VEGAN CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS
a.k.a. CFC DRUMSTICKS (CRUELTY FREE CHICKEN)
SOUTHERN FRIED DRUMSTICKS WITH KFC SPICE CRUMB
MADE FROM JACKFRUIT FLESH & A CAULIFLOWER BONE
‘making wings but instead of a chicken bone it’s cauliflower’
What was originally published in 2016 as CFC Drumsticks (Cruelty-Free Chicken Drumsticks) - this recipe went viral immediately. It’s been known by so many names since; ‘Southern Fried Drumsticks’ in my first cookbook, Sauce Stache called it ‘The Best Plant Based Fried Chicken Ever’, and Julien Solomita just called it ‘making wings but instead of the chicken bone it’s a cauliflower’. That’s when Jenna Marbles gave this a ‘that’s not allowed!’ BTW. That’s high praise. See the video below for Jenna & Julien’s take on this uniquely plant based southern fried drumstick.
What is it?
The idea behind this recipe hit me as I dozed off on a couch one day years ago. We, the vegans, were fiddling around with plant based meat alternatives with cauliflower and jackfruit being all the rage at the time. So what if you combined them? Wait, even better.. cauliflowers sort of look like massive drumsticks anyway.. what if the stalk of the cauliflower could serve as a bone? Then the jackfruit could be stuffed into the negative space in the florets to fashion a drumstick, right? Yeah, I was right. These look just like the real deal, even when you bite into them.
Finding the general gist of the KFC 11 herbs and spices isn’t really that hard to crack onto. The first test confirmed my eureka moment and after 7 years of this recipe being the bane of my existence - demanded at every public booking, festival, class or quiet meal with a friend.. I pass it along to you.
How do jackfruit and cauliflower work as mock meat?
Unripe jackfruit has no distinctive flavour of its own. Once cooked with chicken-adjacent flavours, it eagerly absorbs them and becomes a stringy texture that resembles shredded chicken. Or, specifically, the perfect plant based texture that mimics the moment you tear into soft fleshiness under crispy fried chicken breading. Just make sure you follow the step to squeeze out the seeds so you don’t break the illusion!
Jackfruit is often mistakenly labelled as ‘vegan pulled pork’ by those who have merely drowned it in barbecue sauce. Clearly, I’m not a fan of this production. Instead, try this recipe which allows the jackfruit’s stringy texture and ability to absorb flavour sing. Track down a tin at your local Asian supermarket (most large, regular supermarkets near me stock it, too). You’re looking for the young green jackfruit in brine, as the ripened versions are sweetened in syrup and only appropriate for desserts.
The cauliflower is less convincing. It’s used as a bone and sort of architectural layout for you to place the jackfruit within. Once crumbed, it contributes the signature look of a chicken wing. Other vegan concepts around this that I’ve found use cinnamon stick, sugar cane sticks or wooden paddle pop sticks when making a plant based bone.. but I think cauliflower is the best as the only bone on the planet you can eat too. Once cooked in the hot oil, the cauliflower softens to the extent that you can’t use it to hold and support the rest of the drumstick.. which I think is a small compromise when you can instead eat the delicious bone too.
Do I need any hard to find ingredients?
Many chicken style stock cubes (bouillon cubes) are totally free from animal products. Once you’ve been cooking plant based for a while, you tend to take this for granted but if you’re new to this shindig.. take the time to read the options at your supermarket and find one without actual animal products. Vegetable stock never hurt anyone if that’s the best you can scrounge up, anyway.
The spice mix calls for kala namak (Black salt) which has a sulphuric flavour that’s reminiscent of eggs. You can find it at indian and some asian supermarkets. It won’t go to waste, either, if you miss eggs - a little sprinkle of this will give you the flavour and smell you’re looking for. Just be sure to put it on - after - cooking if you’d like it to give egg realness.. as it loses this quality as it cooks.
We are not getting into the MSG debate here. I love the stuff, it’s so good to cook with and there’s not a lot of reasons to skip it. Also found at asian supermarkets (I use ajinomoto brand). If you can’t find it or don’t wanna use it, that’s cool too. Just add a bit more salt.
If you’ve read this far, you’ll have realised there’s probably a trip to your local asian supermarket in your future.. so grab the young, tinned jackfruit there ‘cause that’s where you’ll find that as well.
Aquafaba is the liquid from a can of beans. Use it like an egg. Nutritional yeast is in health food aisles and is yum as hell so get that too. It’s for cheesy flavour, or in this recipe it’s helping add umami flavour without darkening the mock meat to create chicken-like flavours.
Watch me make the recipe step-by-step with Simon Toohey on Channel 10’s Freshly Picked!
Then play along at home as Julien Solomita and Jenna Marbles give CFC Drumsticks a whirl.
Don’t stop now! I uploaded my own youtube close up of the steps if you really don’t have the gist of it by now.
So crispy! Plant based southern fried drumsticks by Zacchary Bird as seen on season one of Freshly Picked with Simon Toohey.
Shoutout to this original image of the ‘CFC drumstick’s I took right after my first eureka moment. That is my (clean) pillow case that I’ve artfully plated it upon for the discerning viewer.
Vegan Chicken Drumsticks
Ingredients
- 2 x 565 g (1 lb 4 oz) tins young green jackfruit, rinsed and drained
- 375 ml (12 1/2 fl oz or 1 1⁄2 cups) vegan chicken-style stock
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 10 drops liquid smoke
- 1 cauliflower
- 185 ml (6 1/2 fl oz or 3/4 cup) aquafaba
- canola oil, for deep-frying
- 110 g (4 oz or 3/4 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- pinch of dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kala namak (Indian black salt or use extra sea salt)
- 1 teaspoon MSG/torula yeast (optional)
Instructions
- Cut away the hard core from the jackfruit, then squeeze each piece so that any seeds pop out and any excess liquid is removed. Gently pull the jackfruit pieces to make them stringy, then rinse away the remaining brine under warm running water. Squeeze the jackfruit dry.
- Place the jackfruit in a saucepan with the stock, nutritional yeast, onion powder and liquid smoke. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 10 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Divide the mixture into four portions.
- Starting at the base, cut the cauliflower into quarters. You want to keep the stalk attached to the florets as this will be your ‘chicken bone’. Use a small knife to carefully remove the leaves. Trim the stalks into a rounded bone shape, then cut off the majority of the florets so you are left with a basic chicken drumstick shape. Use the florets to make the Southern fried cauliflower on page 34.
- Place a large square of plastic wrap on your work surface and spoon half of one portion of the jackfruit mixture towards the edge closest to you. Lay a cauliflower drumstick on top of the jackfruit mixture with the stalk sticking out the end of the plastic wrap. Add the remaining half portion of jackfruit mixture on top, filling in and loosely covering the florets.
- Pick up the four corners of the plastic wrap and fold them over the jackfruit mixture, twisting to enclose the jackfruit around the florets. Once sealed, gently squeeze the jackfruit mixture to let the excess liquid run down the ‘bone’. Use your hands to mould the jackfruit inside the wrap to evenly cover the cauliflower and mush it into the perfect shape. Repeat for each cauliflower ‘bone’, then place the drumsticks on a tray in your freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up.
- Combine the spice mix ingredients in a large bowl and pour the aquafaba into a separate shallow bowl.
- Heat the canola oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium–high heat. Test if the oil is ready by inserting a wooden skewer or the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil; if it begins to bubble quickly then you’re ready to go.
- Once the drumsticks have firmed up, take them out of the freezer and unwrap the plastic wrap – this is where it gets tricky, because as soon as the jackfruit hits the aquafaba it will want to fall apart, so you need to work quickly.
- Holding a drumstick in one hand, drizzle over enough aquafaba to coat, then place the drumstick into the spice mix and toss extra on top to coat. Use floured hands to press the drumstick back into shape if necessary, then repeat the coating process and set aside while you repeat with the remaining drumsticks.
- Cook the drumsticks in two batches, turning constantly, for 3–5 minutes, until golden on all sides. (Use tongs to turn the drumsticks and make sure you grip them by the fleshy part so they maintain their shape.) Drain on paper towels and serve immediately, picking your jaw up off the ground once you realise how good they are!
Nutrition Facts
Calories
462.83Fat
6.15 gSat. Fat
1.05 gCarbs
99.82 gFiber
8.7 gNet carbs
91.13 gSugar
60.51 gProtein
11.47 gSodium
869.71 mgCholesterol
0 mg
Look at the inside of these Vegan Chicken Drumsticks by Zacchary Bird photographed by Pete Dillon for Vegan Junk Food cookbook! These plant based beauties look and taste like the real deal inside and out.