I have to admit chicken nuggets have always been one of my favorite junk foods. But since I have gout regularly eating a 20 piece from the Golden Arches is out of the question. This is my alternative using jackfruit. Since they are fried they are not healthy but they are good. Especially with your favorite dipping sauce.
For the breading cornstarch gives you a nice crunch, but if you do not have it do not worry. For the jackfruit do NOT use the one in syrup (unless you want to risk burning them and want something super sweet). These are in a salty brine. If you use these do not use any salt in your seasoning, that is why I used a salt-free seasoning. In this case, I used a Cajun seasoning. But a poultry seasoning would also be good.
The next batch I make will be in Korean flavors, my wife is looking forward to that.
So let’s talk about what we did for today’s recipe. To keep it vegan we made non-dairy buttermilk. To do this we used 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of vinegar. You could always just use buttermilk or use milk and vinegar. It’s up to you. Do this a few minutes before you need to use the buttermilk.
Drain and wash the jack fruit. If you want to reduce the sodium level use the jack fruit in water or soak the jackfruit in water. I also like to remove and many of the seeds as I can find. But I am not sure that is actually necessary.
To the buttermilk, we added 1 teaspoon of no-salt Cajun seasoning. Then pour it over the jack fruit and let it marinate for an hour or so.
For the breading 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon of salt-free Cajun seasoning. You should use any salt-free seasoning that you like. Mix this together then dip the nuggets in it and let them sit for at least 5 minutes to set the breading. After that, if you see wet spots toss them in more of the breading mix.
To fry them I used 1/2 inch of peanut oil heated on medium heat. You want an oil temperature of 350F. Shake of excess breading and carefully add them to the oil. Being careful not to overcrowd the pan fry them on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Dip in any sauce you like to use on chicken nuggets or wings
Ingredients
- 20 oz Jack Fruit 20oz can in brine
- 1 Cup almond milk
- 1.5 Tablespoons Vinegar
- 1/2 cup All Purpose flour
- 1/4 c cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon Cajun Seasoing divided
- 1 cup peanut oil for frying
Instructions
- To 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of vinegar. Wait 5 minutes. Alternatively use buttermilk
- After 5 minutes add 1 teaspoon no salt Cajun seasoning.
- Rinse the jack fruit under running water and remove any visible seeds.
- Marinate the jack fruit in the seasoned buttermilk for a minimum of 1 hour.
- Mix 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch and 1 teaspoon salt free Cajun seasoning.
- After 1 hour dip the marinated jack fruit in the flour mixture and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Heat the oil to 350F. Fry the jack fruit until golden brown on both sides.
- Serve with dipping sauce
