How to Make Fried Vegan Chicken, Skin On
OH MY GOD, this recipe still has my mind blown! Just when I think vegan meats can’t get any more realistic… I’ve created this. My fried vegan chicken has skin. Yes, you read that right. But don’t worry, it’s 100% vegan! It looks, tastes, and feels incredibly real. You must keep on reading to find out what I use to create the vegan chicken skin!
Vegan Chicken Skin.. WTF
Let’s talk about it! A sweet TikTok follower of mine had asked me if I ever made vegan chicken skin using rice paper before. I hadn’t, but wow, that sounded like a crazy idea that I just HAD to try! Now listen, I never cared for meat before being vegan, and I also did not enjoy eating chicken skin on my chicken. HOWEVER, I still wanted to create this recipe simply for the wow factor and to see if I could actually get this to taste like the real thing. Let me tell you… I got it to taste nearly just like real fried chicken with the skin on. This fried vegan chicken is so realistic that even my mom, who eats real fried chicken, was freaked out. Yeah, I know that doesn’t make much sense, but she was freaked out.
The Method
First, I cut sheets of rice paper into strips. Then, working with one piece at a time, I quickly soak it in vegan chicken broth. Once the rice paper is soft and flexible, I wrap a small piece of vegan chicken in it. I try my best to avoid overlapping the rice paper because more than two layers of it will cause the texture to be gummy and unrealistic compared to natural chicken skin. Then, I double bread and deep-fry them until super crispy and crunchy. These taste and feel pretty dang realistic. I don’t believe it would fool a meat-eater, but I think it would still impress them. Not that that is the goal of this fried vegan chicken recipe, but it’s my way of explaining its realisticness!
What to serve with fried vegan chicken:
- KFC Famous Bowl-style: mashed potatoes, corn, fried vegan chicken, vegan brown gravy, shredded vegan cheddar cheese
- Vegan buttermilk biscuit, fried chick’n, a slice of vegan cheddar cheese
- Take it on a picnic and eat it cold with some potato salad
- Cut it up and eat it over your favorite salad
If you make my vegan fried chicken recipe, don’t forget to post a picture to Instagram, tag me @chefsummerstorm, and #gardengrub so I can see your recreation!
How to Make Fried Vegan Chicken, Skin On
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan chicken broth (You can use water if you can't find vegan chicken broth)
- 6 sheets rice paper
- One 15.5 ounce bag Gardein Chick'n Scallopini, thawed and cut each piece of chick'n into 4 pieces
- 1/4 tsp vegan poultry seasoning, for the chick'n scallopini
- 1 quart vegetable oil
Breading
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 3/4 tsp dried oregano
- 3/4 tsp dried basil
- 1 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp white pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
Wet Batter
- 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk (You can also use cashew or soy milk)
- 2 tbsp liquid Just Egg
- 1 tbsp raw apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Breading
- Add all of the ingredients into a wide, shallow bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
Wet Batter
- Add all of the ingredients into a wide, shallow bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
How to Create the Vegan Chicken Skin & Wrap the Chicken
- Line a large sheet pan with a piece of parchment paper. Using scissors, cut the rice paper sheets into 3 pieces.
- Now, cut your chick'n scallopini into four pieces. Then, shape them into more rounded circles. Next, lightly season both sides with the vegan poultry seasoning and rub it in. Set aside.
- Heat your vegan chicken broth, or water, to a warm temperature. Pour it into a large round dish.
- Place one strip of the rice paper into the warm broth, ensuring the entire piece is completely submerged in the liquid. If it isn't, pour it into a smaller dish or simply add more broth. Remove the piece of rice paper after about 15 seconds, place it on a cutting board, and wipe away any excess liquid. It's easiest to work with when it's not soaking wet.
- To wrap the chicken, place it in the center of the softened rice paper. Tightly fold the right side over the chicken, and using scissors, trim off any excess "skin" that hangs over the chicken. Then, fold the left side of the "skin" over the chicken and trim the excess again. Now, pull and fold the top and bottom parts of the "skin" behind the piece of chicken. Press them to seal it well. If the "skin" is wet, you may have a hard time sealing it. Allow it to dry a bit, and then it will be easier to seal.
- After I wrap one of the pieces of chicken, I'll press my fingertips into them gently to create a slightly "lumpy" texture, kind of like large pieces of popcorn chicken.I like to mold the chicken to look more realistic.
- Place the pieces of chick'n on the prepared sheet pan and move on to the next steps.
How to Bread & Fry the Chicken
- Pour the oil into a medium-large saucepan and begin to pre-heat it to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a thermometer to gauge the temperature accurately. Line a sheet pan with a wire rack or a few pieces of paper towel.
- To bread the chicken, working with one piece at a time, first evenly coat it in the wet batter. Then, evenly coat it in the breading. Now, cover it evenly in the wet batter one more time and then back into the breading. So it goes like this: Wet batter, breading, wet batter, breading.
- Just like after wrapping the chicken, after breading them, I'll also press my fingertips into them gently to create a slightly "lumpy" texture, kind of like large pieces of popcorn chicken. Then I typically dust them in a bit more breading.
- To fry them, carefully place 3 to 4 pieces in the oil and cook them for 4 minutes, flipping them over and around as necessary to get them evenly browned.
- Using a slotted metal spoon or a pair of tongs, carefully lift the chicken out, let the excess oil drain off, and place them on the wire rack-lined sheet pan. Enjoy!
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