Vegan Fried Chicken

This is literally the best Vegan Fried Chicken I have legit tasted! I also refer to it as KFT – as in Kentucky Fried Tofu. Mean, kickass, crispy as hell chicken-style tofu covered in a crunchy brown coating. May as well go the whole hog and whip up some ranch to dip that shizz into.

So how can tofu have the faintest resemblance to chicken? The answer my friends is freezing. Living in China for over two years have given me plenty of experience in the tofu world and the various techniques that are used to prepare it.

Freezing tofu changes its structure from a firm water-containing block to a sponge that’s dying to get rid of its water load. Squeeze the heck out of it to remove the liquid and we’ve got some chicken breast right there. So we’ve got the texture sorted, but what about the taste?

A good stock, seasoned adequately. Drench the dried out tofu pieces into a flavoursome broth and then coat it with a crumb mix before deep-frying. If you want to keep it healthy, it’s just as good baked, but it won’t have that take-out taste. Both work for me, but there’s just something more satisfying in licking that grease from around your lips.

Questions about Vegan Fried Chicken

How to make vegan fried chicken? To make vegan fried chicken, you will need ingredients for the faux chicken and ingredients for the coating. The chicken here is made with thawed and drained tofu soaked in stock, which is then brushed with milk and flax egg before being dipped into flour and spices and then fried.

Does vegan fried chicken taste like KFC? Vegan fried chicken tastes very similar to KFC chicken, particularly in terms of texture of the tofu and the crisp coating. The flavour of the tofu however, is slightly different so I am yet to perfect this.

Can you make vegan fried chicken from scratch? Vegan fried chicken can be made from scratch, it just requires a little more effort than if you bought it ready-made, but then what isn’t?!

What is vegan fried chicken made of? Vegan fried chicken is made with a whole host of ingredients. With the range of ready-made vegan products out there, faux chicken can be made with tofu, seitan, Quorn, soy isolate and other such ingredients that have the ability to imitate the texture of chicken.

Vegan Fried Chicken Recipe

Serving size:

Serves 4

Ingredients for tofu chicken:

• 600g firm tofu
• 200g plain flour (can also sub with gluten-free flour)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp yeast flakes
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp cloves
• ½ tsp cumin
• 1 litre stock of your choice
• 2 flax eggs
• 50ml plant milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for ranch:

• 250g silken/soft tofu
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 ½ tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 100 ml soya milk
• Handful fresh chives
• 1 tbsp dill
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Freeze the tofu then allow to thaw.
2. Squeeze out all of the water between two chopping boards and leave to rest.
3. Break the tofu apart into large chunks.
4. Soak the tofu in the stock then remove any excess liquid.
5. Prepare the crumb mix by combining the dry ingredients.
6. Stir the milk into the flax eggs and brush the tofu chunks before dipping into the crumb mix.
7. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown or alternatively, bake for 30 minutes or until brown.
8. For the ranch, toss all ingredients (except chives) into a food processor, blend to a creamy consistency- add more milk if desired.
9. Stir in the chives.

Made this Recipe?

If you had a go at this Vegan Fried Chicken please feel free to give me a shout on Instagram at @food_flaneur  – would love to see your pics!

If you like fried chicken…

You should definitely give these recipes a try:

Cauliflower Buffalo Wings

Fried Mushrooms

Fishless Fingers

Fish Burger

Mushroom Burgers

Big Thanks to…

Mary’s Test Kitchen for my food inspo. You can find her recipe here: http://www.marystestkitchen.com/best-vegan-fried-chicken-gluten-free/.

Recipes sent with Love