Taco Tuesday is a staple in our household, so I like to mix it up with new recipes when I can. These taco style bao do take some time and prep work, but they are sooooo worth it. Budget friendly and delicious, this is an easy way to put a different spin on taco night!
NOTE** You can also use the same dough and filling to make pork or chicken buns, making filled dough balls instead of flat, “taco” rounds.
Dough:
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 warm water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
1 1/2 cups cake flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup warm milk
1 tablespoon canola oil, plus more as needed
Chicken:
2 chicken breasts
½ cup teriyaki sauce
2 garlic cloves
3 green onions
1 inch piece of ginger
Picked veggies:
2 cups broccoli slaw veggies from Trader Joes
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp coriander seed
1 bay leaf
1 pinch red chili flake
Sauce:
3 tbs Greek yogurt
1 ½ tbs bbq sauce
2 tsp (or more) siracha
1 tsp honey
1 tsp mustard
Start with the dough, and sprinkle yeast and 1 tbs of sugar over the warm water in the bowl of a standing mixer. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Next mix remaining sugar, flours, and baking powder in a separate bowl. When yeast is ready, add in warm milk and oil. Using dough hook, add flour in 3 batches and let the dough hook knead the dough until smooth and pliable (about 5 minutes). Place dough in an oiled bowl covered with a slightly damp towel and let rise for 1 hour.
For pickled veggies, bring vinegar, water, spices, sugar and salt to a boil. Take off heat and add in shredded veggies. Cover and let steep for 1 hour or as long as you want.
To make sauce, combine all ingredients in small bowl and let sit for 10 minutes to let flavors come together.
For taco filling, dice chicken into bite size pieces, and place in a zip lock bag with teriyaki sauce and chopped garlic, ginger, and green onions. Once marinated for at least 15 minutes, sauté chicken in pan until almost cooked, then add in marinade and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Once the dough has rested for one hour, cut into 16-20 pieces. Make sure you have an oiled 3”x3” parchment paper square for each piece of dough. Flatten dough into about a 3 inch round, and place on oiled parchment paper. Steam for 5 minutes to make the bao. I used a bamboo steamer, but you can use a veggie steamer as well.
To assemble, take one bao, spoon on some sauce, then the chicken, and top with picked veggies and cilantro for garnish. Enjoy!