Today I’ll be sharing how I made a vegan KFC fried chicken based on a leaked copy of KFC infamous 11 herbs and spices recipe. This recipe does need more prep and time than most of our recipes, but you can make a large batch and freeze or refrigerate for future meals. This recipe is free of most major allergens: dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, and can be adapted to be gluten-free.
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What are the 11 herbs and spices in KFC Fried Chicken?
While today’s recipe you find at a KFC store likely is a bit different in portion, the general spices are these according to this leak:
- Salt
- Thyme
- Basil
- Oregano
- Celery Salt
- Black Pepper
- Dry Mustard
- Paprika
- Garlic Salt
- Ginger
- White Pepper
Vegan chicken substitutes:
For this specific recipe, I use one of my favorite homemade chicken seitan recipes, chickwheat. This recipe was originally posted by Avocados and Ales. While this is currently my preferred chick’n seitan recipe I’m aware not everyone may have the appliances to make it. If that’s the case for you another great replacement is tofu.
If you use tofu I have some preparation suggestions. Use extra-firm tofu for this method. You’ll want to freeze the tofu and thaw it. While I only freeze and thaw once for the sake of time, many recommend doing it twice (re-freezing the tofu again once it has fully thawed) for optimal chicken-like texture. By freezing the tofu it creates small ice crystal in the tofu. These ice crystals make small holes in the tofu creating more of a chewy and chicken-like texture. Once the tofu has thawed you’ll want to press out any excess water, this will optimize the texture and flavor. You can buy a tofu press from Amazon*, or you can place the tofu between paper towels and cutting boards. Placing heavy items like cast irons, pots, or books to press the remaining water out. Let it press for around 20 minutes. The tofu would now be ready for this vegan KFC fried chicken.
What can you use for vegan dredging?
In this recipe, I use a yogurt and flax egg mixture. I choose to use plain non-dairy yogurt as it reminds me of a buttermilk batter with its creamy and tangy flavor. I add a flax egg to make the yogurt mixture more sticky and thick. In the past, I’ve used Ripple Milk or plain non-dairy milk and flax egg. This combo works great as well.
How to make vegan KFC fried chicken gluten-free:
To make this vegan KFC fried chicken gluten-free you can substitute the all-purpose flour for gluten-free all-purpose flour. This one from King Arthur Flour* is one of the best. As well as substitute the chicken seitan for tofu or your favorite gluten-free vegan chicken.
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If you liked this recipe check out some of our others like these Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower (Air Fried), or maybe something sweet like our Vegan Lemon Loaf.
Vegan KFC Fried Chicken (Copycat Recipe)
Equipment
- Fryer or a large pot to fry in
- Utensils
Ingredients
KFC 11 Herbs and Spice Coating
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp basil
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tbsp celery salt
- 1/2 tbsp black pepper (Make it a full tablespoon if you don't use white pepper)
- 1/2 tbsp dry mustard
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tbsp white pepper
- 1 tsp baking powder (This is the key to making the coating crispy and crunchy.)
Dredging
- 1/2 cup plain non-dary yogurt (Refer to the post for substitution for the yogurt.)
- 1/2 tbsp ground flax seed
- 1 1/2 tbsp water
Chicken Seitan
- 1/2 log Chickwheat cut into 10 slices. (We use our favorite chickwheat recipe from Avocados and Ales)
- 10 piece rice paper
- Oil for Frying
Instructions
Preparation:
- Mix all the dry coating ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Mix the ground flaxseed with the water in a bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. The mixture will thicken up becoming gelatinous.
- Once the 5 minutes have passed mixed in the non-dairy yogurt and set the mixture aside.
- Meanwhile, fill a shallow pot or plate with hot water. (It doesn't need to be boiling water, you still need to be able to touch it.)
- Soak a single piece of rice paper in the water until it becomes soft and pliable. Once you pull this piece out imeddiatly put the next piece of rice paper in.
- Once you've removed the soft rice paper place it on a flat surface. Place a slice of chickwheat in the center and wrap the rice paper around it.
- Place the wrap seitan on a plate and repeat the last 2 steps until you have no remaining seitan and rice paper.
Dredging and Coating the chicken seitan:
- You'll want to get a pot or deeper fryer filled with oil heating up at this point. You can test if the oil is ready by carefully flicking a little water into the oil off your fingers. If the oil starts popping it is ready for you to start frying the seitan.
- Dip the rice paper wrapped seitan pieces in the dry coating.
- Next, dip the seitan pieces in the wet dredging mixture and then imeddiatly back into the dry coating. I press the dry mixture onto the seitan trying to cover all the wet dredging.
- Lightly shake off any excess dry coating.
Frying the seitan:
- Carefully place the seitan in the frying oil.
- Fry the seitan piece for 3 minutes or until golden brown and then flip the seitan to the other side and fry for another 3 minutes.
- Once the pieces are done frying place them on a plate lined with paper towels to remove any excess oil.
- Serve the KFC style fried seitan with your favorite sides.
- Remaining fried chick'n seitan can be store in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 1 month.