Gluten Free/Vegan Fried Chicken

Here is my absolutely delicious, crispy, moorish recipe for vegan fried chicken which is made from, wait for it..... MUSHROOMS! Now don't click away, I am a self confessed mushroom hater, but this recipe is the best and only way I'll eat them, mainly because they taste like chicken rather than mushroom. The secret is using the type of mushroom called King Oyster, which have a beautiful flakey texture, which is a good replica for chicken meat. It's also a more subtly flavoured mushroom so it easily takes on the flavours you are cooking with. I have also made a how-to video for this recipe, which you can check down below for visual instructions.

Ingredient Substitutes

This recipe has a LOT of spices, and if you don't have a couple of them I don't want you to have to go out and buy some, especially if you don't use them regularly. Feel free to substitute your own spices in, however the core ones I would suggest using are smoked paprika, salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders. For the milk alternative, I like to use one of the thicker vegan milks, like cashew, soy, or gluten free oat but it also works with others! Unfortunately you do need this specific type of mushroom to make the dish work, but they aren't too hard to find. If your local supermarket doesn't have them, try an organic store, or a fresh fruit and veg shop.

Equipment

For this recipe, all you will need is a stove top, saucepan, bowl and plate - nothing out of the ordinary. Because we are working with hot oil, make sure you are protected as well, I suggest an apron to protect your clothes from oil stains. To fish out the fried mushrooms, I tend to use something metal like a fork to avoid anything melting like plastic.

I N G R E D I E N T S

• 150 grams of oyster mushrooms

• 100 grams of rice flour

• 2 tsp of smoked paprika

• 1 tsp of onion powder

• 1 tsp of garlic powder

• 1/2 tsp of salt

• 1/2 tsp of pepper

• 1 Tbsp of nutritional yeast

• 1/4 tsp of basil

• 1/4 tsp of oregano

• 1/4 tsp of five spice

• 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper

• 1 cup of alternative milk (I like cashew)

• 1/2 litre of frying oil eg. sunflower

M E T H O D

1. Roughly chop the mushrooms into large bite sized pieces (roughly the same size as you would get fried chicken pieces)

2. On a plate, combine all the dry ingredients- rice flour, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, nutritional yeast, basil, oregano, five spice, and cayenne pepper. Mix until all combined.

3. In a large bowl, pour in your alternative milk and chopped oyster mushrooms and let them sit while you heat up the oil.

4. In a saucepan, pour the oil in until you have enough for the mushroom pieces to be submerged.

5. Heat the oil to induction mark 6/150°C/300°F/medium-high heat.

6. Once the oil is hot, take an oyster mushroom piece from the milk, dunk it in the coating mixture until it's completely coated and then gently place in the oil. You can do a few bits at a time, but make sure not to overcrowd the saucepan or it will bring down the temperature.

7. Fry for 5-7 minutes, turning over halfway until they are a crispy golden brown.

8. Place cooked mushrooms onto a plate covered by a paper towel, to help soak up the excess oil.

9. Continue cooking until all your mushroom pieces are done.

10. To serve, I recommend a drizzle of maple syrup, some fresh chopped chilli, and a handful of coriander - but the world is your oyster!