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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
For the Tofu "Chicken" Nuggets
- 1 14-ounce block extra-firm tofu drained, frozen, and then thawed
- 2 cups vegan broth double-strength chicken flavored, from bouillon
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
For the "Breading"
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried garlic
- ½ teaspoon dried minced onion
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Sriracha Mayo
- ¼ cup vegenaise
- 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 vegenaise and squeeze a bit of sriracha in, stir, taste.. add more sriracha to taste.
- 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.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @40aprons on Instagram and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!
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
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried garlic
- ½ teaspoon dried minced onion
- ½ 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.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Tag @40aprons on Instagram and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!
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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!