To celebrate National Vegetarian Week and Public Sector Catering’s Plant-based Week I wanted to share an example of how delicious plant-based swaps can be. Whether for sustainability, cost, or health, I am always on the lookout for plant-based alternatives to my favourite dishes, and this ‘fried chicken’ is one recipe I will be repeating.

This easy recipe is so flexible, allowing for customisable options to fit the flavours you enjoy. The plant-based substitute in this case is mushrooms and it can be made vegetarian or vegan with just a few tweaks. For this recipe I used oyster mushrooms. These have a very similar consistency to chicken when cooked and shred in the same way.

You will need:

Ingredients
– 250g Oyster Mushrooms
– 2 eggs
– Flour
– Golden breadcrumbs
– Spices (I used black pepper, cayenne, smoked Paprika, and ground coriander)

1. Prep your mushrooms
Avoid washing your mushrooms so they don’t become soft and mushy. Instead, clean and dry with kitchen towel and slice in half to ensure even cooking. Coat the mushrooms in three stages, starting with your flour and spice mixture, then beaten eggs, and then breadcrumbs. You could even do this twice if you wanted them to be extra crispy. After they are nice and evenly coated its time to fry.

2. Fry
You can shallow fry these in a neutral oil, just make sure to get the oil hot before you start cooking and don’t overcrowd your pan. Each mushroom should only take around 3 minutes with occasional turning. (Or if you have an air fryer you can use that).

3. Serve
Serve these golden-fried beauties while they are still warm. I finished off mine with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and served them with sweet potato fries.

Here is a good opportunity to get creative with your dips and sauces. I served mine with sweet and spicy gochujang sauce, siracha mayonnaise and sour cream & chive dip. I also added smashed avocado and rocket alongside some burger buns to have the option of some plant-based fried chicken sandwiches. Delicious!

If you give these a go, we’d love to see the results so please do share on socials and tag us in @jellybeanagency