Baked Orange Chicken (or Tofu) Nuggets with Steamed Bok Choy & Orange Slices (GF) (DF) (V)

Week Six of Quarantine Cooking had me longingly looking at recipes for the food we used to order when we ate out. My daughter loves orange chicken, but “fried" and “greasy” came to mind about that dish.

It took a leap of faith and a combination of recipes to get a good crisp baked chicken nugget and a pleasing sauce, but this version of Orange Chicken was light and crunchy and spicy! ~ all in a healthy and delicious way.

One chef had found that processing panko in a food processor for a few seconds added just the right amount of crunch; no need for frying at all. An adaptation of another sauce highlighted the taste of the oranges rather than being bogged down in sugar and vinegar. And steamed bok choy in the pan at the end was a perfect side dish to soak up leftover sauce and complete the meal.

It was so good, I worked on a tofu recipe to remake later for our vegetarian family members. With just a slight difference in texture, the dish completely fooled my daughter who came in and scooped up the second batch before I had a chance to tell her it wasn’t chicken (wink wink).

My Paleo Marin: 5 Persimmons*

Ingredients:

1 to 1-1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2” cubes, patted dry
 OR
1 package (10 oz.) firm or extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/2” cubes, preferably Hodo Organic Firm Tofu
(Note: there is currently a tofu shortage in the US due to import restrictions; this brand is made in Oakland, CA - their website has a store locator, and it’s also available online.)

1/2 cup of gluten free flour, preferably Cup4Cup Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
2 eggs, whisked
1 cup panko, pulsed in a food processor about 10-15 seconds (use Ian's Natural Foods Gluten-Free Panko Breadcrumbs for gluten-free option)

Image from Good Eggs

For the Sauce:

2/3 cup orange juice from 2 Cara Cara Oranges 
Zest of 2 Cara Cara Oranges 
1 teaspoon grated ginger
5-6 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (personal preference)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon arrowroot powder

For the Frying Pan:

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 small cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the Baby Bok Choy:

1 teaspoon olive Oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 heads of Baby Bok Choy, washed, bottoms cut off, and leaves separated

For Garnish: Orange slices; Cilantro sprigs

Directions:

For the chicken:

Preheat oven to 400º F.

Cover two large baking sheets with silpat sheets or parchment paper. Set up 3 bowls in a line as follows: one with the flour; one with eggs; and one with the panko. Refresh bowls as necessary.

1. With tongs or your fingers, dip each chicken cube into the flour, egg, then panko in that order. Place on baking sheets without crowding the pieces. Wipe tongs or fingers as necessary. On the middle rack of the oven, bake each sheet one at a time for 20-25 minutes. The nuggets are done when the bottoms are browned and the nuggets move freely about the sheet when slightly shaken.

2. While the chicken is baking, make the sauce as follows: in a medium bowl, whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, grated ginger, apple cider vinegar, salt and arrowroot powder. Set aside.

3. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large frying pan, and add the minced garlic, grated ginger and red pepper flakes. Stir until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the prepared sauce and mix until heated through and thickened, stirring constantly, about 5-7 minutes.

4. Add the cooked chicken pieces to the frying pan and stir to coat thoroughly with sauce. Put the nuggets in a bowl or push them to one side of the pan off of the heat to make room to cook the bok choy.

For the Bok Choy:

Add the olive oil to the frying pan over medium heat and slightly brown the garlic. Add the bok choy and stir to coat in the excess sauce. Cook over low heat, turning a few times, until the greens slightly soften, a couple of minutes. If the stalks are large or thick, remove the nuggets, add a tablespoon of water, and cover and steam the greens over low heat for a minute or two.

For the Tofu:

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

Cut the tofu into 1/2” cubes. To drain the excess liquid, put two paper towels on one of the baking sheets, add the tofu cubes, cover with a layer of paper towels. Add the second baking sheet on top and weigh it down with a large heavy pot for about 20 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and the towels and wipe up the extra liquid. Pat the tofu dry. (Note: only one sheet is needed for baking the tofu).

1. Place the drained tofu cubes on a baking sheet covered with a silpat sheet or parchment paper.  Pre-bake for 5 minutes (to let them dry out a bit). Allow to cool off and air dry for a few minutes.

2. Heat the oven up to 400º F. and prepare as above for the chicken nuggets.

To Serve:

Place the bok choy on plates and cover with nuggets. Serve with any extra sauce, orange slices and cilantro sprigs.

#paleo #chicken #orangechicken #tofu #nuggets #bokchoy #glutenfree #dairyfree #Chinese #recipes #maincourses #Asianfood #panko #lowsugar #vegan #vegetarian #lowsugar #healthyeats

Recipe mostly adapted from Dinner then Dessert website here.

*My Paleo Marin Rating between 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.