Vegan Chicken Balls Recipes

VEGAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• Add walnuts to a food processor and process into crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl and set aside.
• Add drained chickpeas, chopped onion, crushed garlic, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, tomato paste, hoisin sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cumin, ground coriander, oregano, smoked paprika, liquid smoke and vegetable stock to the food processor and process until smooth.
• Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl and add the walnut crumbs. Mix together.
• Add vital wheat gluten and mix in. The mix will be very thick. Don't overmix as this will cause the gluten to become tough and chewy. Just mix it until mixed and then stop mixing.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
• Scoop the mixture using a heaped tablespoon measure and roll them into balls. Aim to get around 30 meatballs.
• Place the meatballs onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Brush the meatballs with olive oil (optional) and then bake for 15 minutes on one side, then flip them over and bake for 15 minutes on the other side. They should be browned and crispy on both sides.

THE BEST VEGAN MEATBALLS

Steps:

• If you haven't prepared your quinoa yet, do so now (make sure it's cooked and cooled completely before use). 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa will yield ~1 cup cooked. *Prep/cook time does not include preparing quinoa.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Add rinsed, dried black beans to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until beans appear cracked and feel dry to the touch (see beans in food processor photo). Remove beans from the oven and then increase oven heat to 375 degrees F (190C).
• Heat a large (oven-safe) skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add water (or oil), garlic, and shallot. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly softened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat (and reserve pan for later use).
• Add black beans to a food processor along with garlic, shallot, sea salt, oregano, red pepper flake, and fennel (optional) and pulse into a loose meal (DON'T overmix). Then add cooked/cooled quinoa, vegan parmesan cheese, tomato paste, fresh basil or parsley, and Worcestershire (optional). Pulse to combine until a textured dough forms (you're not looking for a purée, but it should be semi-tacky).
• Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt for saltiness/depth of flavor, red pepper flake for heat, herbs for earthiness, or Worcestershire (optional) for more depth of flavor. If it's too tacky or wet, add more vegan parmesan cheese and pulse to combine (we added a bit more).
• Scoop out heaping 1 1/2 Tbsp amounts (using this scoop or a Tablespoon) and gently form into small balls using your hands. Add to a plate and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Heat an oven-safe metal or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add a small amount of oil to prevent sticking, then add the meatballs. Sauté for a few minutes, gently turning the meatballs to get a slight crust on either side. Then transfer to the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on the edges and slightly dry to the touch.
• These meatballs are delicious as is, or you can add some marinara to the pan and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes (or until bubbling / hot) to infuse more flavor.
• Serve with marinara and additional vegan parmesan cheese (optional)! These are also delicious atop any pasta. Leftover meatballs keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator or 1 month in the freezer. Reheat in the microwave or in a 375-degree F (190 C) oven until warmed through.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN BALLS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in the pan on medium-high heat.
• Prepare the chicken. Cut 8 two-inch strips (or more if you prefer). Season the meat with about 1/2 tsp salt and sprinkle of white pepper. Then using 1 tbsp of the self-raising flour coat the chicken strips with the flour.
• Prepare the batter. Add the self-raising flour and the salt together. Mix 100g of cold water into the flour. Let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes as it will rise a little and become a smoother batter. Add 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil into the mix to make it shiny.
• To make the sweet and sour sauce: In a saucepan pour the vinegar and add the granulated sugar in, heat these up on a low heat until the sugar dissolves.
• Add the ketchup, tomato puree and Worcester sauce and mix. Put this to one side as the sauce is now complete and ready.
• Now bring your chicken and your batter to your stove where your oil is heated up. Turn it down to low heat. One chicken strip at a time, place a chicken strip into the batter and coat it. Then put it in to the oil. Repeat this step for the other strips.
• Fry the balls for about 4 minutes until the batter is golden. If the balls are not floating after 4 minutes, leave it for an extra 1-2 minutes. Tip: If you find your batter browning too fast then add more oil to cool it down. Tip: when the balls float it generally means that the chicken is cooked. Use a slotted spoon to take the balls out.

VEGAN "CHICKEN" BALLS

Steps:

• Dissolve vegan stock cubes in the boiling water in a bowl. Add garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, and 1 pinch salt. Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes and add to the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, 4 hours to overnight.
• Mix 1 1/4 cups flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Place remaining flour in a shallow bowl.
• Stir 5 tablespoons water and flaxseed meal together in a separate bowl. Let "egg" stand until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add soy milk; mix well. Stir into the flour mixture until batter is well combined.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Take the tofu pieces and dip them in bowl of flour; move into the batter to coat. Fry in the hot oil until browned, 2 to 4 minutes per side.

SWEET & SOUR CHICKEN BALLS

Steps:

• First, make the sauce. Put the orange juice, sugar, tomato purée, ketchup and vinegar in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 mins. Slowly pour in the cornflour mixture, a little at a time, stirring continuously until you have the desired consistency. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Mix the flour, baking powder and 1 tsp salt together in a large bowl. Beat the eggs, milk and 1 tbsp oil together in a separate bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well to create a smooth paste. Add the chicken pieces and mix, making sure each piece is thoroughly coated.
• Fill a deep saucepan or wok no more than a third full with oil and heat to 170C, or until a cube of bread dropped in browns within 30 seconds. Carefully lower the coated chicken pieces into the oil, one piece at a time, and fry in batches of five for about 5-6 mins each batch until golden brown and cooked through. If you have a food probe thermometer, the internal temperature should reach 78C. If you don't have a thermometer, cut a chicken piece in half to ensure the juices run clear.
• Drain the fried chicken on a wire rack set over a baking tray lined with kitchen paper, or on a plate lined with kitchen paper. Serve with the sweet & sour sauce for dipping.