Chick-fil-A Style Tofu

Aaah, Chick-fil-A, one of the "classy" fast food establishments, second only to Back Yard Burger. In middle school, my best friend's mother would order us PLATTERS of their chicken nuggets every friday night. And we ate it. All. When news of the franchise opening up on Charlotte broke, my friends and I stayed up 'til the crack of dawn to get our paws on a chicken biscuit. 

These days I can't quite stomach the thought of what goes on behind the scenes at Chick-fil-A, so I'll stick to my homemade, veganized version. These are great for the Superbowl, parties, or when you just want some of that good fried chicken. They take no time to whip up, and only a few simple steps to throw together.

First thing my brother told me when I said I was thinking of recreating fried chicken was, "You're gonna marinate that in pickle juice, right?" Of course. The secret to that super moist, slightly briny flavor of that signature chicken is dill pickle juice! I press my tofu between two paper towels to get any excess moisture out, cube into bite size pieces, then throw it in a tupperware with pickle juice and poultry seasoning.

I decided last minute to throw in about a teaspoon of paprika, just so the tofu could have some good color and a little kick.

The next secret to recreating that addictive chicken is the batter. Chik-fil-A chicken has that little note of sweetness with every bite and it comes from sugar in the batter. Two tablespoons should do it, you don't want your nuggets to taste like they're in a funnel cake from the county fair.

I deep fried mine in peanut oil 'til they were nice and crispy and golden brown. Man, are these suckers good. They did not stick around for long!

To serve, I quickly chopped up a couple potatoes and threw them in the fryer. Also, you can't have Chic-fil-A tofu without some vegan "honey" mustard!

Chik-fil-A Style Tofu

Author: The Porkless Peg Serves: 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 block extra firm tofu
• 1/2 cup dill pickle juice
• 2 tbsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 cups peanut oil, or enough to cover the nuggets completely in your pan

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Press excess moisture out of tofu, then cube into bite size pieces
2. Place in tupperware along with pickle juice and poultry seasoning. Let marinate for at least and hour, best if done overnight.
3. When ready to fry, mix flour, sugar, and pepper in a shallow bowl
4. Dredge tofu, making sure pieces are heavily coated
5. Fry in fry daddy or cast iron skillet on medium high heat until nuggets are golden brown, about 5-7 minutes