicken for weeks now, so I broke down and worked out an at-home version!

In all the years that I have been plant-based, I only recently started preparing tofu, using this method, to use as a chicken substitute, in dishes. This recipe turned out so good and flavorful and it’s honestly way easier than you may think!! The orange sauce is so much better than anything from a packet! It's remarkable how much better fresh, from scratch, flavors are!

What you are going to need to buy:

Extra Firm Tofu

Vegan Butter - (This recipe used Earth Balance)

Flour

Corn Starch

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Salt and Pepper

Orange Juice

Red Bell Pepper, julienned

Maple Syrup

Soy Sauce

Cauliflower Rice

Fresh Kale

Minced Garlic

Paprika

Ginger Powder

Vinegar

Cayenne Pepper, optional

What you are going to need to do:

To start, crumble your extra firm tofu into 1.5” inch bite-sized pieces

In a bowl, mix together equal parts corn starch and flour, along with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper (The quantities will vary based on the amount you’re making but the following should be enough for 4 portions.

1/3 cup of flower

1/3 cup of corn starch

1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

Dredge the tofu pieces into the dry mixture and coat well. The better you coat the pieces, the better, and more crisp they will be.

In a skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of vegan butter, on low heat and once the skillet is good and hot, pan fry the tofu, until a nice crust is formed. Remove from heat and set aside.

Wipe out your skillet and using another tablespoon of vegan butter, saute the red pepper and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic until the pepper begins to soften.

To the pepper and garlic, add orange juice, maple syrup, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Again, depending on how much you are making these quantities can vary.

1 cup orange juice

1/3 cup of maple syrup

2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of vinegar

1/2 teaspoon each of ginger powder and paprika

For a spicy glaze add cayenne pepper, to taste.

Stir to combine and increase heat to reduce the sauce. Allow to boil until the sauce is thick and sticky enough to coat the back of a spoon and able to cling to the tofu pieces. If you’d like to speed up this process you can make a slurry with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 2-3 tablespoons of water and add that to the sauce.

Once the glaze has thickened, add the crispy tofu pieces back into the orange glaze and turn heat down to warm.

I like to serve over butter cauliflower rice with some wilted kale!