Vegan Chicken Nuggets (Crispy & Crunchy)
Directions
- 1Slice the pressed tofu in half lengthwise and tear it into 1 inch cubes.
- 2In a bowl or glass tupperware, combine all marinade ingredients and stir. Add the tofu and ensure it's coated. Marinate for at least 15 minutes, or up to overnight. Prepare bowls with flour, buttermilk, and crumbs while marinating.
- 3For the buttermilk mixture, add the nut milk and the apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Stir to combine and let sit for about 2 minutes.
- 4Add the flour to its own bowl and line up side by side.
- 5In a bowl, add all the crumb mixture ingredients. You can use gluten free panko breadcrumbs or make your own by food processing 1 ¼ cups of brown rice krispies. Line up in a bowl beside the buttermilk. Line a baking sheet beside that - this is where you'll place your tofu pieces before pan-frying them, or layer them to bake them.
- 6Take one tofu piece from the marinade. Dip it into the flour, shaking off all the excess flour, then into the buttermilk. Shake off the excess buttermilk, then dip it back into the flour, then into the buttermilk again, shaking off all the excess again. Then dip it into the crumb mixture, roll around, and place on the baking sheet.
- 7Add several pieces at a time (I do like 10 pieces maximum at a time).
- 8Heat ¼ cup of oil in a baking over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add one piece of tofu. Cook for 1 ½ minutes on each side (check for browning) or until golden brown, then flip and cook for another 1 ½ minutes on the other side. Remove to a paper towel to absorb the excess oil.
- 9Continue to cook the rest, but you can now add several pieces of tofu now that you've tested that the oil is hot and you have your cooking time figured out. Don't overcrowd the pan since it'll reduce the temperature the oil, making them not as crispy. It's best to leave enough space between each piece of tofu.
- 10Continue until you've cooked all of the tofu. Allow to cool slightly, then serve immediately by itself, or with a dipping sauce. You can also add these to tacos, sandwiches and many other uses!
- 11To BAKE these: Preheat the oven to 400F/200C. Line the battered and breaded tofu pieces on the baking sheet and spray with some cooking oil on both sides. Bake for 25 minutes, flipping once way at the halfway mark. Serve and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 lb block tofu, pressed and drained of liquid
- 0.25 cup light soy sauce +
- 1 tablespoon, or liquid aminos or tamari (any is fine)
- 0.5 cup filtered water
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, if you don't have this, that's okay
- 0.75 cup any nut milk, or ANY vegan milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
- 1.5 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, or regular vinegar
- 1 cup all purpose gluten free flour mix, or regular flour (I used Bob's Red Mill's Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour)
- 1.25 cup gluten free breadcrumbs, or regular breadcrumbs (I used Nature's Path Organic Crispy Rice Cereal and pulsed them in my food processor until they resembled panko breadcrumbs)
- 3 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 3 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 0.25 cup of oil, if pan-frying, if not, instructions for baking are below
Equipment
bowlglass tupperwarebaking sheetbaking overfood processor
Tips
- Press the tofu to remove excess water.
- Marinate the tofu to enhance flavor and texture.
- Tear the tofu into 1 inch cubes instead of slicing to create rough edges for better marinade and batter absorption.
- Shake off excess batter to ensure better cooking and coating.
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