Chef notes

My mom is vegetarian so she never gets to have fried chicken. I made this for her with tofu instead. You press the tofu, tear it into chunks, marinate it in pickle juice, and double dredge it like my chicken tenders. It came out very crispy and spicy, really close to Chick-fil-A. My mom loved it. It was awesome.

Ingredients

• Extra-firm tofu
• Pickle juice
• Buttermilk
• All-purpose flour
• Cornstarch
• Paprika
• Cayenne pepper
• Garlic powder
• Powdered sugar
• Salt
• Black pepper
• Vegetable oil

Recipe

1. 1.Press the tofu really well between paper towels with something heavy on top, at least 30 minutes. The drier it is, the crispier it gets.
2. 2.Tear the tofu into chunks about the size of chicken tenders. Tearing instead of cutting gives them rough edges that get extra crispy.
3. 3.Marinate the pieces in pickle juice for about 30 minutes. That's what Chick-fil-A does with their chicken.
4. 4.Make the dredge: flour, cornstarch, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, a little powdered sugar, salt, and pepper.
5. 5.Dip each piece in buttermilk, then the seasoned flour, then buttermilk again, then flour again. The double dredge makes the coating thick and crunchy.
6. 6.Fry at 350°F until deep golden brown, a few minutes per batch. Drain on a rack and hit them with a little salt right away.