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–+ servings
Vegan Popcorn Chicken Tofu in a plate

Popcorn Tofu ‘Chicken’ (Vegan)

4.50 from 2 votes
Crispy vegan popcorn tofu “chicken” bites with a ‘meaty’ texture from frozen then thawed extra firm tofu. These are addicting and great to snack on, best enjoyed with a dipping sauce of your choice. I had mine with a spicy garlic sriracha mayo.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Appetizer, Finger Food, Main Course, Side Dish, Sides, Snack, Snacks, Starters
Cuisine American, Fusion
Servings 4 people
Calories 426 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Tofu

Batter

  • 1 cup soy milk or other plant based milk, room temp (see notes)
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour 90g
  • 3 tbsp corn starch 30g
  • 1/2-3/4 tsp salt adjust to taste
  • 1/2 tsp garlic power
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper

Coating

  • 1.5 cups panko or Japanese bread crumbs , plus more if needed
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • Freshly ground black pepper

For Cooking

Dipping Sauce

Instructions
 

Prepare the Tofu

  • I froze my block of extra firm tofu. I simply froze it in its packaged. So there’s no need to drain the water. The water inside the tofu will expand as it freezes and create these layers that’ll give the tofu a ‘meatier’ texture.
  • To prepare the tofu, make sure to completely thaw the tofu the day before you plan to use it. Squeeze out as much water as you can from the tofu. It’s a sponge at this point so you’ll want to squeeze out all the water so it can absorb the seasonings.
  • Carefully break apart the tofu into small chunks. You can also chop this. Be very careful with the tofu since it’s very brittle at this point.
  • Once the tofu are in chunks, season it with soy sauce, garlic powder, and pepper. Toss to coat well. Leave to marinate for 10-15 minutes.

Batter

  • Add the vinegar into the soy milk or other plant milk. Allow to curdle for at least 5 minutes. This will create a buttermilk-like consistency.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together all the other dry ingredients for the batter.
  • Pour the vinegar and milk mixture into the dry mixture.
  • Mix until there are no longer any signs of dry flour. The batter will be a bit thinner than pancake batter but should coat the tofu well. Lumps are fine, so don't over mix.

Breadcrumbs

  • In a large bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, garlic powder and ground pepper.

Coating the Tofu

  • Dip a piece of tofu into the batter. Transfer to the breadcrumbs mixture to coat well.
  • Repeat this for the rest of the tofu until all the pieces are coated.

Dipping Sauce

  • For the sauce, mix everything in a small bowl. Feel free to adjust to your desired taste.

Cooking: Deep-Frying

  • Heat a large pan or wok over medium high heat. Add enough oil to submerge the pieces of tofu.
  • Once the oil is hot (you can test out the heat by adding some breadcrumbs - it should immediately sizzle), add the coated tofu. You can do this in batches so as not the overcrowd the pot/pan.
  • Fry the tofu for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove the pieces from the oil and place on a cooling rack to drain excess oil.
  • Serve and enjoy while hot with your dipping sauce of choice.

Baking Options

  • Heat your oven to 350F. Line your tray with some parchment paper or a silicon mat if you have one. Spray a generous amount of oil on the tofu.
  • Bake the tofu or 35-40 minutes or until crisp. Flip halfway through cooking. Note that the pieces will not turn as golden brown throughout compared to when they’re deep fried.

For Air-Frying

  • You can cook your tofu at 350F for 15-18 minutes, flip halfway through cooking. Note that air-fryer settings can vary so you can try your settings and adjust from there.

Notes

BATTER

  • Some plant-based milk can be a bit watery. If your batter is a bit too runny, you can add 1 tbsp more flour to the batter, and mix well, to create a thicker consistency.
    The batter mixture is a bit thinner than pancake batter consistency, but it should coat the tofu well.

NUTRITIONAL INFO

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 1083mg | Potassium: 436mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 256IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 184mg | Iron: 4mg
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