VEGAN KFC ???
I was never much of a fast food junkie.
But when I did indulge, there were a few places that I loved. One of them was KFC. Ah yes, the home of Colonel Sanders and the secret 12 herbs/spices recipe! Back in the day (and by that I mean the 70′s), KFC chicken was simply THE. BEST. Full stop. The chicken was never super greasy, the breading was perfectly crispy, and the fries kicked ass.
So. It was with a great deal of interest that I started scouring the internet to find a vegan version of this junkie treat. HUZZAH! I found one! (Actually, to be honest, I found over 20). I decided to experiment and combine a few recipes and see if I could replicate the ORIGINAL taste of KFC that I remember.
Here’s what you need:
For the “chicken” meat: (AKA: SEITAN)
1 cup vital wheat gluten - (in Canada this is known as “GLUTEN FLOUR”)
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp Himalayan salt - (regular table salt works too!)
½ tsp poultry seasoning
¾ cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp tahini - (you can use plain hummus if you can’t find tahini)
3-4 cups of vegetable broth (enough to cover), for cooking
Oil for frying (I used Canola, but you can use peanut, etc)
For the coating: ( taken from the official KFC recipe! )
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 tablespoon salt
½ tablespoon dried thyme leaves
½ tablespoon dried basil leaves
1/3 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried mustard
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons garlic salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons ground white pepper
For the “Egg” wash (used to coat seitan)
5 eggs worth of egg replacer
1/4 cup pickle juice - (that’s right, PICKLE JUICE)
Ready to have your mind blown? LET’S GO!
In a mixing bowl, mix together gluten flour, salt, nutritional yeast, onion powder and poultry seasoning.
In another bowl, combine ¾ cup broth and tahini and whisk until smooth.
Mix the dry ingredients with the wet and stir until well combined.
Knead the dough until it is elastic but not dry. Sprinkle some additional gluten flour if you find you have made your dough too sticky.
Divide the dough into small little chunks. Keep in mind they will grow to about twice their size, so make then smaller then you would normally. Place in a casserole dish or deep pot, covering them completely with vegetable broth. Cook in broth for 1 hour at 350 degrees (med heat). If the pot needs a top up of veggie broth, do it. Allow to cool.
While your seitan is bubbling away in the broth, let’s assemble the other bits!
For the “EGG” wash:
Mix together pickle juice and egg replacer - set aside.
For the coating:
Mix all the herbs and spices together in a large bowl. Whisk to combine everything evenly
NOW THE FINAL STEPS!
After cooling, toss the seitan “chicken” cutlet into the dry mixture and coat completely, then toss it into the wet, again coating evenly on all sides. Toss into the flour mixture again and coat generously. Repeat with the remaining cutlets and set aside.
Place cutlets into the hot oil using a pair of tongs. Flip occasionally to ensure even cooking. Allow to cook for about 5 to 8 minutes, or until the outside is crisp and golden brown. Allow to drain on a paper towel. Repeat with the remaining cutlets
This is what it looks like on the inside when done..... Pretty freaking realistic!
And now, the finished product!! TA DAAAAAH!
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Did this taste like a complete dupe for the original? YES!
Would I eat it all the time? No. But as an occasional treat? YES. There is no shame in my game on this one. :) This is the kind of thing that I could take to a friend’s house for a pot luck and not feel like I have to convince my friends to eat it.
I need to give a HUGE shout out to The EDGYVEG for this one. She has really lit a spark under me as I seek out healthy alternatives. (I used parts of her recipe for a Chick-Fil-A sandwich in this KFC adventure). If you get a chance, look her up on YouTube. :)
Until Next Time --
KK
