Vegan Spicy Buffalo Crispy 'Chicken' Sandwich

This vegan 'chicken' sandwich will soon become your favorite meal to prepare when craving fried food. Simply made using tofu that's first rubbed with lots of flavoring spices and then breaded using an easy homemade vegan buttermilk and a simple breadcrumb mixture. They are oven-baked until crispy and then covered with a vegan buffalo sauce. You won't miss the chicken at all!

Craving fried junk fast food? Yum. I do too.

But you may be wondering what's wrong with me when seeing this gorgeous looks.like.a.chicken.breast sandwich.

Well, let's make it clear right away: there is obv no chicken in there. No processed fake meat either. Just healthy regular tofu.

Plus, despite its very crispy appetizing fried look, the vegan battered 'chicken' patty is not deep fried. Actually, not fried at all.

Isn't wonderful?

My husband likes to say he probably ate fried chicken everyday at school (!) growing up. That guy still craves fried chicken all.the.time. He won't eat it anymore, but I think he can still taste it if just thinking about it.

Anyway, needless to say that these vegan buffalo 'chicken' sandwiches were ravenously eaten over here. We love how crispy the breading came out even if oven-baked and the flavor you get from coating the tender tofu with all of the spices. Plus, y'all, that.buffalo.sauce.is.no.joke.

Oh and just as a side note. These chicken-less battered tofu are great without the buffalo sauce too if you are not that much into spicy food. I usually keep some patties free from the sauce for my kids and then smother their buns with mayo and ketchup. They go nuts for it.

Ingredients you'll need to make it

• Extra firm tofu: I absolutely love our local tofu from Hewia, but any kind will work, as long as it is extra firm. 'Regular' tofu isn't solid and compact enough and might fall apart while breading.
• Flour: all-purpose or whole wheat will work.
• Cornstarch: helps set and crisp the tofu.
• Breadcrumbs: I used regular breadcrumbs. You could do half regular + half panko, but I don't think using only panko breadcrumbs would work very well as I am worried it wouldn't give you a nice compact and uniform battered tofu.
• Spices: paprika, chili powder, salt, garlic powder and onion powder.
• Plant-based milk: use any plain and unsweetened vegan milk.
• Apple cider vinegar: when mixed with the milk it creates a mixture that acts like buttermilk.
• Vegan mayo: combined with the milk to make it thicker, which helps coat the spice rubbed tofu nicely. Homemade cashew mayo or store bought both work well.
• Buffalo sauce: we are obsessed with this vegan hemp buffalo sauce!

How to make it

If not already done, make the homemade vegan buffalo sauce (or use store-bought). This can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.

Pre-heat the oven to 400º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Prepare the tofu

Drain the tofu and roll the block in a clean towel. Remove as much water as you can while being delicate. Do not press too much on the tofu as it might break/crack and it will be harder to slice it into nice patties. I mostly just pat dry it.

Then, slice as you wish to make 4 equal size patties. I usually cut mine in 2 lengthwise, then cut each halves in 2 as well, so I end up with 4 similar size square/rectangular pieces. This is a delicate step since depending on your tofu, it might crack or break easily. So take your time!

Then, in a small bowl, combine the chili powder, paprika, salt, onion and garlic powder. Stir well and dust the mixture over your tofu covering all the surfaces on both sides. Use your hand to rub the spices over the tofu so it sticks well. Set aside.

Bread the spiced tofu patties

Make the vegan buttermilk in a medium shallow bowl by combining the milk, apple cider vinegar and vegan mayo. Whisk well until uniform. In a second shallow bowl, add the breadcrumbs, cornstarch, flour, salt and chili powder. Stir to combine.

Then, bread the tofu pieces:

1- Dip in the buttermilk mixture. You have to "quickly dip" the pieces, only once on each side, then take out. If you move the pieces around too much, you will lose all the spices from the tofu.

2- Then, toss in the breadcrumbs and cover all of the surfaces. Use a dry hand to sprinkle the breadcrumb over any uncovered spot and gently press so it sticks well.

3- Dip quickly again in the buttermilk.

4- And then, cover for a second time with the breadcrumbs. Make sure the tofu is FULLY covered and nice and thick.

Place on the prepared baking sheet and keep going with the remaining pieces of tofu.

Bake

Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Then, gently flip (careful, the pieces will still be delicate!), and bake for 15 more minutes. The surface of the tofu tends to crack, that's ok, and you should get a subtle golden brown surface.

Build up your sandwich

Toast your buns/bread and prepare all your burgers/sandwich fixings. Then, only when ready to eat, covered the breaded vegan chicken patties with the buffalo sauce. Build your sandwich and enjoy!

Watch how to make it

Cooking tips

• Don't forget to do a double breading. It creates a thick battered tofu patty that gets very crispy after baked.
• Be sure to only *quickly* dip the tofu in the buttermilk as opposed to shaking it. You want to prevent all the spice rub from going in the milk.
• Be gentle with your tofu! Try as much as you can to keep your slices intact so you can bread them nicely in patties. If they do break, that's fine, just bread the smaller pieces and you can still cover them with the buffalo sauce and use in your sandwich. When I have a piece of tofu that cracks and feels more delicate, I use both my hand to bread it to keep it intact. It seems like after breaded and baked, these delicate pieces hold better from being covered with the breading.
• I have tried making this recipe without the vegan mayonnaise. It worked out well, although was harder for the spices to stay on the tofu as the vegan buttermilk wasn't as thick. You can try without it if you don't have mayo.
• Use a spatula to flip them and not tongs as they could break.
• Rinse and dry your hands in between each pieces of tofu when breading. If your fingers are covered with the batter/breading, it will be harder to get the breading to stick to the tofu as it tends to actually get stuck on your sticky fingers. I like to keep one hand for the wet and one hand for the dry as well.
• Wait for the last minute before spreading the buffalo sauce over the breaded tofu so your pieces remain as crispy as possible.

Which vegan buffalo sauce to use

It isn't that hard to find a buffalo sauce that's fully vegan and dairy-free. As mentioned, I love making my own vegan buffalo sauce as I can make it oil- and butter-free. I use it to make chickpea quesadillas, dips, chickpea wraps or to drizzle over buddha bowls.

But, this plant-based buffalo sauce from Chef HAKS and this avocado oil buffalo sauce from Primal Kitchen are also good choices.

You can also simply use your favorite hot sauce mixed in with vegan mayo or vegan yogurt to get the same effect!

Serving suggestions

Other than smothering in yummy buffalo sauce, there are so many other ways you can serve this crispy vegan 'chicken' sandwich.

Try the classic mustard, pickles, ketchup and tomatoes with crunchy lettuce. Also, add some creamy coleslaw and spread a vegan ranch sauce for the ultimate classic buffalo sandwich combo.

You can also make other quick sauces if you don't want a spicy meal such as vegan mayo + cajun spices + garlic OR vegan mayo + chili powder + lime juice OR vegan plain yogurt + fresh herbs + garlic.

Storage

Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. They do lose on their crispy texture, but they are still very good. Be sure to store the breaded tofu and the buffalo sauce apart.

I recommend to reheat them in the oven at 350º just for a few minutes (I love to use a counter mini oven to do that) or warm in a non-stick pan on medium heat flipping often until heated through. You could use a microwave if in a pinch, but I don't recommend it as it might harden their texture.

FAQ's

Other tofu recipes you might like

• Vegan panko tofu nuggets
• Sticky tofu
• Crispy coconut tofu
• Tofu bolognese
• Sweet and sour tofu
• Vegan tofu wraps
• Silken tofu scramble
• Marinated smoky tofu
• Balsamic tofu wraps
• Tofu scramble breakfast sandwich

I hope you like this vegan 'chicken' sandwich as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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