Chick'n Dinner Cornbread Muffins
Everything is served better in miniature form – and these Chick’n Dinner Cornbread Muffins are no exception! Sweet cornbread muffins are topped with fluffy mashed potatoes and crispy seasoned chick’n then drizzled with your favorite sauce, making for a fun and tasty handheld meal that people of all ages will absolutely devour!
Ingredients
Muffins & Chick’n (see recipe notes 1):
- • 1 box vegan-friendly cornbread mix see recipe notes 1
- • 1 16-ounce pack of extra firm tofu, drained and pressed for 30 minutes (see recipe notes 2)
- • 1 cup non-dairy milk
- • 2 prepared vegan eggs
- • 2 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce or your favorite hot sauce
- • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- • 1 cup all-purpose flour
- • 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning homemade or store-bought
- • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- • Vegetable oil for frying
Mashed Potatoes:
- • 1-pound potatoes peeled and chopped
- • ½ - 1 cup unsweetened unflavored non-dairy milk
- • 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- • 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more to taste
- • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper plus more to taste
Toppings:
- • Favorite sauce for garnish (I like to switch up the sauce between the muffins for variety! I typically use gravy and buffalo hot sauce)
- • Fresh minced chives for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Bake the cornbread according to package directions, using the “muffin” option. Remove and set aside to cool.
- To prepare the chick’n gently break the block of tofu into small, bite size pieces with your hands.
- Whisk the milk, vegan eggs, hot sauce, and apple cider vinegar in a large container with a lid. Add the tofu pieces, cover, and very gently shake to coat; marinate for 20 minutes. In a separate large container with a lid, whisk together the flour, Cajun seasoning, and nutritional yeast. Set aside.
- While the tofu is marinating, prepare the mashed potatoes. Add the potatoes to a large pot and fill with enough cold water to cover the potatoes by an inch. Boil the potatoes until soft, but not waterlogged. Drain, then place them in a large bowl with the butter, ½ cup of the milk, salt, and pepper. Using a potato masher or ricer, mash until smooth and mostly clump-free. Add extra milk ¼ cup at a time if you need it, but keep in mind you want the potatoes creamy, yet stiff enough to hold their shape as the “frosting” of the muffins. If you’re piping them on, transfer the mashed potatoes to a piping bag or Ziploc.
- About 5 minutes before the tofu is done marinating, heat 2 inches of oil in a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, transfer the tofu pieces into the container with the flour mixture. Cover and gently shake, ensuring all pieces are evenly coated, then tap off the excess flour before adding them back in the marinade, then again in the flour, this time keeping any excess or clumpy bits stuck to the tofu pieces. Transfer the coated tofu piece to a wire cooling rack and repeat until all the pieces are coated.
- Once the oil is hot—you’ll know it’s ready when you sprinkle a bit of flour into the oil and it starts to sizzle immediately—fry the tofu in batches, until golden brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer back to the cooling rack and repeat until all the tofu is fried.
- To assemble the muffins, pipe or dollop each muffin with mashed potatoes, then gently top with a piece of chick’n. Drizzle on your favorite sauce or gravy, garnish with fresh chives, and enjoy!
Notes
1. Many box cornbread mixes call for eggs – simply substitute the eggs with equal parts prepared vegan eggs, such as Bobs Redd Mill egg replacer, or equal parts chia or flax eggs.
2. The secret to meat like tofu is in the pressing! To press tofu, you can use a tofu press, or you can use a few simple items you have lying around in your kitchen. If you don’t have
a press, you need a kitchen towel, something flat like a cutting board, a large pan, and some heavy things to serve as weights—like a few large cans. Wrap the tofu completely in the towel to absorb any excess liquid that may be released and place it on a plate. Place the cutting board on top of the tofu so the pan has something flat to sit on. Place the pan on the cutting board, then load the cans into the pan—leave them there to press the tofu for the time specified in the recipe. The weight will press out the excess liquid from the tofu. Note: This works only for extra-firm or firm tofu! Also, whether you’re using a tofu press or homemade pressing setup with a pan and weights, the pressing time is the same.
3. While I much prefer these Chick’n Dinner Muffins with homemade chick’n you can use store-bought chick’n nuggets or strips (cut into bite-size pieces) for an easier and faster option!
2. The secret to meat like tofu is in the pressing! To press tofu, you can use a tofu press, or you can use a few simple items you have lying around in your kitchen. If you don’t have
a press, you need a kitchen towel, something flat like a cutting board, a large pan, and some heavy things to serve as weights—like a few large cans. Wrap the tofu completely in the towel to absorb any excess liquid that may be released and place it on a plate. Place the cutting board on top of the tofu so the pan has something flat to sit on. Place the pan on the cutting board, then load the cans into the pan—leave them there to press the tofu for the time specified in the recipe. The weight will press out the excess liquid from the tofu. Note: This works only for extra-firm or firm tofu! Also, whether you’re using a tofu press or homemade pressing setup with a pan and weights, the pressing time is the same.
3. While I much prefer these Chick’n Dinner Muffins with homemade chick’n you can use store-bought chick’n nuggets or strips (cut into bite-size pieces) for an easier and faster option!
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