How to make vegan chicken nuggets that taste like the real thing – that’s a pretty bold statement isn’ it?! Well, we think we can back it up with this recipe! Chicken nuggets are not something either of us would order in a restaurant now but when we were kids, yep, we were known to have a few.
So when we find a delicious recipe that brings back memories and has nutritional value, we want to share it with you. Que the all-time favorite, chicken nuggets. Both Sharon and Samantha agree that chicken nuggets either from the frozen aisle or the drive-through are not something we want to eat or feed our families. Then we discovered these vegan chicken nuggets and we’ve gotta tell you, they are SO delicious and way better for you than anything you can buy at the store or restaurant.
The base of these nuggets is – Jack Fruit! Yep, the same thing we used when we made our Vegan BBQ sandwich. Since we were indulging in childhood style favorites, we’ve paired this with a Vegan Ranch Dipping Sauce. YUM!!
We hope you like this recipe as much as we do!! When you make it, please share it with us on social media – you can either tag on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.
How to Make Delicious Vegan Chicken Nuggets That Taste Like the Real Thing!
Description
This recipe is SO delicious and if you pair it with our Vegan Ranch Dressing, even your meat-eating friends will be asking you for the recipe!
Ingredients
To make the spice mixture:
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
To make the coating/batter:
- 4 Tablespoons All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour, we used Better Batter
- 1 cup unsweetened plain nut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Water if you need to thin it out
- salt and pepper to taste
You will also need:
- 1 – 20 oz. can of jack fruit in the brine
- more flour to coat the jack fruit, about 1/2 c cup
- vegetable oil for frying**
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°. Drain and rinse the jack fruit and trim the hard core ends. You should be left with bite-sized chunks of jack fruit. If you are serving these with our Vegan Ranch Dressing, we suggest you make that first so it can be chilling while you make the nuggets or make the dressing ahead of time.
- Assemble to spice mixture in a medium-sized bowl and use a whisk to make sure all the spices are blended together. Toss the jack fruit nuggets in the spice mixture and make sure they are all evenly coated.
- Spread the nuggets on a parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 7 minutes. Take them out and turn the nuggets over and bake for another 7 minutes.
- While the nuggets are baking, in a large bowl, combine all the ingredients to make the coating or batter.
- Heat a large pan with vegetable oil over medium-high heat – you will want enough oil so that the nugget is about halfway dunked in the oil. This will vary depending on the size of pan you use. Remove the jack fruit from the oven and individually dip each nugget into the coating/batter and then into the flour and set aside.
- Test to see the oil is heated and ready – the best way to test this is to sprinkle some flour into the hot oil and if it bubbles up then it is ready. Now carefully place the nuggets into the oil and let them cook on one side until golden brown and then flip them so the other side can get golden brown. This can take about 30-45 seconds each side. You may have to do this in a few batches which means it is important to not let the oil get too hot and burn.
- Place the cooked nuggets on a plate that is lined with paper towel to absorb any excess oil while you are finishing all the rest of the nuggets.
- Once you are finished, we suggest serving these with our Vegan Ranch Dressing but you can use any dip you like. We also suggest serving these right away as they will be best this way, enjoy!!
Notes
**trust us you will need to use vegetable oil, we tried it with olive oil and it burned 😉
