How to Make Vegan Chicken Nuggets
Although many people choose a vegan diet for health reasons, this doesn't mean all vegan dishes are healthy for us. Vegan chicken nuggets can still have a high fat content if they have been deep fried. However, they are much healthier than most chicken nuggets which used processed meat and have high levels of additives. Also, you can bake these vegan chicken nuggets which mean they are indeed much healthier than most. See how to make vegan chicken nuggets with this quick and easy oneHOWTO recipe.
Ingredients:
- To season
- For the batter
Steps to follow:
Before starting our recipe for vegan nuggets, it is important that you know a little more about its base ingredient. Textured soy protein (TSP), otherwise known as textured vegetable protein (TVP), has numerous nutritional properties, but a mild flavor. This means it makes a great meat substitute, especially for mild-flavored meats such as chicken.
Textured soy is dehydrated food which has a high concentration of certain nutrients, including vitamin B, phosphorous and calcium. Additionally, they are also known for being high in iron at about 9 mg per 100 g. Their richness in protein and fiber are additional benefits. When we consider their low-caloric value and low-fat composition, they are a great way to make healthy meat-free chicken nuggets.
To begin our recipe for vegan chicken nuggets, have everything you need at hand. Once the ingredients are ready, the first thing we need to do is mince the garlic.
Now it's time to hydrate the textured soybeans. To do this, place protein in a saucepan with boiling water and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Afterwards, you can take it out and drain it by squeezing it through a cloth to remove all the excess water. It is important that you squeeze it as much as possible.
With the soy ready, it's time to season and add flavor to your vegetarian nuggets. Remember that soy is a mild-flavored food, so you will need to add spices and other flavorings. In terms of seasoning ingredients, you can get inventive and add what you like. We have opted for a little soy sauce and 5 or 6 drops of tabasco, as well as minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste.
Once you have the well-seasoned textured soybeans, add the water to a bowl along with the salt and pepper. Next, add the seasoned soybeans and about 80 grams of breadcrumbs. Stir everything well until you achieve a dough that can be compacted in your hands. In case the dough is too consistent wet, you can add a little more breadcrumbs until you achieve the desired texture.
If you want to make vegetarian chicken nuggets, replace the water with the same amount of egg. This will provide better results, but it will not longer make the nuggets vegan.
When you get a compact dough that doesn't crumble too much, it's time to shape your vegan nuggets so they look like chicken nuggets. Simple mold them with your hands until you get the correct shape. They should be about the size of a standard chicken nugget, but you can make vegan chicken popcorn if you want to make them smaller, just remember they will not need to cook for as long.
When you have all your nuggets ready, it's time to batter them. To continue with the recipe for our vegan nuggets, we recommend passing them through a vegan milk. We will use coconut milk, but you can use any milk alternative you want.
Once you have soaked the nuggets in the coconut milk, it is time to coat them with breadcrumbs. Pass them through the bowl of breadcrumbs once. Shake off the excess and pat the breadcrumbs on lightly. Repeat this process again so they are well covered in crumb. This will result is crunchier vegan nuggets after cooking.
Now you have your nuggets ready, all you need to do is to cook them. There are two options: fry them or bake them.
If you choose frying, you should take a frying pan and place plenty of oil to submerge the nuggets and make them brown on both sides. The oil should be heated to 180 ºC/350 ºF.
If you choose to bake, preheat the oven to 180 ºC, place the nuggets on the baking sheet on greaseproof paper and drizzle a little oil over them. Then let them bake for approximately 30 minutes or until you notice that they are golden brown. The cooking time will depend on the type and power of your oven, as well as the size of the nuggets. Flip them over halfway to ensure even browning.
Now they are ready, it is time to eat! Sink your teeth into your delicious vegan textured soy nuggets. If you want this vegan dish to be complete, you can accompany them with your favorite sauces: mayonnaise, barbecue, ketchup or sweet chili. You can make them with fries or have a salad for a healthy option. Of course, you will want to have vegan sauces, so take a look at our vegan mayonnaise recipe for one example.
At oneHOWTO, we provide even more vegan and vegetarian recipes to enjoy:
- How to make vegan eggplant schnitzel
- How to make vegan churros at home
- How to make vegetarian dumplings
If you want to read similar articles to How to Make Vegan Chicken Nuggets, we recommend you visit our Recipes category.
Tips
- Halfway through cooking in the oven, don't forget to turn the nuggets so that they are perfectly browned on both sides.
- If you want to enhance the flavor of your vegan or vegetarian nuggets, you can add ingredients such as mustard, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce or cayenne pepper. The seasoning will make your recipe for vegan nuggets more intense.
- Once the nuggets are cooked, you can eat them freshly made or let them cool to room temperature so that they can later be placed in a hermetically sealed bag, since they can last up to two weeks in the refrigerator while maintaining all their flavor.