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Prepare yourself for a whirlwind of emotions. The stakes are high. Today, we're talking tenders.
Like many children, one of my favorite items on any kids menu was the chicken tenders. There is something so uniquely delicious about that crunchy exterior that is only found on this one food item. Truth be told, chicken tenders are one of the few foods I have craved in the last five years since my switch to the vegetarian lifestyle. Yes, sometimes a burger smells pretty good, but this is really the only food (other than meatballs) I've actively wished I could eat.
And truth be told, there is no perfect substitution. Other fried foods are good but not the same, and the grocery store soy based "chickn" tenders are so-so. So I was very intrigued when I found this recipe for Chick'n Nuggets on a blog called Deliciously Yum. This peaked my curiosity because the star ingredient was the one and only chickpea! Really quite fitting, don't you think? So while this was a nugget, the lesser liked cousin of the tender, I wanted to give it a try, because I love experimenting with this versatile legume.
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Here is the incredible short ingredient list:
1 can chickpeas
1 cup oat flour
2 eggs
1 cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten free - half regular and half panko - please splurge on the panko, as the regular ones were literally just corn meal...so get the panko for that signature crunch.
seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning)
So while I did not attempt to modify this recipe to be vegan, I did manage to make it gluten free. But I'm guessing you could use aquafaba from the chickpeas to make it vegan? Wow I literally just thought of that...that's kind of a genius and resource conscious idea!
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I often fail to completely read a recipe in advance, and just think, "Hey that sounds interesting, let's give it a try." So on this given day, half way through blending my chickpeas in the food processor, it sunk in that I was about to do a proper breading procedure.
Yes, that's right: flour + egg + breadcrumbs. I'd never done that before.
So I first pulsed my chickpeas, eggs, seasonings, and part of the flour in a food processor. Then came the fun part. It's a little odd, because as you're dipping each tender in the flour, egg, and then breadcrumb mixture, and you repeat this process a number of times, each individual finger starts to get breaded, which as a vegetarian is especially a bit disconcerting. Finger tenders anyone? (Sorry I don't know why I'm veering into the territory of dad jokes).
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| After completing the 3 step breading process! |
So I've breaded my tenders, and I've stuck them in the oven. I go to turn them at the half way mark, and I find that the oven had been turned off (I think I canceled the heat when I went to turn the light off). Despite this set back, I get the oven heating up again, and just leave them in for longer, until I see some of the crumbs getting golden.
And now the moment of truth. I am so ready. I've made a little dipping sauce of natural ketchup (aka not sweet), balsamic vinegar, and apple butter. It's basically a take on barbecue sauce (and may sound familiar because that's what I top my lentil loaf with!). So I have my dip ready, and I grab a couple tenders hot out of the oven and settle down on the couch.
...And I am so disappointed.
It is a crushing blow. I think, "Will I truly never again experience the joy of the tender?". A single tear weeps from the corner of my eye. Ok, I'm exaggerating, but you get the picture. It's a let down. The texture inside is mushy, and doesn't at all resemble its namesake nugget. So I pack the rest up in tupperware and resign myself to mediocre meals for the next couple days.
So why am I even posting about this recipe? Because of what happened the next day. I took out a couple nuggets and set them in the toaster oven to heat so they'd stay crispy. I mixed up some more sauce, and when they were ready I settled down to my sad meal.
I took a bite....
I took another bite......
Overnight the food gods, goddesses and angels had blessed me and transformed my humble nuggets into gold. I kid you not. After just one day settling in the fridge, they were almost indistinguishable from your typical chicken nugget. They got that firm interior and just the right amount of chew.
So yes, they resembled nuggets more than tenders (which I knew going in given the name of the recipe), but it felt like a vegetarian miracle.
I hope you've enjoyed reading about my journey, and I encourage you all to give this a try, and maybe you too will feel the blessings of the angels.
PSA: this post has been dramatized for the sake of entertainment
