Vegan Chicken and Waffles

This post is sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company, but all opinions are my own. (Originally published November, 21, 2019)

You have to try these Vegan Chicken and Waffles for brunch! The fluffy oat flour waffles pair perfectly with crispy vegan fried chicken.

this RECIPE

Vegan Chicken and Waffles

Boy, do I have a recipe for you today! I’m not even sure you’re prepared for it.

VEGAN CHICKEN AND WAFFLES!!! What could possibly be better? I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love a salty sweet combo. Sometimes a big stack of waffles and syrup on their own is just too sweet for me. But pop a few pieces of vegan fried chicken on top and I’m sold.

I’m excited to partner with Quaker on this recipe as part of their Oats Across America campaign! Quaker surveyed people from coast to coast and uncovered some really interesting things:

• People feel really nostalgic about breakfast. No surprise there! Breakfast can take us back to what our parents served every morning or decadent breakfasts at our grandparents’ houses or holiday brunches with family.
• Savory breakfasts reign supreme as favorites! I am 100% on Team Savory Breakfast.
• Respondents in the South (where I grew up) and in the West (where I live now) both indicated chicken and waffles as one of their favorite breakfasts.

Obviously I had to recreate this classic and make a batch of vegan chicken and waffles since it bridges where I grew up with my current chosen home. So today we’re making the crispiest, crunchiest vegan fried chicken and a batch of super fluffy oat flour waffles. They pair perfectly with one another for the brunch dish of your dreams. Plus, we’re keeping things gluten-free and packing in some extra protein and flour thanks to oat flour!

This is the perfect vegan brunch recipe to share with all your non-plant-based friends to impress them with your vegan cooking skills. You’re welcome 🙂

Ingredients for Vegan Chicken and Waffles

The star of the show for this vegan chicken and waffles recipe is the humble oat. We’re using oats in both the waffles and the breading for our friend chicken. It makes the vegan fried chicken super crispy, the oat flour waffles super fluffy, and adds a bit of extra fiber to the recipe.

Here’s everything you’ll need to make your own vegan chicken and waffles!

• Cooking spray. This is my secret to super crispy vegan fried chicken!
• Oil. Ideally you’ll want to use a neutral oil such as canola, avocado or sunflower oil.
• Ground flax. This is for our vegan egg substitute!
• Broth. I recommend choosing a low-sodium variety. Either vegetable or vegan chicken broth will work.
• Tofu. You’ll want extra firm, and be sure that you’ve drained and pressed it before making the vegan fried chicken.
• Oats. I recommend going to classic rolled oats.
• Cornstarch. This will help add a bit of extra crunch to our breading for the vegan fried chicken.
• Spices. We’re using paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cinnamon, salt, pepper and cayenne.
• Non-dairy milk. Any variety will work!
• Vinegar. I would use white distilled or apple cider vinegar for this recipe.
• Baking powder. This will ensure our oat flour waffles rise nicely.
• Maple syrup. You can’t have waffles (including chicken and waffles!) without syrup!

How to Make Vegan Fried Chicken 

For the chicken, we’re going to make baked tofu nuggets! You’ll dredge them in a flax mixture, then a dry mixture (the base of which is oat flour made from blended Quaker Old Fashioned Oats). My secret trick is spraying the coated nuggets with cooking spray to get them extra crispy!

You could totally enjoy this vegan fried chicken with savory sides for dinner, but I highly recommend making the oat flour waffles and trying it for brunch sometime! Here’s how to make the vegan fried chicken:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF and prep a baking sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper.
2. Make your flax egg in a small bowl by combining flaxmeal and water and set aside.
3. Tear tofu into nugget pieces about 1.5-2 inches wide and place in broth to marinate for 10 minutes.
4. Make your dredge by combining oat flour, lightly blended oats, cornstarch and spices in a large bowl.
5. Dredge your vegan fried chicken by dipping each piece into the flax mixture to lightly coat, then coating it in the oat mixture.
6. Spray the nuggets lightly with cooking spray and arrange on your baking sheet.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, flip, then bake for another 30 minutes.

How to Make Oat Flour Waffles

While your vegan chicken nuggets are baking, you can make the oat flour waffles. These are vegan gluten-free waffles, so everyone can enjoy them! Bonus: these waffles freeze beautifully! Double or triple the recipe so you can freeze some for easy breakfasts.

Here’s how you make the oat flour waffles:

1. Preheat and lightly grease your waffle maker
2. Prepare a flax egg in a small bowl by combining flaxmeal and water and set aside.
3. Make vegan buttermilk by combining non-dairy milk and vinegar and set aside
4. Make the waffle batter, by mixing together the dry ingredients, then adding in the wet ingredients. Whisk everything together and let rest for 5 minutes.
5. Cook the waffles by adding 1/2 cup of batter to the center of waffle maker. Cook each waffle for 5 minutes.

More Vegan Brunch Recipes

Treat all your loved ones to a delicious brunch spread! If you’re looking for more fun vegan brunch recipes, give some of these ideas a try!

• Vegan Breakfast Casserole
• Vegan Buckwheat Pancakes
• Asparagus & Mushroom Vegan Quiche
• Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chunk Baked Oatmeal
• Vegan Falafel Waffles

How to make:

Vegan Chicken and Waffles

You have to try these Vegan Chicken and Waffles for brunch! The fluffy oat flour waffles pair perfectly with crispy vegan fried chicken.

Prep Time:

30 mins

Cook Time:

1 hour 20 mins

Total Time:

1 hour 50 mins

Author:

Emilie

Yield:

4 1x

Rating: 5 from 2 reviews

Print the recipe

Ingredients

For the tofu “chicken”:

• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons ground flax
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable or vegan chicken broth
• 1 14-ounce package extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed*
• 1/2 cup oat flour**
• 1/2 cup Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, lightly blended but still with texture
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Dash of cayenne pepper

For the waffles:

• 2 tablespoons flax meal
• 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 1 teaspoon vinegar (white or apple cider)
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour**
• 1/2 cup Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup neutral oil (avocado, canola, grapeseed)
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Instructions

For the tofu “chicken”:

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. To a small bowl, add flax and water; stir. Set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Add broth to a medium bowl. Tear tofu into nugget pieces about 1.5-2 inches wide and place in broth. Marinade for 10 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, add oat flour, lightly blended oats, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and cayenne. Stir to combine.
5. With each tofu nugget piece, dip into flax mixture to lightly coat, then dip into oat mixture to coat the entire nugget. Place on baking sheet. Repeat until all nuggets are coated.
6. To make the nuggets extra crispy, lightly spray with cooking spray.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, flip, then bake for 30 minutes.

For the waffles:

1. While nuggets are cooking, prepare the waffles. Lightly grease waffle maker and preheat.
2. To a small bowl, add flax and water; stir. Set aside for 5 minutes.
3. To a small bowl, add non-dairy milk and vinegar; stir. Set aside for 5 minutes.
4. In a medium bowl, add oat flour, oats, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir to combine. Add oil, maple syrup, flax mixture, and non-dairy milk mixture. Stir to combine dry and wet ingredients until just combined. Let batter sit for 5 minutes.
5. Add 1/2 cup of batter to the center of waffle maker. Cook for 5 minutes. Repeat until all batter is used up.
6. Top waffles with tofu nuggets and maple syrup.

Notes

*Use a tofu press, or wrap the tofu in paper towels and place in the sink with a heavy object on top. Press for 10-15 minutes.

**To make your own oat flour, simply blend Quaker Old Fashioned Oats into a fine flour using a high-speed blender or food processor.

6647.6 g476.7 mg32.1 g4.7 g73 g9.4 g21.9 g0 mg

Thanks to Quaker for sponsoring this post! I love working with brands whose products I really love and would honestly recommend.