If you're craving some nuggets but you're meat-free, no worries! I've got you covered with these Vegan Chick'n Nuggets with savory dipping sauce - they're like a vegan version of Chick-Fil-A!
Hi friends, and happy FRIDAY! I have been dyyyying waiting to share this recipe with you, because I love it so much! These Vegan Chick'n Nuggets are my attempt at vegan tofu Chick-Fil-A nuggets, and they are so ridiculously good. Of course, I had to serve them with waffle fries and make a homemade chick-fil-a sauce for dipping, too! This stuff is straight up addicting!
My first iteration of faux CFA on the blog was a couple of years ago, with these Cauli-Fil-A Sandwiches! These are BOMB, don't get me wrong, but you can 100% tell its cauliflower. There's no hiding it 😉 For these chick'n nuggets, I wanted to try something a little more meaty. Enter - tofu, my most beloved meat substitute. This magical food can do anything, I swear. Press the water out, bread it, fry it, and there you have it. Fake chick'n nuggets to fulfill all your fast food cravings!
A few weeks back, I had gotten some requests on Instagram on a tofu post - how to cook it and make it actually taste good. I promise I'm still working on that, and I have a couple other recipes coming up that showcase how versatile it is! I mean, of course you have your traditional tofu in ramen and stir-fry, but I've also turned it into fajitas and baked it with "honey" mustard and scrambled it for breakfast pockets and used it for quiche!! It is crazy versatile and if done right, it will taste like whatever YOU want it to taste like. Including 100% poppable, cravable chick'n nuggets!
I hope you guys will give this vegan faux-fil-a nuggets a try, because I am OBSESSED! They really are quite easy to make (not as easy as going to the drive-thru, but I tried my best LOL) and perfect to dip in any sauce you like! Other CFA favorites of mine are ranch and honey mustard. Give them all a try!!
Tips for success:
- Be sure you give your tofu enough time to press! You don't want to rush it and end up with soggy nuggets because the tofu is still full of water.
- I used all flour for my breading, but I am changing the instructions to be half flour and half breadcrumbs. That gives a better, more crunchy crust for the chick'n nuggets!
- Be sure to salt and season every step of the way so you don't have bland nuggets!
- Many barbecue sauces are NOT vegan because they contain honey - be sure to check the ingredients when you are shopping!
- 1 block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed with paper towels
- ½ cup plain unsweetened cashew milk {or your favorite non-dairy milk}
- ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3-4 cups sunflower or corn oil
- *for the dipping sauce*
- ¼ cup vegan mayo
- 2 tablespoon BBQ sauce
- 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon agave
- First, press your tofu for at least 20-30 minutes to get most of the water out.
- While that presses, prepare the breading mixture. In a large shallow bowl, combine the flour, breadcrumbs, powdered sugar, salt, paprika, mustard powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Mix together.
- Pour the nondairy milk in another shallow bowl.
- Prepare an assembly line with the bowl of milk, bowl of breading, and a plate or pan lined with wax paper at the end to place the prepared nuggets.
- When tofu has been pressed, break it into chunks with your hands, making sure they are no bigger than walnut sized. Sprinkle tofu pieces with salt.
- Dip the tofu in the milk, then breading, then milk again, and then breading again. Repeat with all pieces.
- When ready to fry, pour the oil into a large frying pan and heat to medium. I like to place a toothpick in the oil as a gauge of when it's ready - it will start forming little bubbles all around it.That's how you know it's hot enough!
- Fry the tofu pieces a few at a time, turning over often so they do not burn. When they are golden brown and crispy, remove from oil and place on plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with all. Sprinkle with a little additional salt after they are fried.
- To serve, combine the mayo, BBQ sauce, mustards, and agave in a small bowl to make the dipping sauce.
- Serve warm chick'n nuggets and sauce immediately, with waffle fries if desired 🙂
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