Nashville Hot Tofu
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This vegetarian version of the famous Nashville Hot Chicken is something even the meat eats will love! Having grown up in Nashville, I had my fair share of hot chicken and after going vegetarian, I’ve spent the past 8 years PERFECTING my meat-free version of this classic southern dish!
Despite my DEEP LOVE for tofu, this actually isn’t my first time making a meat-free version of Hot Chicken! Back in 2016 (right around the time I stopped eating meat), I made a Cauliflower Hot Chicken recipes that is still one of my favorites to this day.
BUT that was back before I was so comfortable cooking with tofu. Fast forward all these years and I KNEW that it was time to perfect my tofu version of the recipe.
And let me you, I LOVE LOVE LOVE how it turned out!
I did my best to keep the recipe true to the original (as I always do when making vegetarian versions of traditional meat dishes) simply swapping out the chicken for tofu. Again, I love it so much!
But be WARNED: this is truly VERY spicy!
Proceed with caution :)
Quick overview of how to make it:
- Prep the tofu and then marinate in a combo of pickle juice + buttermilk (swap for vegan buttermilk as needed!).
- Mix together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another.
- Dip the tofu pieces in the wet mixture, then the dry and then back in the wet and the dry again.
- Fry in vegetable oil until a nice deep golden brown color.
- Make the spicy paste by mixing together all of the ingredients. Once the tofu is fried, dip it into the sauce (or brush it on) so that it’s FULLY covered.
- Serve over white bread with pickles! EASY!
Sometimes people turn their noses up to the plain, cheap white bread that Hot chicken is served with but it’s actually super traditional to the dish. The bread (and the pickles) help curb the intense heat of the dish.
Either way, DO NOT skip the bread and pickles. You’ll thank me later!
One Last Bite
Be sure to save this recipe! I love to see your delicious creations and share the tastiest feedback. SO, if you make this recipe and you love it, please remember to tag me on Instagram @foodwithfeeling! I can’t wait to see you sharing this recipe! 🙂
More tofu recipes you’ll love:
- My amazing Tofu Marinades
- Tofu Stir Fry
- My Tofu 101 Guide
- Balsamic Tofu Sandwich
- Sesame Tofu
- Air Fryer Tofu
- Kung Pao Tofu
Nashville Hot Tofu
Ingredients
For the Fried tofu
- 2 15- oz containers of extra-firm or super firm tofu
- 1 cup of pickle juice
- 2 cups buttermilk see notes for vegan version, divided
- ⅓ cup hot sauce
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons seasoned salt
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- Vegetable oil for frying
- For serving: plain white bread and sliced pickles
For the spicy paste:
- ½ cup used frying oil
- ¼ cup butter melted
- 2-3 tablespoons cayenne pepper depending on your preference
- 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
For the Fried tofu
- Start by prepping the tofu. Super firm tofu does not need to be pressed but if using extra-firm, press it according to these directions. Once pressed, hot each block of tofu into 2-3 pieces. I cut mine into 2 pieces (to get 4 total) but that makes for a pretty thick piece of tofu so you can also cut the blocks into 3 pieces (to get 6 total). Optional: slightly tear the edges of the tofu to give it a more “fried chicken” look and feel to it.
- Place the tofu into a wide shallow dish and cover with the pickle juice and ½ cup of the buttermilk. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the breading by whisking together the flour, cornstarch, salt, paprika, cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a wide, shallow bowl.
- When ready to cook the tofu, mix together the remaining buttermilk and hot sauce in another wide and shallow bowl.
- Add enough oil to a large skillet so that it will go halfway up the pieces of tofu. Heat the oil to 375 degrees F.
- Meanwhile, bread the tofu by dipping each pieces in the wet mixture so that it’s full covered and then cover it in the flour mixture. Repeat this process so that each tofu piece gets dipped in the wet mixture twice and then the flour mixture twice.
- Once the oil is hot, Carefully add in the breaded tofu and fry for 4-5 minutes on each side or until they turn a beautiful dark golden brown color. Remove from the oil and place on a paper towel lined plate to catch the excess oil.
For the spicy paste:
- Mix together all of the ingredients for the spicy paste.
- Place a piece of the fried tofu on top of the 2 slices of bread and brush on the paste (you can also dip the tofu into the sauce) and then top with pickles slices. ENJOY!
Notes
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