Vegan Wendy's Mock Spicy Chicken Sandwich w/ Meatfree Breaded Chicken Patty
Difficulty: 3/5 (5 being hardest)
Spice Level: 2/3 (3 being spiciest)
Prep & Cook Time: 1 hour + 15 minutes
Servings: 4 sandwiches
The Challenge: Wendy's Spicy Chicken Sandwiches
PRINTABLE DIRECTIONS (CLICK TO DOWNLOAD)
It is time for Wendy's Spicy Chicken recreationnnn. Really, this is just an epic spicy chicken sandwich that you're going to absolutely love! We created a delicious seitan chicken patty that is then dredged and battered in a hot pepper sauce. We fry it up in on a cast iron pan, smother in vegan mayo/lettuce/tomatoes, and smush it between a toasted ciabatta roll. Yum, yum, yum!
Wendy's has these (I have heard) delicious spicy chicken sandwiches that have a really tasty spicy breading on it that is then cooled down with mayo.
Super not vegan...well as always I am trying to make anything + everything vegan that I can. I thought this would be a crazy fun challenge to make spicy chicken sandwiches 100% plantbased + vegan. Challenge completed.
We use Louisiana Original Hot Sauce in this recipe. I like its spicy vinegar blend, but you can use other hot sauces. You want a thin pepper-forward sauce. Other good options would be Crystal or Frank's.
This is a super easy + delicious recipe that you're going to definitely want to eat again + again. Your friends won't even realize its vegan, and in the end, we are making it another step forward for ANYTHING BEING VEGAN. Yes yes yes YUM.
Let's get into it!
Chicken Patties
1 cup vital wheat gluten
3 tbl nutritional yeast
Spices: 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp oregano, 3 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbl Louisiana Original hot sauce (I use 1/4 cup, but I reduced it a bit to make less spicy)
1/4 cup + 2 tbl vegetable broth
1/4 cup tahini
6-8 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, for boiling
Pepper Sauce
1/3 cup Louisiana Original hot sauce
2/3 cup water
The Rest
1 cup all-purpose organic flour
4 vegan ciabatta rolls (or other buns)
romaine lettuce, diced
2 roma tomatoes, sliced
1/2 cup vegan mayo
Equipment You'll Need:
Cutting Board . Medium Cutting Knife . Measuring Cups . Measuring Spoons . Castiron Pan . Mixing Bowl . Small Bowl . Large Plate . Drying Rack . Large Pot
Before You Cook:
Put 6-8 cups of broth for the patties on high to boil it
1. To start, mix together all the chicken patty ingredients except for the vegetable broth for boiling. Using your hands knead the mixture for about 4-5 minutes. Add more broth if too dry and seems crumbly. Knead until mixture is elastic. Make sure to get the 6-8 cups of veggie broth on high heat so it starts to boil.
2. Form the chicken mixture into four patties that are slightly triangle-shaped. I like to mash them down thin. They plump up while boiling.
3. Once the broth is boiling, add all four patties to the pot. The patties should be completely covered. Cover the pot + reduce to medium-to-medium low heat and boil for 50 minutes. Place on a drying rack or plate once done.
4. While the patties boil, mix together the pepper sauce in a shallow bowl as well as add the one cup of all-purpose organic flour to a large plate with a sprinkle of garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt + pepper. Set them aside and wait for the patties to finish boiling. During this time, I also chop my tomatoes into slices and chop up romaine lettuce.
5. While the patties dry, place a cast iron pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. After the patties have dried for 5-10 minutes, place into the flour mixture and coat both sides.
6. Next dredge the patty in the pepper sauce and then coat again in the flour. Repeat for all four patties. Add 2 tbl of vegan butter to the pan. Once its popping add the patties.
7. Cook the patties on each side for roughly 4 minutes until browned and crisping on the sides.
8. Lastly, place the patty between two halves fo a toasted ciabatta with some romaine lettuce, a couple tomato slices, and VEGAN MAYO!
