Buffalo Tempeh Chik'n Tenders

I had a hankering for something spicy the other day. Not like Sriracha or chili pepper spicy, something different. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, so I took to Pinterest. I knew a quick search could help me figure it out.

My search started with the keywords ‘spicy vegan food’. Through a couple iterations, I landed on spicy tempeh recipes.

Since I normally eat a high protein diet, and tempeh has 16g of protein per 3oz serving, I knew I could find a recipe that was going to meet my nutritional needs. A scroll or two down the screen and I found what I was looking for: tempeh tenders!

Forkandbeans had a delicious recipe that really got me inspired to try one out on my own. So I started jotting down some ideas and came up with this recipe!

What was even better was I had all the ingredients at home; no grocery trip required. It’s the little things, right?

The difference factor in my tempeh tenders recipe is baking them, in addition to frying. This firms up the inside texture so it doesn’t feel like your eating play-doh.

Frying is also pretty much mandatory with Panko breadcrumbs. I’ve tried a couple recipes that left them as-is and wasn’t up to par.

An important note for this recipe: always make sure to brush the marinade over the tenders before you put them in the oven. It seems like an easy skip, but it really helps boost the flavor of the crust.

I’ve played with this recipe a couple times now and it’s also best to fry and bake so that the inside cooks thoroughly. If you super health conscious, you can pat the tenders with a dry paper towel before baking. This helps remove any excess oil.

These tenders are served best with my Vegan Ranch Sauce! If you’re like me and like to tone the heat just enough, this ranch will do it. Serve alongside with celery or carrot sticks!

buffalo chik'n tenders

Prep Time

Total Time

25 minutes

45 minutes

Prep Time:

25 minutes

Total Time:

45 minutes

Servings:

4 Cuisine:

vegan

entree

Diet:

high protein

Author:

plant based scotty

ingredients :

8oz tempeh (1 package)

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup coconut flour (or all purpose flour)

1 cup buffalo sauce (I used Frank’s red hot buffalo)

1/2 cup vegetable oil (for frying)

1 tsp kosher salt (or sea salt)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

serve with :

thick and creamy vegan ranch

carrot sticks

celery sticks

directions :

Lay tempeh horizontally on cutting board and slice in half. Then stand each half block on its flat side and slice down the center long ways. Finally, evenly stack the sliced tempeh (should have four pieces), and slice once more long ways, creating eight rectangular strips.
Place tempeh in a baking dish. Pour buffalo sauce over the tempeh and spread evenly. Set aside and marinate for 20 minutes (save the marinade when finished)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together panko breadcrumbs, flour, salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper in a medium-sized bowl. After the tempeh is done marinating, add each tenders into the breading mixture and coat evenly. (save the marinade)
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Once pan is hot enough to fry, add in your tenders and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side (don't allow them to burn).
Once all tenders are cooked, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush the remaining marinade over the tenders. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Serve immediately!