Description
This meatless version of a Wendy’s Chicken Sandwich will knock your socks off! The batter is crispy with a bold, spicy flavor and the cauliflower is soft and meaty in the middle.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 4 tbs hot sauce
- 1 tbs cayenne pepper
- 1 tbs smoked paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- frying oil
- Toppings (optional)
- buns
- lettuce
- tomato
- mayo
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Cut the head of the cauliflower in half and then cut a 1 inch slice steak out of each of the two halves. You’ll want to cut from the center to get the biggest piece possible and allow it to stay in tact. The back pieces of each half may fall off after that, you just need the steak for the sandwich and can save the florets for later! Meanwhile, fill a large, deep pot about 1 inch deep with vegetable oil and heat the oil over medium high heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk the non-dairy milk, hot sauce, flour, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder until combined into a thick, creamy batter.
- Test whether the oil is ready for frying by sprinkling water droplets into the oil If it sizzles and pops, it’s ready to fry. Or if you have a thermometer, you want it to be 350 degrees. Take one cauliflower steak and dunk it into the batter, flipping both sides until it is fully coated. Drop the steak into the hot oil and fry for about two minutes on each side. The breading will get brown and crunchy on the outside and the cauliflower will begin to soften up. Remove from oil and place on a paper towel to get off some of the oil. Repeat this process with the second steak.
- Assemble the sandwiches by spreading mayo, ranch, mustard or other condiments of your choice on the bun and adding lettuce tomato and other toppings!
- If you have leftover florets, make little popcorn cauliflower nuggets by double battering them and placing them in the oil for about two minutes. Serve them with a side of ranch dressing, yum!
Notes
*You can also bake these by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping it halfway through.