KFC-Style Vegan Fried Chicken Made With Jackfruit

KFC-style vegan fried chicken by Sauce Stache

It’s time to get cooking. On this episode of EATKINDLY With Me, Mark Thompson—AKA Sauce Stache—showcases another recipe hack: KFC-style vegan fried chicken.

So, how does Thompson make his realistic-looking KFC-style vegan fried chicken? Using his secret ingredient: jackfruit.

“I mean, look at these,” he says. “This is going to be so good. All we’re going to do is take our two cans of young green jackfruit. We’re going to open it up, drain it out, rinse them, and then just wash the jackfruit really well.”

“I just love how much jackfruit, once it’s all broken up, just looks almost like a pulled chicken—like how you would make a chicken salad,” he continues. “It comes out so, so good.”

Next up, Thompson adds in the seasoning. “We’re going to flavor the jackfruit, get rid of some of that fruit taste, add some more chicken-y taste to it,” he says. He achieves this by using a chicken-flavored broth.

After cooking the jackfruit, he uses vital wheat gluten to help bind it together. “Once you’re done, you have a formable jackfruit that will hold its texture and shape and have a really nice bite. It’s going to come out so good,” he adds.

The vegan fried chicken even features a “skin” made of bean curd sheets and a KFC-style breading. “Now that we have our jackfruit chicken and our skin, we just need the bone,” Thompson explains. “Today, I’m going to be using lemongrass.”

Hungry yet? Here’s how to make Sauce Stache’s KFC-style vegan fried chicken.

vegan fried chicken drumsticks
This KFC-style vegan fried chicken is made with jackfruit. | Mark Thompson for LIVEKINDLY

LIVEKINDLY is here to help you navigate the growing marketplace of sustainable products that promote a kinder planet. All of our selections are curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, LIVEKINDLY may earn a commission.