Vegan tofu popcorn chicken

Firm tofu coated in a crunchy seasoned panko breadcrumb coating. A healthier plant based take on the kfc classic popcorn chicken. These go perfectly with some garlic aoli, bbq sauce or gravy.

Forget kfc try these instead! These tofu bites are a healthier alternative to popcorn chicken and a nice little treat that you will be making on repeat! Instead of chicken these are made with simple tofu- a versatile plant based protein that us vegans have learnt to love over the years! Tofu really can be a superstar if you know how to cook it well. These tofu bites are first dipped in vegan ‘buttermilk’ made of curdled soy milk then dipped into a beautiful seasoned panko breadcrumb mix before being shallow fried to create a crunchy exterior. Just dip your crunch tofu bite into your favourite sauce and enjoy! Warning- you will probably eat the whole batch in one go- they are super moreish! I used garlic aioli as the dip for my tofu bites but I’d love to hear your dipping sauce suggestions!

---

Ingredients and substitutes-

Tofu- This recipe calls for extra firm tofu as the structure is important for making sure the bites don’t fall apart. You could use medium tofu however you’ll need to be super careful when handling. Silken or soft tofu is not suitable for this recipe.

Panko breadcrumbs- Panko gives a the bites a good crunch when fried but feel free to try other breadcrumbs. Some other ideas you could use are cornflakes, golden breadcrumbs or toasted stale bread. Whatever you have available.

Seasoning- This seasoning blend is one that I think works well as an all rounder however if you’d like to make your tofu bites ‘themed’ feel free to alter the seasonings to what you like or even what you have. You can get away with no seasoning but only if you have a great sauce to pair the bites with- otherwise they will taste bland as the tofu has no flavour.

Soy milk- I use soy milk and lemon juice mixed together as the lemon slightly curdles and thickens the soy milk making it into a buttermilk like liquid which works really well to stick the breadcrumbs to the tofu. I personally haven’t use another plant milk because soy is cheapest and easiest to access and works perfectly.

---

Top Tips!

Freezing tofu-

A really useful method of altering the texture of tofu that works so well for this recipe is to freeze the block and leave it to thaw, this method makes a more chicken like texture just make sure you squeeze out all of the excess liquid before breadcrumbing.

Frying-

If you have a deep fryer these would be amazing cooked in there however I just shallow fry in a small amount of oil. Just make sure they are browned evenly on all sides.

And now for the recipe!

Vegan Tofu popcorn chicken

​Serves- 2 Time- 15 minutes

Ingredients-

• 200g extra firm tofu

• 200ml soy milk

• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

• 150 panko breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp garlic granules

• 1 tsp onion granules

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp mixed herbs

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp white pepper

Method-

1. If using the freezing method make sure the tofu is fully thawed and all of the moisture squeezed out before continuing onto the next steps.

2. Combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar in a bowl, mix well then set aside. This makes a vegan buttermilk to coat the tofu in to make sure the coating sticks.

3. Squeeze out any excess water from the tofu and pat dry. Cut the tofu up into even bite-sized cubes.

4. Combine all of the seasonings together and add the seasoning to the panko breadcrumbs and mix well.

5. To coat the tofu dip the pieces into the soy milk mixture then into the panko mixture. Repeat this twice for an extra crunch coating.

6. Heat up some oil and carefully place each tofu piece into oil until golden brown and crispy on one side. Then turn the pieces to make sure each side is evenly cooked.

7. Serve up with your favourite dipping sauce (I used garlic aioli) and enjoy!  

FAQ-

·         Is there another way to cook these?- In this recipe I shallow fried the tofu pieces in oil however if you prefer a healthier version feel free to bake them in the oven however do be aware that they will turn out drier- nothing a good quality dipping sauce cant fix!

·         Can something else other than tofu be used?- I have also tried these with tempeh and they worked really well! You could use your favourite shop bought chicken or another protein of your choice! Get creative.

Why not try these other delicious recipes?

• Cashew tempeh

• Spicy red pepper and 'feta' dip

• Butter bean curry

Did you make this recipe?

Snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @theplantbowls I'd love to see it!

Click here to watch the recipe video

**Please note that I receive a small commission from anything purchased via a link clicked on my website at no extra cost to you**