Dairy-Free Vegan Buffalo Chicken Dip w/ Jackfruit Shredded Chicken
Difficulty: 2/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 2/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6
The Challenge: Buffalo Chicken Dip
Buffalo chicken dip ... vegan ... and just in time for your Super Bowl Party. Is this heaven? Basically.
So, I caved and did a jackfruit recipe. I've had it a bunch of times, but I wanted to do something unique with it. I had seen tonsss of jackfruit recipes, and I wanted to make sure the one I did would be a unique one. When buying jackfruit, buy it canned. It is way too hard to cook fresh. Second, make sure it is in brine not syrup. If it is in syrup, its sweet and if in brine its bitter. It is typically available at Whole Foods, natural foods stores, and starting to pop up in most grocery stores.
My sister actually requested this dish. She is a lifelong veg head as well, and she loves buffalo chicken style foods, so this is for Sarah!!
We start with chickenizing jackfruit. A little different than pulled pork - we use broth and spices and peanut butter to create a chicken-esque flavor that is then mashed to create a shredded chicken flavor. The shredded chicken alone is worth trying and can definitely be reused in a ton of recipes.
From there, we blended it with a made from scratch vegan ranch, brazil nut cheddar (my sister is allergic to cashews) and this is a great alt to cashew cheddar, vegan cream cheese (from Tofutti), and buffalo sauce. Bake it and BAMMMMMM - this dip is straight ballin, mic drop good.
Let's get into it.
Ingredients:
Jackfruit Shredded Chicken
- 1 medium shallot (or 1/2 yellow onion)
- 2 garlic clove, minced
- 2 14 oz cans of jackfruit in brine
- Spices: 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, pinch of salt + pepper
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 1 tbl soy sauce
- 1 tbl peanut butter
Ranch Dressing
- 3/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk
- Spices: 1⁄4 tsp garlic powder, 1⁄4 tsp onion powder, 1⁄8 tsp black pepper, pinch of salt
- squeeze of lemon juice
- 1 tbl fresh parsley, chopped
Brazil Nut Cheddar
- 1 cup of raw brazil nuts
- 2 tbl nutritional yeast
- Spices: 1/3 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, pinch chili powder
- 1 chipotle in adobo sauce
- 1 tsp olive oil
Other
- 3/4 cup buffalo sauce (more if you like it really buffalo-y)
- 12 oz vegan cream cheese (I use Tofutti brand)
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
Equipment You'll Need:
Mixing Bowls . Baking Dish or Pie Pan . Food Processor .
Before You Cook:
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Wash + chop fresh ingredients
- Set out vegan cream cheese (to soften)
1. Start by adding the shallots + garlic to large frying pan with 1 tbl of olive oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add in the jackfruit and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add in rest of ingredients, cover, and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Take off heat.
2. Next, using a potato smasher, large spoon or fork, or other instrument, begin to smash the jackfruit and it will form a shredded style.
3. Next, whisk together all the ranch ingredients. Set aside.
4. Add all the brazil nut cheddar ingredients to a food processor and pulse 8-10 times until you have a crumbly cheddar mixture.
5. Next, mix together the cream cheese, ranch, and buffalo sauce. The cream cheese is typically quite firm and is why I recommend setting out when getting prepped to soften it. If its still too firm for you to mix...try beating it together. I like using a wooden spatula to break it apart and mix together by hand.
6. After mixed, fold in the cheddar crumbles and the shredded jackfruit to make a nice even mixture.
7. Once you have that folded in, add to a square baking dish or pie pan (medium size). Spread evenly and top with a sprinkling of bread crumbs (optional). Place into the oven at 350F and bake for 25 minutes. Once done, serve with crudite / chips / pita chips.
