Vegan Fried Chicken

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Crispy. Juicy. Dangerously addictive. This vegan fried chicken is the kind of recipe that makes people do a double-take after the first bite. Hand-torn tofu nuggets are dunked in boldly flavored batter and fried to golden perfection. The real magic? Potato starch creates that craggy, ultra-crunchy crust that crackles when you bite in, while keeping the inside tender and juicy.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American, asian

Diet: Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 174kcal

Author: Michelle Cehn

Ingredients

Ingredients:

canola oil for frying
2 blocks super firm tofu drained (Hodo tofu works best, if you can find it!)
2 tablespoons soy sauce or Tamari
½ cup soy milk unsweetened, plain
1 teaspoon bouillon powder

Dredge:

½ cup flour
½ cup water

Coating:

½ cup potato starch (+ 4-5 tablespoons water)
½ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon minced dried onion
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper

Optional:

coarse sea salt

Instructions

Using your hands, tear the tofu blocks into bite-sized chunks. The exact size and shape is up to you! (Or have fun cutting tofu into shapes with cookie cutters!)
Lay tofu in a flat-bottomed container, and drizzle soy sauce on top. Sprinkle with bouillon powder, and drizzle the soymilk over that. Set aside.
Prepare the batter: whisk 1 cup flour and 1 cup water together until you reach the consistency of pancake batter.
Prepare the coating: In another bowl, add potato starch and 4 tablespoons of water and mix with your hands. Rub the water and starch together with your fingers until you have a crumbly texture and some tiny round nuggets form. If needed, add additional water, just a teaspoon at a time. Then, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, garlic powder, minced dried onion, smoked paprika, vegan bouillon powder, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
Prepare your deep dryer, or fill a pan with one inch of canola oil and heat over medium-high heat for about 5-10 minutes until hot.
Take a piece of tofu, shake off the liquid marinade, and place it in the batter. Dip both sides to coat, and then dip in the dry crumbly coating. Dip again in the liquid dredge, and again in the crumbly coating.
Place the double-battered tofu in a deep fryer or on a pan with at least one inch of hot canola oil, and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. Repeat with remaining tofu.
Using tongs, remove from oil, place on a wire rack to cool, and sprinkle with coarse sea.

Nutrition