January 24, 2019

It’s that time of the year again. Hundreds of thousands of people get together for what some may say is the most important sporting event of the year.

That’s right. The Super Bowl.

I don’t know about you guys, but when it comes to “The Big Game”, the last thing on my mind is the actual game. I’m looking forward to the half-time show, getting together with friends, those silly betting charts (I hope I win, I hope I win), booze…lots of booze, the commericals (which in my opinion get worse every year), and of course, THE FOOD.

And apparently, I’m not alone when it comes to the food. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Super Bowl Sunday is America’s Second-Largest Food Consumption Day, following Thanksgiving.

That’s a LOT of food. And if you’re vegan like me, then going to a Super Bowl party, or even hosting one might seem a little daunting. After all, it’s usually pizza, wings, and everything else that’s not vegan-friendly.

Lucky for you, I’ve got the perfect appetizer that everyone will love! Vegan or not!

Grab a brew and let’s get to making the best Vegan Buffalo Chick’n Bites!

I got the inspiration to make these vegan buffalo chick’n bites a couple weeks ago when I took a poll on Instagram Stories asking ya’ll what Super Bowl inspired snacks you wanted me to veganize. By far, the most requested appetizer was Buffalo Chicken Dip and mozzarella sticks, so I got the crazy idea to combine to two. The outcome are these delicious and crispy vegan Buffalo Chick’n bites!

Pro Tip: you can totally form these into the shape of mozzarella sticks!

After forming your mixture into bite size balls, you should freeze them for a few minutes so they hold up well when it’s time to batter them. After coming out of the freezer, coat them in some flour, non-dairy milk, and panko bread crumbs to ensure extra crispiness!

After they’re all coated, all you need to do is fry them up until golden brown and crispy, and voila! You’ve got the cheesiest, crispiest, most delicious vegan buffalo chick’n bites!

You can even roll and bread the vegan buffalo chick’n bites a day or two ahead of time, store them in the fridge, and then fry them the day of the party! Additionally, if you fry them up and they get a bit soggy after a couple of hours, just pop them in the oven at 375 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes on the middle rack, flipping halfway through. They’ll come out crispy like you just fried them!

We hope you love our recipe for these vegan buffalo chick’n bites as much as we do! If you give it a try, snap a photo and tag us on Instagram at @eat_figs_not_pigs. We love seeing your recreations of our recipes! Also, if you have the time to rate the recipe and leave a comment or review below, that would help other reader’s who are giving the recipe a try tremendously, as well as myself for future recipe delvelopment! Til next time, friends!!!

5.0 from 4 reviews

Vegan Buffalo Chick'n Bites with Ranch Dipping Sauce

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Author: Ashley

Serves: 20-28 Buffalo Chick'n Bites

Ingredients

Ranch

• ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
• ½ cup vegan sour cream
• ½ cup non-dairy milk, original and unsweetened
• 1 tsp fresh dill, minced
• 1 tsp fresh chives, minced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• Pink Himalayan sea salt, to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Buffalo Chick'n Bites

• 2 vegan eggs
• 2 tsp avocado oil
• 10 oz vegan chicken strips
• ½ teaspoon sea salt and black pepper + more to taste
• ½ cup red onion, finely diced
• ¼ cup celery, finely diced
• ½ cup vegan mozzarella shreds
• ½ cup vegan cheddar shreds
• ½ cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
• ¼ cup vegan sour cream
• ¼ cup vegan cream cheese
• ¼ cup prepared ranch dipping sauce
• 2 TBS panko bread crumbs + more for breading

Instructions

Ranch Dipping Sauce

1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and whisk until completely smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and set in the refrigerator. Ranch will thicken as it sits. If you prefer a thinner dipping sauce, add a bit more non-dairy milk (about 1 tablespoon at a time) until you reach desired consistency.

Buffalo Chick'n Bites

1. In a small bowl, prepare vegan eggs according to package directions. Set aside.
2. In a pan on medium high heat, add avocado oil. Once oil is hot, season vegan chick'n strips with one teaspoon sea salt and black pepper, and cook until slightly crispy on the edges and heated through, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Shred into small pieces with your hands or the back of two forks.
3. Place chicken shreds in a large bowl with red onion, celery, cheese shreds, hot sauce, sour cream, cream cheese, ¼ cup prepared ranch, 2 tablespoons panko bread crumbs, and prepared vegan eggs.
4. Mix thoroughly to combine all the ingredients.
5. With a small melon baller or rounded tablespoon, scoop out about 2 tablespoons of buffalo chicken mixture and round into balls. Place each ball on a parchment paper lined try. Repeat the process until all the mixture is gone. Place the buffalo chick'n balls in the freezer to solidify for about 15-20 minutes,
6. Meanwhile, heat some vegetable oil in a deep fry pan on medium heat. Let the oil heat to 350-375 degrees F.
7. In three seperate bowls, add flour. In another bowl, add unsweetened non-dairy milk. In the third bowl, add 1½ cups panko bread crumbs.
8. Once the buffalo chick'n balls are slightly solid, place each ball in the flour, then into the non-dairy milk, then into the bread crumbs. Make sure that the buffalo chick'n balls are fully coated each step the of breading process. Once all the balls are breaded, fry in small batches until golden brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes.
9. Serve warm with ranch dipping sauce and buffalo sauce.
10. ENJOY!!!

Notes

1. For the ranch dressing, you can find vegan-friendly mayonnaise at most grocery stores. Our favorite brands are JUST, Follow Your Heart Vegenaise, and Best Foods. The brand of vegan sour cream we typically buy is Tofutti, which we find at Whole Foods, Sprouts, and Lassen's. If you are unable to find vegan sour cream, there are several recipes online for cashew-based sour creams that are FANTASTIC!
2. The vegan egg we use is from the brand Bob's Red Mill. We also like Ener-G. If you are unable to find vegan egg binder, you can simply make a flax "egg" by mixing 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal with 2.5 tablespoons of warm water (this is enough for 1 egg, double the recipe for 2 eggs). Mix thoroughly and let rest to thicken for 5 minutes.
3. The vegan chicken strips we used are from the brand, Gardein. You can find a variety of different brands at most grocery stores in the frozen section, as well as specialty health food stores, such as Whole Foods and Sprouts.
4. The vegan cheese shreds we used are Daiya's NEW Cutting Board Shreds. We tested this recipe with several different brands, and found that this specific one melts the best. If you are unable to fine Daiya's new Cutting Board Collection, any other brand will work.
5. When you place the bites in the freezer to solidify a bit, make sure to put them on a parchment paper lined plate or tray, otherwise they will stick to the plate. Plastic wrap works, too.

3.5.3251