Vegan alternatives to fried chicken have gained serious traction recently, and for good reason. Chickens (related to dinosaurs) are now the most over-bred (25 billion and counting) and abused creatures on the planet. It would be nice if everyone ate lentils, but that’s not going to happen. So these brand are focusing on food that people like to eat, replacing chicken meat with plant-based sustainable alternatives. Let’s dig into finger-lickin’ vegan fried chicken!
VFC (a company co-founded by the co-founder of Veganuary, has one simple mission: to save chickens. He teamed up with chef (who he took to visit a chicken farm) and then he was on board. This brand costs more, simply due to the cheap ways that chickens are raised. You can’t buy ‘cheap ethical chicken’. This ‘chicken’ is high in protein and tastes as good, if not better. And the more people support this brand, the more likely they can reduce prices. Most packaging is paper, and the company is working on the rest.
The website even has a calculator, to see how many chickens are being saved. Based on the target slaughter weight of a chicken in the UK (and percentage being edible), they estimate one chicken’s life is saved for each 1.5kg they sell. Made from wheat protein in corn coating, you can bake it in the oven or air-fry, or pan-fry. Full instructions on the packets.
Deep-fat fryers are one of the main causes of house fires. So throw yours out and either ‘bake’ your fried chicken, or invest in a brand new safer air-fryer, which you can also use to make ‘chips’ with little or no oil, and use to cook frozen meals, for lower bills.
Before cooking, read up on kitchen safety for people and pets. Recycle packaging at kerbside or supermarket bag bins.
The market is bursting with innovative substitutes for fried chicken. Each option has unique textures and flavours, offering something for every palate.
- Tempeh and tofu have long been staples in plant-based cooking. It’s quite complicated to make ‘vegan fried chicken’ yourself, but commercial companies do it, then sell the finished product.
- Seitan is made from wheat gluten, and strangely once prepared right, bears an uncanny resemblance to meat, with a dense chewy texture akin to chicken. Once seasoned and fried, you would not know the difference.
- Chickpea flour is often combined with spices and herbs to form ‘fritters’ that rival fried chicken in taste and texture. Chickpeas are also high in protein, so you get nutritional bang for your buck. These are good gluten-free options if you can’t eat seitan.
- Cauliflower is often turned into ‘wings’ to rival buffalo-style chicken dishes, for American tastes. This mild vegetable (like tofu) absorbs marinades well, which is what gives fried chicken its taste.
Kentucky Fried Chicken is a worldwide institution. It does offer plant-based ‘chicken buckets’ that are green (over red). However, their fries are cooked in the same fat as the chicken, which rather defeats the point.
Inspiration from Abroad: Vegan Chicken Nuggets
Oomph (Sweden) is a major brand that is sold in the UK, and made from sustainable soy that is mostly grown in Europe, not from Brazilian rainforests.
Heura is a young funky food brand from Spain that sells plant-based nuggets in sustainable packaging. You can also find breaded fillets, both are sold for stores and food service. This recipe for vegan nuggets and blue cheese sauce makes use of Quorn ready-made nuggets and a vegan mayo sauce.
Vegan Fried Chicken in London
London’s Chickenish is a company that does the rounds of vegan festivals, serving up plant-based ‘fried chicken’ along with other fast food treats.
