Vegan Fried Chicken

Vegan fried chicken that tastes way better than KFC! Made with tofu, it’s crispy, juicy and super flavorful!

This vegan fried chicken recipe could be one of the best dinner meals you’ve ever had.

It features chunks of seasoned, meaty tofu, coated in flour and fried until crispy.

You won’t get enough of this recipe, whether you eat it alone or in a sandwich.

It’ll take a little bit of time, but it’s definitely worth the wait!

The recipe was inspired by Mary’s Test Kitchen, who shared the awesome technique for creating the best chicken-like texture in tofu.

Ingredients you’ll need

(Detailed measurements in the recipe card)

• Medium Firm Tofu – I used the brand Morinaga. Their Silken-Firm tofu (light blue box) is actually more like medium-firm and works perfectly in this recipe.

• Vegetable Bouillon or Poultry Seasoning – I used Low Sodium Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base

• All-purpose Flour

• Cornstarch

• All-purpose seasoning – Or more poultry seasoning

• Soy milk

• Salt and Black pepper

• Allspice

• Cayenne or chipotle – Adds a spicy kick but optional

• Oil for frying

How to Make Vegan Fried Chicken

Prepare the Tofu

1. Freezing

Just stick it in the freezer unopened. You’ll have to do this twice.

Freeze for two hours, take it out to thaw, then freeze it again. It takes about 8 hours to thaw in the refrigerator. Use the microwave to get it done faster.

2. Pressing

Use a tofu press or two cutting boards with added weights or clamps. Be careful not to apply too much pressure and keep the tofu as intact as possible.

It should take about 15 minutes to press and drain. Press on it with a clean kitchen towel to get the last of the liquid.

Next, break the tofu up into large chunks.

You’ll be shocked at how chewy and flaky the tofu texture becomes. Just like chicken! The seasonings will soak in much better too.

Making it taste like chicken

Now the fun part!

1. Gently rub the bouillon seasoning over the tofu and season with black pepper.

I like using veggie bouillon as it gives tofu the most chicken-like flavor. But you can opt for your favorite poultry seasoning.

Quick tip: Avoid over-seasoning as the bouillion paste is salty. More flavors will also be added later.

2. Combine cornstarch, flour and all-purpose seasoning in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, add the soy milk.

3. Evenly coat one piece of tofu in the flour with one hand. Shake off excess and add to the soy milk.

4. Use the other hand to dip the tofu into the milk. Then remove and add it back to your dry flour mix.

5. Add another layer of coating, by dipping in the soy milk and flour once more. Then repeat all the steps with the other tofu pieces.

No Wasted Scraps!

Gather all the loose bits of seasoned flour and tofu. Form into one of two patties. Cook with the other pieces.

Frying the Tofu

1. Heat the oil in a deep pan on medium heat. The pan should be half-filled with oil. The oil temperature needs to be 360-375°F (182-190°C).

To test it without a thermometer, drop a rolled up piece of dough in the pan. If it gets dark brown in less than 60 seconds, the oil is too hot. Allow it to cool down a little.

If you see steady bubbling, the oil’s hot enough for frying. If you see no bubbles, let it warm up some more.

2. Add the tofu and cook until it’s golden brown on all sides. It should only take about 4-5 minutes.

3. Carefully remove the tofu pieces and place on a place lined with paper towels. This helps to make them non-greasy.

Key tips to follow

1. Freeze tofu twice

This is key to creating those flaky layers in the tofu. It works best when using the medium-firm type.

Freezing firm or extra firm tofu would result in the texture being more porous than flaky.

I’ve shared how frozen and thawed firm tofu would look in my Vegan Buffalo Chicken Sandwich recipe. The results are still tasty but without the flaky, chicken-like texture.

Meal planning tip: Immediately place all your tofu in the freezer when you arrive home from the grocery store.

Set an alert a few hours later to move them to the fridge. That way you’ll never forget to freeze tofu and always have a block ready to go!

2. Tofu is delicate

Be gentle when pressing it to squeeze the liquid out. Keep it as intact as possible.

3. Avoid crowding the pieces when frying

Fry these in batches to keep the oil temperature from dropping too much.

How do I make this vegan chicken recipe gluten-free?

• Use gluten-free flour. Just like my Fried Oyster Mushrooms recipe, a 1-to-1 or cup-for-cup blend works best. Avoid using a blend that contains nuts.
• Be sure the seasoning blends are gluten-free as well.