KFC Style Vegan Fried Chicken Nuggets
If you’re craving a deep fried treat this KFC style jackfruit nuggets recipe is for you!
Jackfruit is a fruit native to south east Asia that is often used as a meat replacement due to its stringy meat like texture. Its an incredibly versatile ingredient that soaks up flavours which is perfect for meat flavoured marinades, sauces and broths. In this recipe I boil the jackfruit in a rich chicken like broth using vegan chicken stock cubes, soy sauce and herbs to give it a chicken like flavour and soften the jackfruit to improve the texture.
The jackfruit is then dredged in a heavily seasoned KFC style batter and fried to crispy, golden perfection.
Serve these up with your favourite dipping sauce, some chips and corn on the cob for your very own plant based fake away at home that is much healthier, cheaper and kinder to the planet.
Vegan KFC jackfruit ingredients and substitutes-
- Jackfruit- Jackfruit is a fruit from south east Asia that is used for its meaty texture. You can but jackfruit in some big supermarkets, your local Asian supermarket or online. When buying jackfruit make sure to buy the canned version in water or brine. There are sweet and dried versions of jackfruit that are not suitable for this recipe. If you don’t like jackfruit or struggling to source it you can use oyster mushrooms, enoki mushrooms or shop bought vegan chicken.
- Vegan chicken stock- I use vegan chicken oxo cubes or ???AUSONE. these help give the jackfruit a meaty flavour. The recipe calls for two cubes or a really concentrated broth but don’t worry as the excess will be drained leaving only the slight flavour infused into the jackfruit.
- Seasoned flour- The actual seasonings of KFC chicken are highly debated online so I tend to use whichever I’ve got but the essential seasonings are paprika, salt, white pepper and some type of herb. The key is to heavily season the flour so its super flavoursome.
- Soy milk- Soy milk is added to half of the seasoned flour to make a wet batter. You can use any milk you like.
FAQ-
- Will this batter work with another protein?- Yes of course, I recommend mushrooms as a really great one for the same method but you could also use shop bought vegan chicken, tofu or even vegetables if you wish. Get creative!
- Can I bake these?- you can bake the jackfruit but it will still need a spray of oil at least or it will be very dry. Place each piece on a lined baking tray and spray each piece with a little oil. Bake for 15 minutes flipping the pieces over half way through.
KFC style vegan jackfruit nuggets
Tender marinated jackfruit pieces in a crunchy seasoned batter. Serve with your favourite dipping sauce.
Ingredients
- 300 g Young jackfruit
- 2 Vegan chicken stock cubes
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Dried sage
- 100 g Plain flour
- 100 ml Soy milk
- Vegetable oil to fry
Seasoning mix
- 1 tsp Sage
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Ginger powder
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 1 tsp Black pepper
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp White pepper
Instructions
- Make the boiling liquid by mixing in two stock cubes, two tablespoons of soy sauce and one tablespoon of dried sage with boiling water.
- Drain the jackfruit and boil in the stock for 10 minutes. This helps to soften and flavour the pieces. Leave to cool in the liquid until completely cold.
- Now to make the kfc style coating make the dry batter by mixing the seasoning mix with the plain flour and stir well to combine.
- For the wet mix add 3 tablespoons of the dry seasoned flour into a separate bowl and mix in the soy milk to make a wet batter.
- Now drain the jackfruit pieces and pat dry.
- Dip the jackfruit first into the wet mix and then into the dry piece by piece and place on a plate spaced out evenly.
- Heat up the oil and fry the pieces in small batches until golden brown.
- Serve up with your favourite dipping sauce and enjoy!
Notes
Frying- This recipe calls to deep fry the jackfruit but you may also shallow fry just be sure to space out the pieces evenly to ensure they don’t stick together. Small batches are best for this.
Flavouring the jackfruit- This recipe states to boil and drain but if you make this a day ahead you can boil and leave the jackfruit pieces to soak in the broth overnight giving them and even more concentrated chicken flavour.
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