Imagine lemon pepper chicken, but not at all. More like chicken poppers, but with cauliflower. Caulifoppers?
This recipe started with the need for a breaded chicken substitute in my rendition of “Sweet & Sour Orange Chicken,” (for the orange sauce, go here) and ended up as a go-to meal all on it’s own.
There are several different ways to cook this, and I’ve listed each in the instructions.
Breaded Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 medium-large head of cauliflower
BATTER:
- 1 cup gluten free flour
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp Garlic&Herb Seasoning or salt to taste
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1-2 cup of nut/oat milk or water (start with 1 cup, and slowly add more till you reach "pancake batter" thickness. If your flower blend has tapioca in it, you’ll generally need at least 2 cups)
Instructions
- Combine all batter ingredients in a a bowl and mix well (make sure it's at or slightly thinner than "pancake batter thickness")
- Break/cut the head of cauliflower into florets (discarding the green leaves/stem) and toss a large handful into the batter. Mix until the florets are thoroughly covered. (Doing this in 2-3 rounds of handfuls instead of *all* the pieces at once makes for easier coating)
- For NuWave baking: Place covered florets on the metal grill (yes, there will be some drippage) and bake for 20-24 minutes. Note: after baking, let the grill cool till it can be handled, then turn sideways/upside down, and push/break the bits of batter that have baked around the metal. This is the easiest way to get your lovely cauliflower off the grill in one piece. Trying to pry them upwards results in broken and ripped batter (this is purely for aesthetic reasons). This is also easier when the batter is still hot/crisp….the longer it cools, the more challenging it becomes.
- For oven baking: Place covered florets onto a lined cooking sheet and bake @ 350-400 degrees till batter is golden. Note: The cauliflower gets thoroughly cooked this way and your “chicken” will be very soft. The NuWave style allows for crispy bread, and cauliflower that still has a little girth.
- For stove-top: cook like you would a pancake, placing the florets on a non-stick or oiled pan that’s preheated, and let sit till golden brown on the pan side, then flip and cook the other side (usually there are several sides to crisp)Note: this way keeps the cauliflower very crunchy, but the batter usually ends up looking less beautiful.
- Serve hot and enjoy!
- EXTRA NOTE: This particular recipe loses it’s crunch after a day in the fridge, but can be somewhat revitalized if reheated on the stove-top.
- LEFTOVER BATTER sometimes happens, depending on how much cauliflower you have to work with. You can either use what's left of the batter to make little savory pancakes, or mince some final bits of cauliflower to mix in, and *then* make little pancakes.