Vegan Orange Chicken. That’s all. That’s all I need to say. But really, my boyfriend gave me this idea because we often order takeout. I’ve been on a mission to recreate all my frequently ordered Chinese take-out dishes. SO far so good! I’ve made a few but this one is by far the best. It met every expectation and I honestly think I’d pick this over the restaurant made version any day of the week. It’s that good!
Making the seitan from scratch seems a little daunting but I promise you, it’s easy. It takes about 1 hour total to make the chicken with 45 minutes of inactive time. After that, the recipe comes together within no time. And yes, this chicken is fried but I can assure you that it is crucial. Treat yourself. The sauce comes together in just a few moments. Grab a pack of thick udon noodles that are done in 2 minutes and that part basically cooks itself. Cook up some assorted veggies that you love. Then, serve! This recipe will impress! Tell me down below which Chinese Take-Out dish you’d like to see me veganize next.
What You Will Need For This Vegan Orange Chicken
Kitchen Essentials:
The best part of this recipe is that is requires no special equipment! The seitan is simply boiled and then fried so the only requirement is a deep pot.
Main Ingredients:
- Chicken Style Seitan
- Vegan Chicken Stock
- Fresh Orange Juice
- Soy Sauce
Substitutions:
If you’re short on time use pressed tofu coated in cornstarch, salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder. Toss and pan fry on medium high heat in batches.
Tips & Tricks:
Save time by making the seitan ahead of time.
What should I do with the leftover seitan?
Make my Vegan Orange Chicken or Vegan Korean Fried Chicken!
More Recipes You Might Like:
If You Make This Recipe:
Tag me on Instagram! I’d love to see your delicious re-creations and feature them! As always, I would greatly appreciate if you share your review in the comments below. Don’t forget to add if you made any fun substitutions. Thank you!
Vegan Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Vegan Chicken:
- 1 1/4 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
- 1/2 cup Silken Tofu
- 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
- 3/4 cup Vegan Chicken Broth I recommend No Chicken Bouillon Base
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Dried Sage
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 8-10 cups Vegan Chicken Broth for boiling
- Oil for frying
Breading:
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs check ingredients
- 2 tsp Onion Powder
- Healthy Pinch of Salt
- Healthy Pinch of Black Pepper
- 3/4 cup Vegan Chicken Stock from the batch you boil the seitan in
- 1/4 cup Ground Flaxseed or other egg replacer
Orange Sauce:
- 1 cup Vegan Chicken Stock from the batch you boil the seitan in
- 1/2 cup Fresh Orange Juice
- 1/2 cup Organic Sugar
- 1/4 cup White Vinegar
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce I used reduced sodium
- 1 tbsp Orange Zest
- 2 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce
- 2 tbsps Cornstarch
For Serving:
- Thick Udon Noodles or rice if preferred
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1/2 Red Onion
- 2-3 tbsps Green Onions
Instructions
- Make the Chicken-Style Seitan: Add the silken tofu, nutritional yeast, vegan chicken broth, salt, onion powder, sage, thyme, and black pepper to a food processor. Blend until smooth.
- In a medium sized bowl, add the vital wheat gluten. Add the tofu mixture to the bowl with the vital wheat gluten and combine with a wooden spoon until just combined. Knead the mixture with clean hands for about 1-2 minutes until it comes together.
- On a clean surface, roll the dough in to a log shape and cut in to 4 even pieces. Now, with your hands begin to flatten and pull the seitan pieces. The dough starts to bounce back, that's ok. You don't want them to be too thin. Keep in mind, they double in size once cooked.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add in the no chicken bouillon base. I added a few heaping tablespoons for extra flavor.
- Once boiling, carefully add the seitan. Cover and reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer the seitan for 45 minutes, flipping them over after the first 20 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, carefully remove the seitan and let cool. Do not discard the chicken stock.
- BreadingWhite the seitan is cooling, grab 2 shallow bowls. In the first bowl, add 3/4 cup of the reserved chicken stock and stir in the 1/4 cup of flaxseed. Set aside to thicken.
- In the second bowl, add the flour, breadcrumbs, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Once the seitan is cool enough to be handled, rip it in bite-sized pieces with your hands. I chose to rip it, instead of cutting, to look more like chicken. You only need half of the seitan.
- Heat a large pot of oil on medium-high heat. *Be careful when frying + turn down heat as needed.
- Coat the seitan in the wet dredge, shake off excess, then directly into the flour mixture, again shake off excess. Place carefully in to the hot oil. Fry for 5 minutes or until golden brown, flipping halfway if needed. Drain off excess oil on a paper towel lined baking tray. Continue until all the vegan chicken is breaded and fried. Set aside.
- Orange Chicken:Chop vegetables of choice, I used red peppers and red onions. Add a few drops of oil to a pan and cook until soft and slightly browning.
- Boil a pot of water and cook noodles according to package. I used thick udon noodles that took 2 minutes to cook.
- Combine noodles with the cooked vegetables.
- While the noodles and veggies cook, place a large sauce pan on medium-high heat. Combine all the orange sauce ingredients except the cornstarch and then add it to the pan. Cook until all the sugar is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Whisking often.
- In a small dish, combine cornstarch with 2 tbsps of water. Whisk in the cornstarch slurry to the sauce and continue to cook until it has thickened. Add in the vegan chicken and toss to coat.
- Serve your vegan orange chicken over the noodles + veg. Top with green onion. Enjoy!
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