I certainly hope that O and I get to the point in our laid-back veganhood where we crave lentils and kale and faro, day-in and day-out. But we’re just not there. Instead, we crave chewy, savory, fried chicken nuggets and sriracha mayo, straight up. Real talk. True story.
O fell in love with chicken fried tofu when we were pushing the limits of the “fill it up for $12” bowl at Whole Foods. My bowl clocked in at over 2.25 pounds, about which I was prrrrretty dern proud, and even prouder still on my second day of leftovers. My ability to overfill compostable bowls aside, O was immediately attracted to the crispy, golden cubes of chicken fried tofu nuggets and loaded up on them, begging me to make them again at home. And who am I to deprive the poor boy of those little bites?
I mimicked a meaty texture by draining, freezing, then thawing an entire block of tofu, then infused some chicken flavor in it by soaking the cubes by marinating it in double-strength “chickn” broth. I tossed it in a simple flour coating and voilà! Tofu chicken “nuggets”: the perfect little finger food and guilty pleasure. We dipped them in a sriracha mayo, made simply from whisking together my tofu mayo and enough sriracha for our perfect taste and level of spiciness.
Tofu "Chicken" Nuggets with Sriracha Mayo
Ingredients
- 1 (14 ounce) package extra-firm tofu, drained, frozen, and then thawed
- 2 cups double strength chicken-flavored , vegan broth (from bouillon)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Cube tofu that's been drained, frozen, and thawed. Place tofu into a shallow pan, and pour broth over the top, making sure tofu is covered. Set aside to soak overnight (or for at least a couple hours), refrigerated.
- Meanwhile, make sriracha mayo. Spoon out about 1/4 cup mayo and squeeze a bit of sriracha in, stir, taste.. add more sriracha to taste. Really scientific process, eh?
- Once tofu has marinaded, stir together flour, yeast, salt, pepper, and spices. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-low heat. Remove tofu from broth and transfer to breading, a few at a time. Toss cubes in flour mixture, making sure to coat completely.
- Gently place tofu in hot oil; fry until crisp and browned on all sides. Each side took about 2-3 minutes. Remove from oil and set on wire rack with paper towels underneath to catch any drips.
- Serve immediately with sriracha mayo.
Nutrition
Tofu "Chicken" Nuggets with Sriracha Mayo
Ingredients
- 1 package extra-firm tofu 14 ounce, drained, frozen, and then thawed
- 2 cups double strength chicken-flavored from bouillon, vegan broth
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For sriracha mayo
- tofu mayo or Veganaise
- sriracha to taste
Instructions
- Cube tofu that's been drained, frozen, and thawed. Place tofu into a shallow pan, and pour broth over the top, making sure tofu is covered. Set aside to soak overnight (or for at least a couple hours), refrigerated.
- Meanwhile, make sriracha mayo. Spoon out about 1/4 cup mayo and squeeze a bit of sriracha in, stir, taste.. add more sriracha to taste. Really scientific process, eh?
- Once tofu has marinaded, stir together flour, yeast, salt, pepper, and spices. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-low heat. Remove tofu from broth and transfer to breading, a few at a time. Toss cubes in flour mixture, making sure to coat completely.
- Gently place tofu in hot oil; fry until crisp and browned on all sides. Each side took about 2-3 minutes. Remove from oil and set on wire rack with paper towels underneath to catch any drips.
- Serve immediately with sriracha mayo.
Cheryl – Thanks so much for sharing! I made these myself and they were the single best thing I have made since being vegan! Hands down!
I didn’t use yeast, but did add a little baking soda. I used a knock-off veganaise (next time I’ll use the name brand!) and I deep fried them instead of using a pan. Even though I didn’t follow directions well (LOL), these turned out AMAZING!!! Will definitely make again!
Ha! I’m glad you liked and that they were, well, versatile! I honestly never follow a recipe to the letter. Deep fried sounds amazing… Don’t say it too loud. My tastebuds might hear. And congrats on going vegan!
Hi Cheryl,
Thanks for putting up this recipe and pictures!
Tried this recipe out today for lunch which I thought was perfect for a rainy Sunday.
I didn’t have the poultry spice blend so I just omitted it and used only a pinch of salt to the flour mixture.
I also didn’t have sriracha so instead I mixed in fresh thyme into the veganaise.
Would totally recommend this recipe to anyone.
Thanks again!
Thanks Lara! I’m so glad you liked it and found it versatile 😀
Just made these – absolutely amazing! Would definitely recommend pressing the tofu before freezing. I defrosted it in the microwave and more water came out then, but I reckon you really want to get it as porous as possible for the broth!
So glad you like!! Yummmm. And great tip!
Hoping to make these! Do you just drain the tofu before you freeze it, or do you squeeze the moisture out as well?
I honestly just drain it really well but have sometimes pressed it too. Since you’re later marinating it it shouldn’t matter too much here. I think a little moisture in the freezing process might be beneficial? But not totally sure on that 🙂 it should be fine no matter how you do it
I <3 sriracha mayo!!!
😀 me too!
How can this be made without using oil?
Technically I don’t think it can be. As is, the breaking would not crisp up at all without oil. However.. You could try subbing bread crumbs or panko for the flour and baking at 350° for about 15 minutes instead. I haven’t tried that so I can’t give you any certainty, but that should give you generally the same idea! 🙂
Or maybe closer to 20-30 minutes. Just until golden and crisp
Thanks! Sounds like ti should work.
Is the nutritional yeast necessary?
Would love to try it but i’m not familiar with vegan food. Seems delicious 🙂
The nutritional yeast adds a savory flavor I think you’ll miss without it. It’s also extremely, well, nutritious! You can find it in bulk sections at well-stocked grocery stores or in the spices or organic section of other groceries. You’d still definitely have delicious tofu nuggets without it but it won’t have quite the roundness that the nootch offers! Let me know what you do and how you like it! 🙂
Oh, hello awesome recipe! And sriracha-mayo? The best! Incredibly gorgeous photos too!
Oh thanks! And yeah, just because I’m vegan doesn’t mean I crave sriracha or chipotle mayo ANY less! 🙂
Where do you get the double strength vegan chicken broth cubes?
I just dissolve double the tecommended amount of bouillon in water. Typically 2 teaspoons in 1 cup of water, etc
Wow! Those look so great!
These looks incredible – right up my alley. Why do you freeze and thaw the tofu? Does it do something special for the texture?
It does actually! It gives the tofu a chewier texture, much more like meat than the silkier texture of regular, water packed tofu. You’ll love it once you try it!
Ahh yum! I want these. I actually have sriracha tofu nuggets that I’m sharing on my blog next week, but they were baked – you are kind of making me wish I had fried them! Mm.
Fried makes everything better but your life shorter. So…. Hrm… Ha! I can’t wait to check out your creation!