neutral frying oil, such as canola
1 block traditional or medium tofu (do not use silken tofu, or House Brand medium firm) (Try Trader Joe's regular or House brand soft)
1 cup double strength chicken-style broth
Try this (used when baking in Buffalo chicken recipe): Seasoned flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (any kind)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons panko
small handful fried onions
or
3/4 cup flour
1 cup crispy puffed rice (ie rice krispies)
1 egg
KFC spice mix (amount for this recipe)
3.26 g salt
0.16 g dried thyme
0.29 g dried basil
0.2 g dried oregano
0.37 g celery salt
0.54 g black pepper
0.64 g mustard powder
2.35 g paprika
1.28 g garlic powder
0.81 g powdered ginger
1.07 g white pepper
1 g MSG
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
Freeze And Thaw The Tofu twice
Turn Tofu Into "Chicken"
Press tofu.
Break or cut into 8 to 10 chunks.
Mix flour and spices (leave out rice krispies) and beat egg with a little water.
Prepare a wide bowl with your double strength chicken-style broth and add the tofu pieces and allow to soak up broth.
Coat tofu with seasoned flour. Shaking the excess off. Place on a plate or baking sheet.
Add the crispy rice puffs to the seasoned flour. crushing about half with your hands.
Dip the pieces in egg wash and let the excess drip off.
Place the pieces into the seasoned flour with rice crisps, cover gently and lightly pat so the rice crisps stick on well.
Cook as below
Deep Fry
Heat oil to 350°F
Fry in small batches, turning them occasionally for even cooking, until they are a deep golden colour.
They should take 5 whole minutes to cook.
Drain on layers of paper towel or a rack.
Rest for 5 minutes before eating.
Detailed instructions:
Freeze and thaw
Place the whole unopened package or packages of tofu in the freezer and freeze until solid (about 6 hours to overnight). Thaw completely. I do this quickly and safely by thawing on the counter until mostly thawed but still cold (about 4 hours) then letting it thaw the rest of the way in the fridge. Once you believe the tofu is completely thawed, freeze it solid again. Then, take it out of the freezer at least 5 hours before you want to start making your vegan fried chicken. You can hasten the last thaw by letting it sit at room temperature until the water in the package has mostly turned to liquid. Then drain, and let the tofu thaw on clean kitchen towels. Tofu that has been thawed the second time should be consumed within one or two days.
Turn into Chicken
Press the tofu gently but thoroughly to remove most of the water within. See my video tutorial for a demonstration. You should see some natural layers and cracks where the tofu can break into realistic looking meaty chunks. Using a light touch, divide the tofu into eight to 10 chunks. You will have some bits leftover; save them. Let the tofu rest on a clean kitchen towel while you prepare the seasoned flour and vegan egg wash.
Mix the seasoned flour ingredients together but leave out the rice crips; they will go in later. Separately, mix two tablespoons of vegan egg powder with 1/2 cup of ice cold water. Whisk until smooth. Add the remaining water and whisk. The mixture should resemble thin crepe batter. When these dredging mixtures are done, go back to the tofu.
Prepare a wide bowl with your double strength chicken-style broth. Add the tofu pieces, placing them with layers flat; perpendicular to the table. Press down evenly and let go so the tofu can soak up the broth. Drain away excess broth, if any.
Gently transfer a few pieces of the tofu to the seasoned flour. Cover them gently, then scoop them up with loose fingers, shaking the excess off. Place on a plate or baking sheet. Repeat with all of the tofu chunks. When you only have small pieces and bits left, place those in the seasoned flour again. Toss them to coat evenly and be even more diligent about shaking off excess flour. Grab a small handful of them and squeeze gently to help them clump together. Place them on the plate or baking sheet as well. You will have lots of seasoned flour left in the plate. Add the crispy rice puffs to the seasoned flour. crushing about half with your hands.
Starting with the tofu you coated first, dip the pieces in vegan egg wash and let the excess drip off. Place the vegan-egg-coated pieces into the seasoned flour with rice crisps, cover gently and lightly pat so the rice crisps stick on well. Place the coated piece back on the plate or baking sheet. Repeat with the rest.
Deep-Fry
Heat a few inches of oil to 350°F in a wok or large heavy-bottomed pan. Use a frying thermometer to help keep the oil temperature stable between 350°F and 360°. Fry your coated vegan 'chicken' in small batches, turning them occasionally for even cooking, until they are a deep golden colour. They should take 5 whole minutes to cook. If they cook too fast, make sure the temperature has not exceeded 360°F. If they do not cook fast enough, make sure the temperature is hot enough. Temperature is key to creating the perfect crispy yet crunchy crust without too much greasiness. Drain on layers of paper towel or a rack.
Oven-Fry
Deep frying creates the best flavour, but you can oven-fry this recipe. Place the coated vegan 'chicken' on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Spray or drizzle generously with oil to create a crunchy exterior and oven-fried effect. Bake in a preheated 425°F oven for 30 minutes, flipping the pieces at the 15-minute mark.
Enjoy!
Oven-fried or deep-fried vegan chicken should rest for 5 minutes before digging in. This recipe is best enjoyed fresh. Eat them plain or with your favourite sauces. Try my quick and easy thick gochugaru sauce or instant yogurt-y dip.
Notes
*This vegan egg powder is the best performing egg replacement for this recipe. I don't recommend others as none I've tried have come out as nicely. However, many other vegan egg alternatives will do the job; just not with the same amazing crispy, crunchy results. Feel free to use flax eggs (2 tbs flax meal + 1/2 cup lukewarm water) and keep this in mind.
Tofu Brands
Trader Joe's wasn't as good. This recipe was tested with Superior Tofu, T&T brand, and Sunrise Tofu; all worked when using medium firm or traditional. Not firm, not extra firm. Firm + extra firm will still taste ok but you can't call it "the best!" They don't develop the layered effect and retain more water. The soft or smooth versions may develop the layered effect as well but are just a tad softer. But it's not as good as using medium firm or traditional. The soft/smooth ones taste more tofu-ish. Please let me know in the comments if you try other brands and how it worked out for you. TIA! 🙂
mary's test kitchen http://www.marystestkitchen.com/
Original spice mix
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon white pepper