Vegan Fried Chicken

Crispy Japanese-style vegan fried chicken made with double-frozen tofu, a KFC-inspired seasoning blend, and a crunchy double dredge, served hot with rich tonkatsu mayo.

Prep Time30

Cook Time15

freezing and thawing time1

Total Time1 45

Course: Main dishes

Cuisine: American, Asian fusion, vegan, vegan Japanese, Yōshoku

Servings:

Calories: 495kcal

Equipment

Tofu press Two chopping boards with a weight (alternative to a tofu press)
Mixing bowls
Shallow dish or tray for marinating
Whisk
Deep pot or fryer
Kitchen thermometer (optional but useful)
Cooling rack or paper towels on a plate

Ingredients

For the coating:

1 cup white flour
1 cup corn starch
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup cornflakes
⅔ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon basil
⅓ teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder
4 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 teaspoon white pepper

For the buttermilk and marinade:

1½ cups unsweetened plant milk
1½ cups apple cider vinegar
2 cups water
2 vegan chicken-style stock cubes

For the tofu:

1 pack twice-frozen and thawed super-firm tofu

For frying:

2 cups neutral oil You’ll need 4 to 5 cm of oil depth for frying. The exact amount depends on the size of your pan.

Recommended dipping sauce:

4 tablespoon Tonkatsu mayo

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Freeze the tofu in its packaging for 6 to 8 hours, thaw completely, then repeat once more.
Press the tofu for about 20 minutes to remove excess moisture.
Tear the tofu into 8 to 10 rough chunks and set aside.
Dissolve the vegan chicken-style stock cubes in hot water and pour into a shallow dish. Add the tofu pieces and let them marinate.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking powder, herbs, spices, and seasoning.
Make vegan buttermilk by stirring the plant milk and vinegar together and letting it thicken for a few minutes.
Remove each tofu piece from the marinade, dip into the buttermilk, then coat in the seasoned flour. Set aside.
Crush the cornflakes into the flour mixture. Dip each tofu piece back into the buttermilk and dredge again in the cornflake coating.
Heat the oil to around 180°C.
Fry each tofu piece for 4 to 6 minutes until golden and crispy, turning occasionally.
Drain on a cooling rack or paper towels.
Serve hot with tonkatsu mayo or your favourite dipping sauce.

Notes

This recipe is brilliant on its own or with your favourite shop-bought dip, but if you want to take it to the next level, try making your own:

And here's the recipe for togarashi fries, the perfect accompaniment to your crunchy cluckless chicken:

Togarashi fries

Keep your oil for a rainy day. After frying, you’ll have some used oil left over. Just sieve it to filter out any crispy bits, then store it in a jar and reuse it for future fries.

Nutrition