Unofficial holidays like Super Bowl Sunday are the worst. Why? Because while everyone else is downing pork sliders, you’re off in the corner eating the long forgotten veggie tray like a bunny rabbit. And if you grew up in the 90’s, at some point someone will reference the Simpsons episode where Lisa became a vegetarian by asking, “are you gonna marry a carrot?”

There are boneless “chicken” wings out there as well as kosher fried chicken in frozen bags. But to their credit, this recipe from PETA actually is the best I have personally experienced.

I did make a few changes. First, I took out the nutritional yeast. While some say that it imparts a ton of flavor, frankly, my taste buds are really sensitive to it and it just overwhelms everything for me. Additionally, I added baking powder, which I think gives the batter a little more puff, which I like.

The best way to enjoy these is with BBQ sauce, hands down.

Kickoff ‘Chick’n’
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
4 Tbsp. mustard (yellow, Dijon, spicy brown, or your favorite)
1/2 cup water
2 pkgs. vegan Chick’n Strips
3 1/2 cups canola oil for frying

• Mix together the salt, onion powder, pepper, garlic powder, flour, and nutritional yeast in a deep bowl. In a separate bowl, dilute the mustard with 1/2 cup water and stir until soupy. Add 1/3 cup of the flour mixture to the mustard mixture and stir until the batter thickens—it’s OK if the batter is lumpy.
• Dip large chunks of the Chick’n Strips into the mustard batter. Drop each chunk into the flour mixture and coat with the desired amount of “crust.” Fry the chunks, turning as needed, in hot canola oil on medium to high heat in a large skillet until crispy and golden brown. Serve immediately. (Leftovers are great. Try them straight from the fridge!)

Makes 4 servings