Vegan Korean Fried Chicken
Easily whip up this Vegan Korean Fried Chicken in just 30 minutes! Vegan frozen chicken pieces are coated in a thin, flavorful batter, fried to crispy perfection, and then smothered in a tasty chili sauce. It's saucy, spicy, and so crispy!
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Servings: 8
Calories: 319kcal
Ingredients
For the Vegan Chicken
- 20 ounce frozen vegan chicken strips, like Gardein
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, or rice wine
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce, low-sodium
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper, or black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- oil for frying (olive, avocado, etc.)
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup agave nectar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce, low-sodium
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons gochujang chili paste
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds garnish
Instructions
- Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat with a couple of inches of oil in it. Take the frozen chicken strips out of the freezer to thaw just enough to break them apart.
- Meanwhile, whisk the sauce ingredients together and set it aside to allow time for the flavors to come together.
- Tear the vegan chicken strips into thirds that are about an inch long. If they are still too frozen to break, heat them in the microwave for 15 seconds. You can cut the strips if you prefer, but tearing them helps to create more jagged edges for the breading to hold onto.
- Mix the rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and ginger together in a large bowl. Coat the vegan chicken pieces by gently stirring them into this liquid mixture. Now that the pieces are moistened, add the cornstarch to the bowl and gently toss to fully coat them.
- Check to make sure the oil is between 325-350°F. Then drop a few pieces in at a time. Let them fry for 2-3 minutes until they turn a light golden brown. Use a skimmer to lift them out of the hot oil, shake the excess oil off, and then place them on a cooling rack.
- While the pieces are cooling, warm the sauce over medium-low heat until it starts to bubble. Pour the sauce over the vegan chicken and stir the pieces around until they are all fully coated in the sauce.
Video
Notes
Oil Temperature
If you don’t want to mess with a thermometer, you can do a sizzle test by dropping some leftover batter into the pot. If it sizzles, the oil is hot enough to fry the coated pieces.Simple Cucumber Salad
If you’d like to make a simple (yet delicious) cucumber salad to go with the Korean chicken, here’s the recipe... Combine 1 sliced cucumber with 1 tablespoon rice wine, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ½ tablespoon sesame seeds. Yum!Storage & Reheating
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 4 days or in the freezer for 2 months. Reheat them in the microwave at 30-second intervals until heated through. Leftovers will lose some of their crispiness, but will still be just as flavorful!Nutrition
Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 29.6g | Protein: 30.1g | Fat: 3.8g | Saturated Fat: 1.1g | Sodium: 821mg | Potassium: 76mg | Fiber: 1.6g | Sugar: 20.2g | Calcium: 103mg | Iron: 3mg
The nutrition information is estimated and can vary depending on brands and measurements used.
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